A close-up and personal look at Switzerland
The Swiss telephone company once had a monopoly and could and did charge anything they wanted for a phone call. Long, long ago, when I was still in America and Ben would call me, you could hear a light, steady… Read moreRing, Ring, Telephone!
My mother always told me I could do or be anything I set my mind to. Obviously the Swiss think the same way. Who would have ever thought that a small, land-locked country could ever pull something off like winning… Read moreA Seafaring Nation
Every year in July and August there are a number of open air festivals in Switzerland. As far as I know I attended one of the very first ones, if not the first one in Berne many years ago. It’s… Read moreOpen Air Festivals
There are times when an American shakes someone’s hand but very rarely, if ever, do they kiss an acquaintance or friend. Here in Switzerland you are forever holding out your hand to shake someone else’s. They start learning these manners… Read moreTouchy, Touchy
Okay, I give up. When is bread not bread? Why, when it’s Zupfe, of course. Everyone knows that. You never go into a bakery and ask for bread when you mean Zupfe. Zupfe is a special braided white bread. For… Read moreWhen Bread isn’t Bread
Geneva. Home to the Jet d’Eau, many international agencies like the Red Cross or the World Health Organization and international diplomats. In fact, Ben’s parents met there while they were both working at the Red Cross during the second World… Read moreHigh Society
I guess every country has a group of people they make fun of and give special traits to. Switzerland is certainly no different in that aspect. The French speaking people in Switzerland pick on the close-minded people from Newcastle. The… Read moreAll in Good Fun
The Swiss pay a lot of taxes, to me it seems like EVERYTHING has a tax on it, even taxes are taxed. But nothing is fun if you just keep it to yourself, go ahead, spread the joy around, get… Read moreA Taxing Idea
During a lifetime there are a lot of memorable ‘firsts’: first dance, first date or first kiss for example. When you are in a new environment the ‘firsts’ are multiplied by a factor of about 100. Switzerland is famous for… Read moreSay Cheese
The weather; something you have no control over but it is still fascinating. The first couple of years I was here, when everyone else was running around in shorts and t-shirts, laying in the sun like dead flies, oh-ing and… Read moreThe Four Seasons
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