Zug, 09.06.2020

New in Zug: they fell in love with the lake and the mountains

Kiran Sekhon and Sjef Tijssen have been living in Zug for a year – with an ambitious goal.

Although the weather at the photo date with Kiran Sekhon (32) and Sjef Tijssen (31) was not particularly summery, the pictures were taken at one of their favourite places in Zug, in the Seeliken lakeside resort. And thereby on Lake Zug, which both of them no longer want to miss. The US-American Kiran Sekhon, who was actually born in India, and the Dutchman Sjef Tijssen have been living in the City of Zug for a year. Before that, they lived in Basel for three years. When asked about the differences between Basel and Zug, they both smile. "You had to look for nature in Basel, but in Zug you can find it on your doorstep," says Sief Tijssen, who is a qualified accountant.

Nature has in fact appealed to the two of them. They love the proximity to the mountains in Zug, but above all they fell in love with Lake Zug. They also regularly went swimming in the Rhine in Basel. But bathing in a river cannot be compared to swimming in Lake Zug . "We have a kind of ritual," says the 32-year-old bio-engineer Kiran. In the warmer months, she and her husband Sjef go to the Seeliken Seebadi on Saturday and Sunday mornings to swim undisturbed in the lake. This is both relaxing and invigorating. The two are enthusiastic about life near the lake, above all because they are doing this for the first time in their lives. In general, they see life in Zug as more relaxed than abroad. "In the summer, Zug gives you the feeling of being on a holiday – an aperitif in your hand, your toes in the water and a view into the mountains. What more could you want," Kiran laughs.

Kiran Sekhon and Sjef Tijssen at one of their favourite places: the Seeliken Seebadi in Zug.

But not only water, but also the mountains are places that mean a lot to the couple. "Basel is relatively flat," says Kiran Sekhon, who first got to know Switzerland in 2014, during a business trip for her then-employer. She visited the Rigi, and the view was so "beautiful that I could imagine living here," she enthuses. "Sjef had not yet entered my life, however." She says she's lucky that her husband thinks in much the same way as she does. The proximity of Zug to the mountains brought spontaneity back to her life. "This is sometimes missing in Switzerland." So, one Sunday morning during breakfast, they decided to climb the Greater Mythen (Grossen Mythen). "We would have loved to meet the well-known Mythen-Runner "the man". Unfortunately, it didn't work out," says Kiran.

Visit all the SAC huts in Switzerland once
The two are now enthusiastic mountaineers. "We'd already travelled to the mountains a few times when we were still living in Basel," says Sjef. And Kiran adds that they can't wait to hike the mountains again this year. Both love to visit the Alpine farms, and they also love Alpine cheese, which they regularly bring home from their tours. They particularly like the SAC cabins (Swiss Alpine Club: SAC-Hütten). "They are an insider tip of the locals, and, for us, a great place to get to know Swiss families," explains Sjef. "We want to eventually visit all the SAC cabins in Switzerland," says Kiran. They had already been in their first cabins. They were warmly received everywhere, and quickly found a connection. And that is something that is harder to do in Zug. "Not because of people, but because of our jobs," explains Kiran. She works for a pharmaceutical company in Lucerne, Sjef for a start-up in Zurich. Things were a little easier in Basel, as she, in particular, had numerous Swiss work colleagues. The couple are always amazed at how many expats there are in Zug – from all over the world. This was also different in Basel: the expats there came mainly from France and Germany.

Positive impression of public transport
They were both astonished by the way the Swiss criticise their public transport. It’s said to not keep good time, and to be unreliable – but the couple see this differently: their impression is that the local public transport is clean, reliable and quick.

Kiran and Sjef both rave about the Work-Life Balance, which is still OK here. There’s eight or nine hours of concentrated work, but then it’s finished. In San Francisco, where they both lived once, they were barely at home before 7 p.m. – because of the long working days and the commute. "When we first moved here, we had to find new hobbies, because we were already at home at 5 p.m.," smiles Sjef. Or as Kiran says: "We came for nature, we stayed for the Work-Life Balance."

In its series "New in Zug", the "Zuger Zeitung" portrays expats and newcomers. The contacts were made by Sandra Herzog, founder of the meet-up group "Meeting new friends in Zug".