The incredible destiny of a letter to Santa Claus, the snow which brings joy to the resorts for the holidays, the testimony of a Syrian from Lausanne returning home, the Winter Palace event series which is arriving on the RTS and the point peak of the Jura which never ceases to escape glory: these are RTSinfo’s five choices for the last week of the year.
EXCLUSIVE – Meet the elves who respond to Santa’s letters
Small cars, Lego… so many gifts that children hope to discover under the tree. But what happens to the letters sent to Santa Claus? RTS 7:30 p.m. followed their journey to Ticino, where Claudia, one of Santa’s eight helpers in Switzerland, meets thousands of children every day.
It must be said that each year, around 30,000 letters addressed to Santa Claus reach La Poste, which strives to respond to each of them. A symbolic gesture, established in 1950, imbued with magic, which perpetuates the enchantment of Christmas.
>> Lire : From the child’s pen to the elves’ workshop, the journey of a letter to Santa Claus
>> See the 7:30 p.m. report:
REPORT – Snow, a Christmas gift for the resorts
Switzerland was adorned with a thick white coat at the start of the week, transforming its landscapes into real postcards. These heavy snowfalls at the start of the Christmas holidays delight winter sports enthusiasts and tourism professionals.
The season begins under the best auspices, a promising sign for the months to come. “When the season starts well, we can remain calm for the future,” confides a tourist manager in the 12:30 p.m.
>> Lire : Fresh snow, an unexpected Christmas gift for ski resorts
>> Listen to the 12:30 p.m. report:
TESTIMONY – A Syrian from Lausanne returns to his country
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, millions of Syrian refugees around the world have been able to consider a trip to their country of origin. This is the case of the Abdallah brothers, sons of a couple of opponents of the regime based in Lausanne.
Twenty-five years after being forced to leave his country, Alaeddin Abdallah, 34, is preparing to return to the village where he was born. “The country is in ruins, so I hope to find memories that I had when I was little,” he testifies in 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
4000 kilometers from Lausanne, Madaya is located in western Syria. The young man found his family there who remained there. “It makes me laugh to find all these people and see what has become of them. I am very happy with the reunion,” he said, speaking of his cousins… and after offering them Swiss chocolate.
>> Lire : “The country is in ruins, I hope to find memories”, testifies a Syrian from Lausanne returning to his country
>> See the testimony in the 7:30 p.m.:
SERIES – Welcome to “Winter Palace”
The Swiss Alps, 1899. André Morel, a daring young Swiss hotelier, financially supported by the English aristocrat Lord Fairfax, has a vision: a five-star hotel open throughout the winter season. But his risky business will be undermined by extreme weather conditions, somewhat boorish staff and customer demands.
Through eight 45-minute episodes, the series “Winter Palace”, produced by RTS in collaboration with Netflix, depicts the birth of luxury Alpine tourism and winter holidays in Switzerland. “The hotel is entirely fictional, but the events are based on historical research. With a little something extra,” says British screenwriter Lindsay Shapero, creator of the series.
Ambitious, this historical drama, partly inspired by real events, can be discovered on RTS 1 and Play RTS.
>> Lire : Highly anticipated, the “Winter Palace” series arrives on RTS on December 26
>> The subject of 7:30 p.m.:
TOPOGRAPHY – This summit of the Jura which never ceases to escape glory
The story had its small effect last September: according to the measurements of a team from the University of Lausannethe Crêt de la Neige, considered the highest peak in the Jura with its 1718 meters of altitude, is in reality not the highest point of the Franco-Swiss range. The prize goes to an anonymous peak, duly measured at 1720.83 m and named “J1”.
Surprise, in fact, there really isn’t any: interviewed at the beginning of November, the National Institute of Geographic and Forestry Information (IGN) – the counterpart, in France, of the Federal Office of Topography (Swisstopo), responsible in particular for producing and publishing topographical maps of the territory – confirmed this to RTSinfo: this summit was already known.
It is not said that the “new highest point of the Jura” will one day have the honor of having a name: it is in fact very close – a little over 400 meters – to the current point considered to be the summit of Crêt de la Neige. However, it happens that certain mountains do not have a name because a neighboring peak, even a few meters lower, was considered to be more distinctive.
>> Lire : Why the “new highest point of the Jura” continues to escape glory
>> Listen again to CQFD’s explanations at the time of the Unil announcement:
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