How to dress your home for Spring- the art of KOKEDAMA

I have recently discovered the art of Kokedama, the very original and elegant way to present plants and flowers, and I literally felt in love with it.

Kokedama comes from Koke , that  means moss and Dama that means ball, the following link explains how to do a Kokedama , however there are many tutorials on the web that you can browse to learn. 

All "ingredients " to create your Kokedama can be bought in Botanic, Schillinger,Migros Parc and any other place selling plants and gardening equipment.

I know that this art is already on fashion since at least 3-4 years, however I thought it would be interesting writing a blog about it for the ones who don't know this art.

In addition, I think that this is a very special way to decorate your home.

Last Saturday I made my very first Kokedama and I'm very proud of it. I also like the fact that , differently than other Japanese garden arts, such as the art of making bonsai, kokedama is very easy to learn and to reapply!
Enjoy!

Dani's Kokedama

The OWLS' NIGHT in Dardagny on March 28th , as of 6 p.m. -Children for free

copyright Chris Basel 

If you like adventures and Nature, you can't miss the OWLS' night , organized by the Ornithological Group of Geneva in Dardagny on March 28th at 6 p.m.; this is a walk in the countryside to see owls,bats ,salamanders and other night animals. The excursion also includes a meal in a typical  farm, adults pay 20 CHF/each, children 's participation is free.

Torches , warm shoes and clothes are the only equipment you need to participate , do not to miss it!

Registration required by mail to alexis.pochelon@gobg.ch, or by phone at 0794253346

CINEGLOBE in Cern - Movies Festival until March 29th -FREE -Children workshops on Saturday and Sunday

If you like movies  you shouldn't miss the 5th edition of  CineGlobe  Film festival that takes place in CERN until  March 29th , it is a link between science, art, technology and personal expression!
The news of this year is a 360-degree projection of films in a geodesic dome, a first of its kind in Switzerland, built by a local artist

www.cern.ch

The festival it's articulated in three main segments: films, workshops, and interactions. The fiction and non-fiction films have been selected from almost 900 submissions from all five continents. Family sessions with age-appropriate sessions will be repeated on the weekends.
Three workshops — How to make a pinhole camera with a tetrapak, the Art of the Timelapse, and Stop-motion animation — will also be hosted on Saturday and Sundays for kids of different ages , starting from 8 years old to 16 years old , check the program for more details

The location in the Globe of Science and Innovation in Rte de Meyrin - tram 18 stop CERN , is so unique that it's by itself worth the visit!

Come and see the RABBITS EXHIBIT in Eaux vives 2000 Shopping Center -March 23rd till April 2nd

Great exhibitions for your little kids , with rabbits and other small animals will be at the Shopping Center of Eaux Vives 2000 , from March 23rd till April 2nd
Many kids activities are planned in that period and there is the possibility to win free tickets to visit the Zoo in Servion.

For Bike lovers - the 6 SATURDAYS CYCLING - Samedi du Velo- including Cycling Concerts as of April 11 -FREE

The Samedi du Velo or Cycling Saturdays  is a traditional Spring and Summer event in Geneva and it's a fantastic initiative for the one who love cycling.

www.ville-geneve.ch

This consists in 6 Saturdays when several great activities are organized all around biking, these activities are :

• Bike excursions that last 2-3 hours and include visits to art galleries or historical places
• Bike repair workshops for the ones who would like to learn  how to repair their bikes   
• Bike "driving" lessons to learn how to safely bike even in the crowdest traffic conditions
• Bike mechanic seminar on how to learn the mechanic aspects of the bikes
• Bike concerts, this for me it's the most original and interest activity. It consists in bike tour accompanied by musicians :)

All activities are for free, however it's mandatory to enroll in advance on line to the selected activity.
The 6 Saturdays are the following ones:
April 11 ;May 2nd; June 6th; July 4th; Sept 5th
The historical cycling concerts take place on May 9, 10, 16 and 17
Enrollment have just opened, so don't wait further!
 

www.samediduvelo.ch

How to live an unique experience - PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE on March 20th morning

In Geneva, the eclipse will only be partial (70%). It will start at 9:20 or so, will peak around 10:30 am and will end around 11:30 a.m.
The  History of Science Museum, in the Parc de la Perle du Lac in Geneva organizes a free event linked to the eclipse and in particular an observatory in the courtyard.

In addition to the eclipse, children who go to the museum on that day will also have the opportunity to participate in the launch of the action "Send your drawing in space" organized by the Swiss CHEOPS space program. All children aged between 8 and 14 years are invited to submit a drawing that will be engraved on the telescope before its launch into space.

History of Science Museum

How to make bargains- INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN 's CLOTHES and TOY SALES on March 22nd in Geneva

In one of my first posts  I have talked about the TROC's , the typical second hand children clothes sales that normally take place in the schools of the various Geneva districts and that are organized by the people living in the area.

This post is about the most famous and the largest TROC in Geneva ,the not to miss one if you like this type of events.

It is the International Children's clothes and toys sale that takes place twice a year , in Spring and in Autumn in the Eglise du Sacre Coeur in Plainpalais , next sale is on March 22nd from 1p. m. till 5 p.m.

This sale is HUGE, in the sense that there are literally tons of clothes, toys, children strollers, children furniture,sport equipment , shoes, books and so on.

Many items are branded and in excellent conditions and are sold at ridiculously low prices so it's worth going and having a look , especially if you have clear ideas of what you are looking for.

Important : if you decide to go there , make sure you arrive at least 30 minutes before the sale starts because this sale attracts many hundreds of people and most of them start queuing there before doors open in order to be the first ones to access the the sale and take the best items. 

Note that  only cash is accepted , no credit card. 

How to buy discounted tickets at the GENEVA INTERNATIONAL MOTOR SHOW

If you are into cars, then  the Geneva International Motor Show that takes place at the Expo close to the airport, from March 5th till March 15th  is THE Geneva event of the year ! However, also if you are not so passionate about cars , I think it's worth going there because of the great glamorous atmosphere and because it's always interesting to know what are the new car  models coming up and the new futuristic prototypes that will hit the market in few years time.

I have been there last Thursday and I love

it, especially the Ferrari area!

This blog is not about the about the Geneva International Motor Show in general, it is about how to get the entry tickets  , that normally cost 16 CHF/person, at discounted price.

There are basically two ways :

1. The easiest is to buy the ticket directly at the Fair after 4 p.m, each day. Not everybody knows that as of 4 p.m. the entry tickets cost 8 CHF instead of 16 CHF. the Fair closes at 8 p.m. so there is plenty of time to visit it and it's much less crowded.
2. The other way to buy discounted ticket at 40-50-60% discount is to search in anibis.ch , the most popular swiss website of private announces, for people selling the tickets. There are plenty of offers there so go and browse!