Kitchen stores in Lugano

"If you want breakfast in bed......sleep in the kitchen!"

I strongly feel that the kitchen is the heart of a home and is therefore worth investing in. However, if you move around the globe like we do, it is tough dragging it along. Subsequent to my list of furniture stores, I have listed the kitchen stores in and around Lugano. My personal experience with Scavolini kitchens (available at arredopiu) has been excellent. I have installed three of them over the past 10 years and have been very happy with design, quality and price ratio.

Further, I have added some websites of cool kitchen gadget that can be ordered online.

Kitchens:

Scavolini: http://www.lugano.scavolinistore.net (Via Serafino Balestra 12, 6900 Lugano)
Arredo Piu International: http://www.arredopiu.net/ (Via Serafino Balestra 5, 6900 Lugano)
Ernesto Meda: http://www.ernestomedalugano.ch/ (Via Pelli 5, 6900 Lugano)
Piatti: http://www.piatti.ch/en.html (Via Cantonale, 6594 Contone)

Prisma: http://www.prisma2.ch/ (Via Maggio 23 - 6900 Lugano)

5 Stelle: http://5stellelugano.ch/ (Via Clemente Maraini 40, 6900 Lugano)

Kitchen Store: http://www.grarredamenti.it/www/Pagine/MENU/Cucine.html (via Senago 44, 6912 Pazzallo)

and of course, IKEA: http://www.ikea.ch/

Cool kitchen gadgets:
http://www.siblershop.ch/
http://www.kuhnrikon.ch/
http://www.bettybossi.ch/
http://www.peka-system.ch/

Easter Suprise muffin recipe

"More than meets the muffin"

Seek and you shall find ... these muffins conceal a surprise inside. Taste the unexpectedly fresh, fruity and harmonious blend of vanilla and apricot. Decorate the finished muffins with green-colored butter cream and sugar Easter eggs - the perfect Easter Surprise muffins for your kids!

Ingredients: (makes 12 muffins)
125gr butter
125gr sugar
2 eggs
125g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling:
Apricot jam with large pieces of fruit

Lemon Butter Cream:
250g icing sugar
125g butter
juice of 1/3 lemon

Preparation:
Mix all ingredients (except apricot jam) together.
Place 2 tsp of the mixture into each muffin mold.
Dollop 1 tsp of apricot jam (preferably with large pieces of fruit) onto half filled muffin mold.
Cover molds with remaining muffin mix.
Bake for 15 - 20 minutes at 180 ° C in a preheated oven.
Immediately transfer muffins to cool on a grid.

Lemon butter cream: mix sugar, butter and lemon juice together and colour with green food colouring.

Decorating: spread butter cream with dessert fork onto the cooled muffins. and decorate with colored sugar eggs and marizpan carrots.

Your kids will love them!

IWCL Evening group invites you to Tisana Wellness Exhibition

"Good health and good sense are two of life's greatest blessings."
Publilius Syrus

TiSana, Southern Switzerland's Exhibition of Natural Medicine, Healthy Nutrition and Bioarchitechture kicks off at the Centro Esposizioni in Lugano this Thursday. Click here for more info on Tisana.

The International Women's Club of Lugano (IWCL) Evening group is kindly offering you a welcome drink at Tisana on Thursday, April 14th, 2011 from 19:30. As usual friends and partners are welcome so please join them at "a fior di gusto" (Stand No. 69 at “padiglione Salute”)

Luisa Bruhin - a IWCL supporter - from Studio Ihsire will be at Stand 323 Padiglione Armonia: To help ease the pressures of everyday life, Luisa offers a wide range of remedial massages (including natural holistic therapies) which will rejuvenate your inner senses leaving you feeling inspired and focused, as well as relaxed and refreshed. At Tisana Luisa is promoting as well Pregnancy Support Classes.

Also pop by and say hello to one of IWCL's members, Susan Brambilla at stand 319 in Padiglione Armonia. Aura Soma is a self selective, non intrusive colour care system. As a colour therapy it works with the chakra system and the magnetic fields of the body to promote harmony and well-being. As a tool for personal evolution it can expand your awareness and provide insight into where you are in life.

Where: Tisana, Centro Esposizioni, Via Campo Marzio 7, 6900 Lugano
When: Thursday, April 14th to Sunday, April 17th, 2011
Time: Thursday -16:00 to 22:30
Friday & Saturday - 11:00 to 22:30
Sunday: 11:00 to 19:00

Learning the ABC with your kids!!!

“Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.”
Chinese proverb

When we started school many years ago, we had to learn the ABC... kids still do, but the only thing that stayed the same is that A still stands for Apple. Have a look for yourself!

We better get invovled FAST!!!!

Switzerland's Political system

"The people has decided, the people is right."
Swiss politician

Swiss are world champions at voting. Why?

Frequent referendums concerning changes to the constitution as well as laws are the key element of Switzerland's unique and well established tradtion of Direct Democracy. More than 100 years of experience with referendums on national, cantonal and communal level have shown that Switzerland's system of referendums guarantees not only a maximum amount of self-determination to the citizens but also a stability of the political system Switzerland is often envied for.

Switzerland has quite a unique democratic tradition with 27 political systems (one federal and 26 cantonal systems). Four basic facts and features about Switzerland's political organisation:

1.) Switzerland is a Confederation of 26 cantons (canton = member state of the Swiss Confederation)
2.) Switzerland's basic political philosophy can be described as a far reaching and sophisticated form of federalism granting cantons and communes a maximum of political self-determination and restricting the competences of the federal (national) authorities to the absolute minimum that is indispensable to run a modern, highly (post-)industrialised state.
3.) Governments, administrations, parliaments and courts are organized on 3 political levels:

- federal (national)
- cantonal
- communal
4.) Direct Democracy with frequent Referendums on national, cantonal and communal levels.

I will not bore you with more political lingo.

I just got back from voting. Yes, having grown up in Switzerland has it’s advantages and obligations. I consider myself very lucky to live in a country where my voice is heard and respected. As a friend’s father put it many years ago: “We are fortunate to be citizens of a country which seeks our opinon, we must therefore make our contribution to defend this freedom of speech.” I think of him every time I cast my vote with my Swiss Quality Caran d’Ache pen.

Follow me to Lugano

Come sit with me for a while...

....and enjoy the view!

Picture perfect Lugano

Soon I'll be able to swim in the lake!

Sunny 27°C today - Ice Cream time

Getting ready for the tourist season

Waiting for the tourists

Your incognito Expat reporter

Vintage feeling

"Bottegone del Vino" preparing for Happy hour

My local supermarket

Ticino Emozioni - Election Sunday 2011

“A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation.”
James Freeman Clarke

Emotions of Ticino (Ticino Emozioni) was formed in 2009 with the aim of promoting the image of the Ticino as an ideal place to spend your free time. This objective has been the engine for a joint effort to act against the economic crisis and try to prolong the tourist season in Ticino.

Emozioni Ticino in 2011 is supported by Ticino Tourism, Ticino Banking Association, Chamber of Commerce, industry, trade and services in the canton of Ticino, Food Conference, Local Tourist boards, Federcommercio, GastroTicino, Hotelleriesuisse-Ticino, SBB RailAway, Ticinowine and the Ticino tourist public transport union to diffuse Canton Ticino's riches to the north and south of our borders.

For more information click here: www.emozioni.ticino.ch

Thanks to Emozioni Ticino, most stores in city centers as well as commercial centers throughout Ticino will be open exceptionally this Sunday from 12:00 to 18:00 for all you shoppers.

You are wondering why 12:00?

Don't forget it is voting weekend for the Swiss. This Sunday Ticino's Gran Consiglio and the Consiglio di Stato will be elected. The polls close at 12:00 on Sunday!

The Gran Consiglio is the legislative authority of the canton, exercising sovereignty over any matter not explicitly delegated by the constitution to another authority. The Gran Consiglio has 90 members called deputati (deputies), elected in a single constituency using the proportional representation system. Deputies serve four-year terms, and annually nominate a President and two Vice-Presidents. The Gran Consiglio meets in Bellinzona, the cantonal capital.

The five-member Council of State (Consiglio di Stato), not to be confused with the federal Council of States, is the executive authority of the canton, and it directs cantonal affairs according to law and the constitution. It is elected in a single constituency using the proportional representation system. Each year, the Council of State nominates its president, who is not re-electable. The current president of the Council of State is Gabriele Gendotti.

Swiss and Expats, rise and shine, for Sunday there will be a great deal of action in town. With the weather forecast at 27°C and sunshine this weekend promises to be fun, fun, fun!!!!!

