An utterly delightful royal wedding special

05/22/18 • 13 min

Swiss and Chips - Your British guide to Switzerland

What drives someone who's not particularly interested in the monarchy to watch a full royal wedding? We found out this weekend as we switched our TV over to the BBC and soaked up the atmosphere in Windsor for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding, all from the safety of a Swiss chalet in the Bernese Alps.

Notes on this episode of your 'British guide to Switzerland' podcast

Who pays for a royal wedding? BBC's 'Reality Check' does a nice job of trying to break down the figures, albeit it without too much information at their disposal.

And while we're on the topic... how does the Queen afford all those new dresses?

Not everybody loves the Royal Family, and not everybody wanted to watch the wedding. Campaign group Republic launched a petition in advance of the big day to try and stop taxpayers' money being spent on the event. It had 32,000 signatures.

And something we didn't hear mentioned during the festivities, but which was covered in the UK press beforehand, was how the homeless were having their property, including sleeping bags, put into storage before the wedding, while royalists camped out on the streets overnight to secure a spot to watch the day's events.

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--- Send us your questions ---

Notes on this episode of your 'British guide to Switzerland' podcast

Who pays for a royal wedding? BBC's 'Reality Check' does a nice job of trying to break down the figures, albeit it without too much information at their disposal.

And while we're on the topic... how does the Queen afford all those new dresses?

Previous Episode

Full steam ahead! Buying Swiss train tickets

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There a number of different types of tickets and railcards you can buy to travel around Switzerland whether you have just moved here, or you're only visiting. We run through the discounts available, where and how to buy tickets and how much you can expect it all to set you back.

The 'GA' - an annual pass for whole country: worth it if you‘re commuting or travelling a lot. CHF3860 per year / CHF340 in monthly installments.
The 'Halb Tax' - the half-fare card: enables you to buy tickets for half price. A one-off payment of CHF185 / CHF165 if you automatically renew.
You can buy weekly and monthly passes for specific routes, prices vary.
The Swiss Federal Railways, SBB, has an app where you can buy all train tickets. Also available in English.
Local transport companies have their own apps where you can find more options than in the SBB app for cheaper tickets for a specific route.
There are ticket machines at railway stations and most bus or tram stops.
Travel at a specific date and time and book in advance: you can get a cheaper 'saver' ticket for the train. Otherwise, the train ticket costs the same all the time, whether you buy your ticket weeks in advance or five minutes before you leave.
For visitors to Switzerland, it can be good value for money to buy an Interrail pass: CHF326 for 3 days travel in Switzerland within one month.
There are also a few varieties of the Swiss Travel Pass which although slightly cheaper, has to be used on consecutive days. Costs CHF225 for 3 days, for example. Includes free entry to many museums.
All of the above prices are second class.

Next Episode

Getting to know the Swiss over dinner: do's and don'ts

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You've found your way to Switzerland and started setting up a life here. Now it's time to try and get to know the locals, and what better way to do it than over some food? But where to begin? And how to go about it without committing any major faux-pas? There are some simple (unspoken) rules that will enable you to hit the spot. In this episode, we answer the most important questions and give you a glimpse into the Swiss way of thinking, so there will be no big surprises coming your way after the first course.

Notes on this episode of 'Your British Guide to Switzerland'

First things first: How do you get invited to a Swiss person's home?
- When should you arrive? What is considered too early, or too late?
- What should you bring with you?
- How do you say hello: hugs, kisses, a firm handshake?
- What is the normal procedure after you get there?
- What can you expect in terms of food?
- How long should you stay?
- Which topics of conversation should you avoid?
- How can you follow up afterwards?