Official name: Confoederatio Helvetica
Founded: 1291 A.D. Population: 8.2 million (18th largest in Europe) Size: 15,940 square miles (slightly larger than Maryland) Languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh reflecting its ethnic diversity Major industries: Banking, insurance and tourism Famous foods: Cheese and chocolate |
Five Fun Things About Switzerland
- We walked past "fire zones" in the mountains, which we originally thought were areas prone to forest fire. It turns out this is where Swiss men practice their shooting for periodic marksmanship tests. Donald explained that the country even had written plans to destroy all its bridges to prevent invasion during World War II. I guess the Swiss are ready to back up their political neutrality!
- Alp horns, made famous in the U.S. by Riccola commercials, are a legitimate musical instrument. Murren's best alp horn player treated us to a concert at our hotel and made beautiful music. Justin and Elyse even got to try playing.
- Traditional Swiss farming is still a way of life, even if it's now subsidized by the government. The word "Alp" literally means a pasture located in the mountains and hundreds of cattle are herded from the valley floor in the winter up to the mountain alps in the summer to make Alp cheese and milk.
- Chocolate and cheese! Our expectations for Swiss cuisine were high, but they were exceeded!
- The standard unit of measure for distances between many of the villages in the Alps is the speed of an average Swiss grandma. Signs in Murren pointed us down dozens of different paths with estimated arrival times like 1 std. 40 min., which means it would take an average Swiss grandma 1 hour 40 minutes to get to that village. We're proud to say that we were able to keep up with grandma speed, but we didn't often exceed it. Those grandmas are fast!
Where We Went in Switzerland
- Murren: incredible alpine scenery, a fast track to the highest point in Europe, and delicious chocolate and cheese
- A Long Drive: views of Lake Zurich and a leisurely lunch on Lake Constance near the German border