Swiss made and the Swiss

The Swiss people are in several ways similar to the Swedes but also unique of course in their own way. The Swiss are:

Highly traditional (things are to be done in the proper way and in the way it has always been done).

Friendly and kind but careful and quiet. They care about privacy and personal sphere. In this sense they are very much like the Swedes.

They may not be very easy to get to know and befriend but once you made a Swiss friend it is for life is something that I have heard. Being invited to a Swiss home is being invited into the sacred shrine. The way I have understood is that close friends are invited home whereas more distant friends, co-workers and acquaintances are people you meet up with outside the home.

They are proud and take great pride in their country, their culture, natural beauty and anything that has been made or produced in their country. They have a national pride that is much greater than the Swedes and are very patriotic in many ways.

They are very correct and tidy. Rules are there to be followed and things are supposed to be done in certain ways. Streets are clean and trains run on time.

They are hard working, ambitious and dutiful. 

They are outdoors people making sure to enjoy the magnificent natural beauty that this country has to offer. Sundays are days for hikes or long walks.

Land of the holy cheese and cows. I can not think of a better place to be a cow than being one in Switzerland. Spending the summer high up in the Alps gracing the fresh green lush grass of those mountain slopes. I even envy the cows for the views they have. Most national dishes contain cheese in some way. The Swiss do know how to make excellent cheese. There is just nothing to miss at the dairy section when you enter a grocery store here. 

The Birchermüssli originates from Switzerland. It was developed around year 1900 by the Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner for patients in his hospital, where a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables was an essential part of therapy. Here it is traditionally served premixed with yogurt. At the grocery store you can buy yogurt containing mussli or when you stay at a hotel you will find a big bowl of yogurt and mussli mixed that you server yourself from. The premixed version is actually pretty good .

Very Swiss to put the shoes outside your door. The Swiss like the Swedes do not wear shoes in their homes but whereas the Swedes take them off when the have stepped into their home the Swiss take them off outside. 

There are many different kinds of breads and pastries throughout the year to celebrate various traditions. It is always interesting to figure out what it might be, what they taste like and what the tradition or history behind them are.

It is an honor for me to be here, to get to know both the country and it's people, to be able to enjoy the immense natural beauty that Switzerland offers and has. I feel lucky to be here.