It was once said that Switzerland had had 500 years
of democracy and peace, and nothing to show for it
but the cuckoo clock. The funny thing is, even
the clock isn't Swiss, but German in origin. Appearances
can be deceiving, and nowhere more so than in this
small country of 26 counties. Switzerland has brought
us milk chocolate, that famous cheese with holes,
and life insurance, but it has also managed to evolve
and keep together a country with 4 different languages
and 3 different cultural groups - all distinct from
each other. It's a nation of intellectuals and inventors
who have avoided warfare for 5 centuries.
To be Swiss is to live and breathe in this ethnic
whirl - from the majestic Alps and numerous
lakes, to the tidy towns and sober cities, Switzerland
truly has something for all and a feel all its own.
From peaceful and pictures cities like the capital
Bern and the lake city of Luzern to
modern commerical city life in Zurich and Geneva,
Switzerland is a splendidly preserved country hard
to rival elsewhere in Europe.
Read the full story -
background and travel essentials
