Switzerland

I spent four years living in Switzerland, a fascinating country with magnificent scenery, wonderful food and great historical sites. Within a space about the size of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut there are

• three official languages (and dozens of dialects)
• climates ranging from Alpine to almost tropical (palm trees within sight of the Alps!)
• castles
• medieval monasteries
• and buildings dating from before Columbus came to America.

I lived in Basel, which is the second-largest city in Switzerland (smaller than Zurich, but slightly more populous than Geneva). It is where Switzerland, France and Germany come together, so is a rich cultural and linguistic experience. One great pleasure was being within a few-minutes' walk of the Music Academy and it's Schola Cantorum. I heard many fine concerts of Medieval and Renaissance music, performed authentically by this group, often in churches and other buildings that date from the same periods.

The Swiss (and many other Europeans) approach life differently than many Americans. At the risk of over-generalizing, Americans eat; the Swiss dine. Americans live for their work; Europeans work so they can live well. Americans are individualists; Swiss are community-oriented.

Also, the European attitude toward the human body is different than is typical in America. Acceptance is the norm, and it is common (and unremarkable) for people go without clothes at many beaches, and even in certain city parks.

Here are some sites which may interest you:

• Swiss Castles
• the Swiss National Tourist Bureau
• Lonely Planet online tourbook for Switzerland

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