What would you drink with it? Maybe a Rivella or a Ramseier…
Rivella, huh? It’s not really a big hit outside Switzerland. Our white wines, particularly in the Swiss wine region, are excellent. Fendant is a great match for fondue and raclette. There are some good red wines too, especially the Pinot Noirs in Graubünden.
What misconceptions do people have about Switzerland and traveling to Switzerland?
People think that the only things worth talking about are chocolates, watches and mountains. We have chocolates, watches, and mountains, but we also have so much more. People also assume we speak German and maybe English, but we have four national languages—French, Swiss German, Italian, and Romansh. Our public transport system is also excellent. Another misconception is that you need a vehicle to get around. A statistic I read once said that people in this country live on average within 300 meters of a tram, bus or train stop. I think using public transport is fun in a foreign country, instead of just taking a car and driving around—although we are famous for having great highways and great countryside roads. In Switzerland, there are also close to 1100 different museums. There are some wonderful museums in Switzerland, like the Kunstmuseum, the Natural History Museum and Fondation Beieler.
Switzerland has many beautiful cities.
Our cities are great for visiting. I mean, if like me you enjoy the big cities like Tokyo You can also find out more about the following: New YorkSwitzerland will be hit differently. Our cities are all smaller and have less than one million inhabitants. Basel is where I grew-up and has a population between 250-300,000. This makes it easy to move around. You can walk through our cities and they are all located near a lake or river.
You’re from Basel. You’re from Basel.
Swimming in Rhine River. It’s not something I’ve done yet, because I am apprehensive, but some people jump in the Rhine, putting their clothes into a small plastic bag. Then they jump in with just their underwear and float downstream. After a hard day of work, this is considered refreshing.
What is your favorite place to escape?
Galgenen is where I usually spend my summers. hikes with my family. Altwis also has two beautiful lakes where I enjoy going. I went for a picnic once and they had a nice little hut. [Editors note: Swiss huts are alpine hostels for hikers]There were probably 500-1000 butterflies all over the place. It felt like paradise. Another place we go to is Bergün, where you can “rent a geiss” (rent a goat) and take them on a walk through this picturesque village. You can walk them as if they were dogs, but in reality, they are big goats. This is our secret place to be with family.
