2022 - Mika @ Caribana Festival, Crans-près-Céligny, Switzerland - 16 June

[Prisca]

On 2/20/2022 at 10:21 PM, holdingyourdrink said:

My cousin (who lived in Geneva in her teens) told me only old farts go to the Caribana festival. @Michelle Blondetis this true 

How many years did you say your cousin has been living in London?

 

Looking at the 2019 aftermovie, I'm afraid WE will be the old farts there.

 

 

[holdingyourdrink]

1 hour ago, Prisca said:

How many years did you say your cousin has been living in London?

 

Looking at the 2019 aftermovie, I'm afraid WE will be the old farts there.

 

 

Oh boy, yes we will be 

[holdingyourdrink]

Speaking of the day after: I will be in Geneva until Saturday. Who wants to explore Geneva with me during the day on Friday?? (In the evening I will have dinner with my family.)

[Prisca]

13 minutes ago, holdingyourdrink said:

Speaking of the day after: I will be in Geneva until Saturday. Who wants to explore Geneva with me during the day on Friday?? (In the evening I will have dinner with my family.)

Sorry, on the way to Zeebrugge then.

[Anna Ko Kolkowska]

2 hours ago, holdingyourdrink said:

Speaking of the day after: I will be in Geneva until Saturday. Who wants to explore Geneva with me during the day on Friday?? (In the evening I will have dinner with my family.)

I am staying in Geneva till Saturday morning. 

Some time ago I was talking with Michelle Blondet - she was thinking about a picnic on Friday. So let's wait and we will see 

[holdingyourdrink]

51 minutes ago, Anna Ko Kolkowska said:

I am staying in Geneva till Saturday morning. 

Some time ago I was talking with Michelle Blondet - she was thinking about a picnic on Friday. So let's wait and we will see 

Ohhhh an MFC picnic @Michelle Blondet? 

[Prisca]

3 hours ago, Prisca said:

Sorry, on the way to Zeebrugge then.

Unless @Hero and I book an extra night in Geneva and cancel a night in Zeebrugge.

[holdingyourdrink]

1 minute ago, Prisca said:

Unless @Hero and I book an extra night in Geneva and cancel a night in Zeebrugge.

Honestly, Geneva and Zeebrugge are probably equally expensive at this point. 

[mellody]

4 hours ago, holdingyourdrink said:

Speaking of the day after: I will be in Geneva until Saturday. Who wants to explore Geneva with me during the day on Friday?? (In the evening I will have dinner with my family.)

 

Our train is leaving shortly before 11, so I guess after sleeping in from the long night before, we won't have time for sightseeing.  But maybe some of you are interested in meeting up for dinner in Geneva the evening before the gig? Some time around 18:00/19:00 would be perfect. If there's anything affordable... or is it better to have dinner at McDonald's? 😅 Or maybe we'll just be walking around a bit, and have some food to go while getting to see a bit of the city.

[Prisca]

2 minutes ago, mellody said:

 

Our train is leaving shortly before 11, so I guess after sleeping in from the long night before, we won't have time for sightseeing.  But maybe some of you are interested in meeting up for dinner in Geneva the evening before the gig? Some time around 18:00/19:00 would be perfect. If there's anything affordable... or is it better to have dinner at McDonald's? 😅 Or maybe we'll just be walking around a bit, and have some food to go while getting to see a bit of the city.

I guess there are also places where you can buy something to go that is better than McDonald's and not more expensive because you don't have to buy anything to drink, unlike the restaurant. And since it might be dry (maybe a thunderstorm at most), eating outside shouldn't be a problem.

[holdingyourdrink]

40 minutes ago, Prisca said:

And since it might be dry (maybe a thunderstorm at most), eating outside shouldn't be a problem.

You Swiss are like the Dutch „Yeah we might have a thunderstorm, but that’s okay; we‘re not made of sugar!! We can eat outside if we want!!“ 

[Prisca]

10 minutes ago, holdingyourdrink said:

You Swiss are like the Dutch „Yeah we might have a thunderstorm, but that’s okay; we‘re not made of sugar!! We can eat outside if we want!!“ 

It's over after a few minutes, you just have to stand under a house or something else for a while.

 

And P.S.: I'm not sure I'm representative of the Swiss.

Edited May 26, 2022 by Prisca

[Hero]

So we've got:

 

Weds evening 18:00/19:00 - possible meet up for a cheap-ish dinner/take out and walk around dodging the rain.

Thurs - gig

Fri - sightseeing and possible picnic.

 

3 hours ago, Prisca said:

Unless @Hero and I book an extra night in Geneva and cancel a night in Zeebrugge.

