hello -
its my second thread in this forum, but im aiming for more specific answers this time!

...my boyfriend lives in zurich and im thinking of moving there (or close) from england.

what i have read and researched so far all seems to be aimed at executive, proffessional, affluent, urban crowd...
obviously thats a big part of switzerland, but is there room for alternative?
where do i find it?

could i live more sustainably / rurally / land-based? a cabin / caravan?
is it at all possible to slip under the wire in matters of authority?
how to generate income through creative self-employment?
where is the crowd who already do? performers? travellers? co-ops?
any earth-based projects / party scenes... you get the idea...

desperatley seeking subculture!
...or do you think im barking up the wrong country altogether?

xx
thanks!

We do punk but hippy - not so much. Mind you, there are regularly people squatting houses and I see the occasional person that looks like they forgot that they are not in Thailand any more, so there must be something.

But, in this country:

• Basic costs are very high, with little scope for trading work against food or anything similar because...
• ...you need the proper permit for absolutely everything
• Health insurance is mandatory and very expensive
• There is not much room to just live and be, maybe far away from the town centres but that's usually the boundary to "near the next town"
• People are quite conservative by nature, there is not much desire to stick it to the Man as he pays awfully well

So I would say it's the wrong sort of country, Germany has much more scope in that way. Just my two cents coming from someone who used to be a punk, then a Goth.

not knowing too much about zurich i can't help you, sorry. but here is lausanne our mayor is from the green party and there is definitely a big counter culture thing happening here. that being said, even the hippies are capitalists! anyway, i've met enough hippies that are just as self serving as anyone in ubs so my advice would be to go and volunteer in the soup kitchens and other places and you'll meet kind people regardless!

as for slipping under the wire, hmmm. not sure, it's a small country that is highly regulated and it seems most things (and people) are accounted for. though, there are a ton of festivals, co-ops, community supported agri and all that, i've certainly seen a big movement here in romandie- hopefully, you'll find the same in zuri, i'm sure it's there to find! good luck

I'm Swiss and local - your question hits the nail on the head (wish more people who focus on Switzerland would include this kind of question in their research).

- There are alternative ways of life here (like bio farms, etc) but as nearly everything is expensive and/or regulated by law you come into the swiss system or are limited by it. Honestly speaking, I think scandinavian countries (Denmark?) are more open than my country with the concept of subculture. I can't think of Switzerland beeing the appropriate country to develop a project like that with the freedom you need to do it properly.

My 2 cents - good luck

Get a VW van ,old guitar ,dress like that and sing "Kum Ba Yah my Lord Good old days

If you want to be near Zürich then the region around Wald could be one choice. Even if dominated by the conservative party there are a few alternative Islands, artists, bio farms...In summer there are some little Open Air Festivals in the area. For example the "Schlauer Bauer Open Air" .

In Graubünden you will find some remote village run by alternative groups or communes.

Your best bet is the Italian part of Switzerland, the Ticino, where in some Valleys far from civilization you can live your lifestyle without bigger problems. But that means to put some effort in it. Maybe buy a really old house and renovate it.

To give you an idea, I live in a rural (ish) part of Switzerland; used to be a farming community, now more of a suburb 'auf dem Land' - but the farm roots remain strong. Here you have no chance of slipping under the wire - the curtain-twitching brigade are watching your every move, and reporting suspected irregularities to the powers that be is considered an act of civil courage.

Yesterday I came down into our garage to find a neighbor, a man I barely know, walking around and peering into all the cars and making notes. When he came to my car I asked if there was something wrong, and he said: "Oh no, I was just checking your Abgas sticker. Looks like you need to have the test done in April - don't forget!"

Whisky Tango Foxtrot?

What I call an invasion of privacy he would think of as being a good citizen.

But that's the level of 'watchfulness' that is the norm here. Flying under the radar is highly unlikely, at least in this area.



Switzerland certainly does not spring to mind when one thinks of 'hippy' culture. Square pegs tend to get beaten down quite quickly until they are forced into the socially approved round holes.

I may be wrong, and I truly hope I am... I wish you all the best.

Cool, any chance you might develop and give a few tips about the Lausanne scene? I just know the Espace autogéré, but that's it

Good reason to emigrate to Canada

You could try wwoofing. Most places don't pay. But they exchange work for room and board. It's a hippy way to stay for a bit while you are checking out Switzerland. Probably more going on in the spring/summer than now.

http://zapfig.com/wwoof/index_en.htm

This is a great post Puella.

Yes.

This answer is too short.

Never Trust A Hippy

You could always hang out at Paradaplatz....or have they all gone now its cold?

Hippy?

Switzerland might not be the best location to pursue your intended style of living. Sounds more US based perhaps Oregon or CA. Good luck. lp

Been there, done that, failed miserably and am quite tangled in the wires now. A subculture does exist of course but it's quite insular and not so dissimilar at times to the mainstream in its intolerance and conformism. I personally experienced a huge amount of racism from the counterculture in this country, and a queer buddy from NY got accused of "cultural imperialism" for disagreeing with the rest of his squat's ideas on capitalism. We both got mobbed...wouldn't recommend a move here,AT ALL-it's very difficult to form new communities or even join existing ones. Why not ask him to move in with you? If it's true love you'll work something out!

Never Trust A Hippy

I wouldn't have thought this was possible here.. seems like the place is strapped with rules and regulations... if you don't conform you stand out like a sore thumb... don't know where you'd find land to live 'sustainably' out here... 'they' probably wouldn't allow you anyway...

Slipping under the radar ? - sure, easy... just go to Germany and cross the border... never any checks.... but it's so damned expensive here don't know how anyone can survive outside the system... and I'll probably be
groaned at for saying this but it seems a very conventional and conservative place, boring really.

ALSO... the apparent 'punks' here tend to be kids making a fashion statement... probably all go home at tea-time....

Don't overlook this. More precisely I think he means the region around the Tösstal (Töss Valley) between Wald and Winterthur.


http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Wi...ra=ls&t=h&z=12

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%B6ss_Valley