Lugano Expat blog hits 10'000

“What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.”
Albert Pine

Thank you, Grazie, Merci, Danke schön, Vile Dank, Gracias to all my readers around the world who have been following my adventure through my Lugano blog.

I have hit 10’000 pageviews today! Yupeeeehhhhhh!

When I began writing my Expatwithkids blog on October 27th of last year I had no idea where it would lead me. Much less did I expect to find a passion that has practically taken over my life. (I will need to remedy that soon!). What started as a simple idea, as in “Hmm, I wonder if this could work?”, has turned into a full-time activity on my beloved computer.

My Expatwithkids blog Facebook fans, Google followers and Networked blogs subscribers have slowly but steadily grown and I thank you for your support. I also thank all the anonymous readers who pop by my blog to discover Lugano news or else wonder about my latest inspiration.

My inspiration comes from my family, my friends, my everyday life, from Lugano, from Radio 3iii and Radio DRS1 (I dare admit this one) and of course from the wonderful world of web (www).  Day after day I endeavour to render my posts as relevant, educational, fun and interesting as possible for my eclectic flock of followers. Over the last 2 weeks readers started leaving comments which makes me pop out of bed in the morning to check my posts. My record pageview for one day was 203!

Try googling Lugano blog, Lugano expat or Lugano kids. Guess what?  My Lugano blog appears on the first page. This gives me a sensational satisfaction. Having given up a flourishing Sales&Marketing career so many years ago for my wonderful globetrotting life, the result of this 5 month adventure proves that I am still made of the same stuff and - wow - I have NOT lost my touch.

I dedicate this post to my father from whom I inherited an insatiable curiosity for people and life (he is probably googling Lugano up in heaven this very moment) and who in endless session of writing application essays for Amercian Universities taught me the art of English composition. It might not be perfect - but considering all my education had been in German until then - I do hope it is engaging.

Celebrate World Health Day today

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”
Mahatma Gandhi

In 1982 World Health Organization (WHO) undertook a reorientation of health education, designed to expand its community approach and include communication theories and practice. In 1987 the term "health education" was changed to "health promotion" to denote a broader, ecological approach to the work of facilitating "informed choices" by people on health matters.

Every year, World Health Day is observed on April 7, the day, in 1948, when WHO came into being. Each World Health Day is devoted to a particular theme, and material is made available for member states to commemorate the day with a program focus.

This year the WHO is calling for an intensified look at the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance around the world.

Antimicrobial resistance -- also called drug resistance -- happens when bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi mutate into new forms that render medications used to cure them ineffective, according to the WHO. "With the growth of global trade and travel, resistant microorganisms can spread promptly to any part of the world," the organization said. They recognize that education is one of the most important ways to combat antimicrobial resistance. That's why the organization is dedicating World Health Day to this important topic in 2011.

Read 10 facts on antimicrobial resisitance here: WHO factfiles

I've added a site I enjoy reading with my kids. It provides us with all the answers for our medical curiosity. It's called: kidshealth.org.

Check out their kids dictionary of medical words. Medical words brilliantly explained!

Museo Cantonale d'Arte Lugano - A History of Italian Art

"Painting is poetry which is seen and not heard, and poetry is a painting which is heard but not seen."
Leonardo da Vinci

This exhibition recounts the story of the Christian Stein Collection by way of about one hundred masterpieces of Italian art that date to the post-war period and collected by Mrs. Christian Stein, an outstanding exponent of the European tradition of gallery owners-cum-collectors. On show, there are about a hundred works selected among the many that were rarely exhibited or later actually ceded to the best world museums. A hundred works evoking and retracing the history of the Stein Collection, a legendary narration of an unrepeatable moment of European cultural history. The exhibition presents Manzoni's and Lo Savio's monochromes, Melotti's sculptures, Fontana's cuts, one sculpture of Colla, Uncini's concretes, "manifestos" of a new radicalism that narrate the 50s and 60s in an Italy imbued with classical history and, at the same time, plunged into the post-war mood and economic boom.

Where: Museo Cantonale d'arte della città di Lugano, Via Canova 10, 6900 Lugano
When: March 12th to May 22nd, 2011
Time:  Tuesday 14:00 -17:00 / Wednesday through Sunday 10:00 -17.00
Closed on Mondays
Admission: Permanent Collection: CHF 7.-, Exhibitions CHF 10.-