Could do... not sure there's much to see in Zeebrugge other than the beach, and we'll be on that most of Sunday. 🤭 I'll have to check the hostel booking, can't remember if it was fixed or flexible. 

 

[Prisca]

5 hours ago, Hero said:

I'll have to check the hostel booking, can't remember if it was fixed or flexible. 

It says that you can cancel free of charge until 12 June, so it shouldn't really be a problem to cancel one night. I don't have the option to cancel, probably because you booked it.

 

I can't extend the stay in my Airbnb in Geneva, I would have to look for another accommodation...

[Hero]

4 hours ago, Prisca said:

It says that you can cancel free of charge until 12 June, so it shouldn't really be a problem to cancel one night. I don't have the option to cancel, probably because you booked it.

Yes it looks like I can amend the dates on the booking if needed.

4 hours ago, Prisca said:

 

I can't extend the stay in my Airbnb in Geneva, I would have to look for another accommodation...

Damn, that's a pain. I can extend my hotel, and it's a double room so could sneak you in 🤫 but they don't have parking, they just recommend using the Gare Cormarin parking. 

[Prisca]

1 minute ago, Hero said:

Yes it looks like I can amend the dates on the booking if needed.

Damn, that's a pain. I can extend my hotel, and it's a double room so could sneak you in 🤫 but they don't have parking, they just recommend using the Gare Cormarin parking. 

Yes, it would have been too nice if I could have extended it, but the next day someone else has already booked the accommodation.

Michelle Blondet had said that she might want to organise something during the Caribana Festival, but that had been a while ago and I hadn't thought about it anymore.

Maybe I could have had one more night if I had booked Friday directly.

I have to do the check-out by 12:00. This means I have to park my car somewhere else in the city and check in at my new accommodation at some point. But I'd best check directly with Michelle Blondet when she wants to do the picnic so I can plan everything...

 

At least I don't have to rebook a flight.

 

[holdingyourdrink]

13 hours ago, mellody said:

But maybe some of you are interested in meeting up for dinner in Geneva the evening before the gig? Some time around 18:00/19:00 would be perfect.

Would love to, but I won’t arrive in Geneva on Wednesday until midnight 😢 fortunately we have a whole day the next day 

 

11 hours ago, Hero said:

Could do... not sure there's much to see in Zeebrugge other than the beach, and we'll be on that most of Sunday. 🤭

For me, Knokke/Zeebrugge is mostly about sitting on the beach and having food  

You do have these big bicycle Gokarts you can rent to drive up and down the boulevard, but that’s about it 

[Prisca]

14 hours ago, mellody said:

But maybe some of you are interested in meeting up for dinner in Geneva the evening before the gig? Some time around 18:00/19:00 would be perfect.

 

3 minutes ago, holdingyourdrink said:

Would love to, but I won’t arrive in Geneva on Wednesday until midnight 😢 fortunately we have a whole day the next day 

Ah, I'm working that day. I probably won't be there that early either.

[Anna Ko Kolkowska]

I made a few fans more.

So now I have 17. It should be enough for us.

 

Concerning the clothes topic I was going to wear short sleeve shirt and I realized that the concert ends up in a middle of the night when the temperature can drop down even to 15 Celsius.

I have to think again what to take as I will travel only with a cabin language 

 

Edited May 28, 2022 by Anna Ko Kolkowska

[holdingyourdrink]

22 hours ago, Anna Ko Kolkowska said:

I have to think again what to take as I will travel only with a cabin language 

Same! Only a rucksack, so I have to pack smart like you 

I will also wear a short sleeved shirt and will take a thin sweater with me, along with my jacket. Layers is the way to go. During the day I can sit on my sweater and/or jacket in the grass. We will have to see what the weather forecast will be a few days before! 

[Anna Ko Kolkowska]

1 hour ago, holdingyourdrink said:

Same! Only a rucksack, so I have to pack smart like you 

I will also wear a short sleeved shirt and will take a thin sweater with me, along with my jacket. Layers is the way to go. During the day I can sit on my sweater and/or jacket in the grass. We will have to see what the weather forecast will be a few days before! 

I was checking the weather in Geneva and Lausanne. During the day it shows between 20 and 26 degree. But at night it's colder -even 15 degree. We can't forget it's by a lake so the air is humid. 

Edited May 29, 2022 by Anna Ko Kolkowska

[mellody]

1 hour ago, Anna Ko Kolkowska said:

I was checking the weather in Geneva and Lausanne. During the day it shows between 20 and 26 degree. But at night it's colder -even 15 degree. We can't forget it's by a lake so the air is humid. 

