PRACTICAL ASPECTS   Emergencies and healthcare. There is a regional hospital in Yverdon with an emergency service (024 424 44 44). There are numerous GPs and specialists in Yverdon. Appointments can be made by phone, with payment in cash. There is a very large university hospital only about 45 minutes away from Mauborget in Lausanne (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois - CHUV - 021 314 11 11) that is probably the best hospital in the French part of Switzerland. Language. Yverdon is in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Services in English are available at the train station, the hospital and the major banks. English-speaking newspapers such as the Herald Tribune can be found in Yverdon near the train station. Electricity. Like everywhere else in continental Europe, electric current is 220 V. It should be noted that electrical outlets are different from EU area. Adapters can be found at the Migros, one of the large supermarkets in Yverdon. We keep a couple of EU/Swiss adapters. Post / Telephone. The main post office is next to the train station in Yverdon and on the main street  of Sainte Croix, across the street from the Coop store. Phone booths typically work with phone cards that can be purchased at newsstands. Banking. There are a number of large banks, including UBS and Credit Suisse, two large international banks. Foreign exchange and Traveller's Checks services are available everywhere (including in train stations). There are numerous ATMs enabled with the international debit arrangements (PLUS, CIRRUS, etc.). Where to shop. Yverdon has a number of general supermarkets that sell food, a farmers' market twice a week all year round (Tuesday and Saturdays, particularly nice on Saturdays in the summertime), a decent shopping district in the pedestrian area and many restaurants, bars, coffee and pastry shops. In the outskirts of Yverdon (highway exit Yverdon-Ouest), an area called “En Chamard” has several “box stores”, including the Migros and Coop, the two largest retailers in Switzerland; a couple of hardware-gardening and sport equipment stores; and the unavoidable McDonalds! Generally speaking, meat is expensive in Switzerland. Lausanne and Geneva have renowned shopping districts for clothing and luxury products.   Eating out. It is an expensive experience to eat out in Switzerland and you should expect to spend around €15 for a lunch including drink and coffee and upwards of €20-25 for dinner, if you want to stay away from pasta and pizza. As indicated above, there is one restaurant in Mauborget, and a number of “mountain restaurants” that you should be able to find on the local maps mentioned above, or simply ask our neighbours. In the villages surrounding the town, particularly around Lac de Neuchatel, there are a number of good restaurants as well that offer the local fish specialties, including the famous “filets de perches” (small lake-perch filets in butter sauce). There are no Michelin star-studded restaurants in Yverdon, but there are a number of decent places where you can eat good pizzas and pasta (there is a very large community of Italian descent) and a very good restaurant at the public beach. The best dining place in Yverdon is probably at the location of public baths and you should reserve if you want to go there. Safety. Switzerland is a safe country, but like anywhere else, petty crime exists, even in areas such as Mauborget, where chalets have been broken into in the past. Locking doors of cars and houses is necessary at all times. Weather. Weather patterns are quite influenced by the mountains and the lake system in Switzerland, and the temperatures can vary accordingly. In Yverdon, temperatures are usually between 20°C and 30°C in the summer time and between - 5°C and +10°C in the winter. In the fall and the spring, temperatures are less predictable. In Mauborget, temperatures are between 5°C to 10°C colder than in the plains.