 

Currently it's only 9 degrees here in Munich, so 15 degrees sounds just fine to me.

[Prisca]

Tips for Caribana

 

Especially for people who are in Switzerland for the first time. I hope it helps you a little.

 

Swiss socket:

 

They are slightly different than in the EU, so make sure they work with your devices and buy an adapter if necessary.

 

Which power plugs and sockets in Switzerland?

 

In Switzerland the power plugs and sockets are of type J.

• Type J: mainly used in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. This socket also works with plug C. But plug N will NOT work.

 

https://www.power-plugs-sockets.com/switzerland/

The website of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS) with all public transport services (in EN, FR, IT, DE).

https://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html

 

Currency = CHF

Euro bills are sometimes accepted (also the machines of the Swiss Federal Railways), but the change is often in francs. You can often pay by card, but I would at least take some cash in CHF. Or pay with Euro bills in the supermarkets Migros or Coop (don't know if the other chains also offer this) or buy a train ticket at a machine and you get the change back in francs, then you also have francs. Or, of course, there are ATMs to withdraw francs.

 

 

 

 

Switzerland is an expensive country, I can't do anything about that, but you can save money on certain things.

The tap water is drinkable (is better in the country than in the city) and there are fountains almost everywhere where you can fill up your bottle. Anyway, if you prefer non-carbonated water, don't spend all your money on water.

 

Unfortunately, I don't know if you are allowed to bring a water bottle to the festival. And food? I guess if you were allowed to camp, you would be allowed to take food too with you, but so, I don't know.

 

But if you buy water, buy it at the supermarket if you can and not at the festival (a 5-dl bottle of water will certainly cost 5 CHF there, tending to be more), not at to-go-shops or at kiosks. The same applies to soft drinks, buy them in the supermarket. And don't look for alcohol in Migros (Migrolino = convenience shop has alcohol), there is none. The founder of the chain didn't want to make money with alcohol and that's why it's still like this in 2022 (but it's being voted on now).

 

 

Example supermarket chain Migros:

Mineral water without carbonic acid 5 dl

Of course, you can also buy a single bottle = 0.60 CHF per bottle.

 

 

 

 

Example supermarket chain Migros:

Sparkling mineral water 5 dl

Of course, you can also buy a single bottle = 0.60 CHF per bottle.

 

 

The bigger the bottle, the cheaper it is for the amount you get. But you will have to carry it.

 

 

The largest Swiss supermarket chains have low-cost lines: Migros “M-Budget” and Coop “Prix Garantie”.

 

 

 

And then there are also the Aldi and Lidl chains, which tend to be cheaper, but I don't shop there, so I don't know exactly what they have. But there are far fewer shops of them than Migros or Coop.

 

Restaurants are expensive in Switzerland, but take-aways are cheaper because you don't have to buy a drink (in some countries water is free in the restaurant, not in Switzerland).

 

And since it's warm and possibly dry during the festival, you can sit comfortably somewhere in the park with your food.

 

Sorry is in German, but Migros also has a to go section where you can get a menu for 8.50 CHF and other things.

 

 

And there are takeaways from all kinds of cuisines.

 

And supermarkets are real treasure troves (in the evening, there are also often fresh products that are 33% or 50% depreciated):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know this will still be much more expensive for some than in the country of origin, but much cheaper compared to a restaurant. And meat and fish are unfortunately very expensive in Switzerland.

 

And beware: fruits and vegetables sold by weight in the supermarket you have to weigh yourself (in Lidl, Aldi and Denner I don't think, but otherwise yes, the crazy Swiss trust the customers to weigh it right ).

 

Look if there is a number, it will save you having to walk back from the checkout or wait for the cashier to come back:

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know how much the food will cost at the festival. But I was at a festival in my canton this month (which is not directly known for being expensive). A portion of fries cost 7 CHF and fries with sausage 10 CHF. It won't be any cheaper at Caribana and that will probably be among the cheapest things you can buy there. A lot of food will probably cost around 15 CHF (but I've never been there, so take it with a grain of salt). So you see, it's expensive at the festival but you don't need to rob a bank to afford some food.

 

If you have any other questions about Switzerland, I will try to answer them.

Edited May 31, 2022 by Prisca

[Anna Ko Kolkowska]

Thank you @Prisca for all these very useful information ♥️♥️♥️♥️

Actually I didn't know about the power sockets. I have been once in Lausanne but I don't remember this detail. I have to check it.

Edited May 31, 2022 by Anna Ko Kolkowska

[krysady]

8 hours ago, Prisca said:

Switzerland is an expensive country

But now tbh, after I did the booking for London, I'm not sure about that anymore