Switzerland |
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Switzerland measures 220 kilometers (137 miles) from north to south; this takes four hours to travel by train and three hours by car. It is 350 km (217 miles) from east to west.
On a journey of 3 to 4 hours the official language can change two, three or even four times.
Switzerland conjures up a fair swag of clichés: irresistible chocolates, kitsch clocks and yodelling Heidis.
Switzerland may be neutral but it is certainly not flavourless. The fusion of German, French and Italian ingredients has formed a robust national culture, and the country's Alpine landscapes have enough zing to reinvigorate the most jaded traveler. Goethe summed up Switzerland succinctly as a combination of 'the colossal and the well-ordered'. The untamed majesty of the Alps and the tidy, just-so precision of Swiss towns prevent Switzerland from ever being as one-dimensional as some pundits like to try and make it.
The lowest point is Ascona, only 196 meters (643 feet) above sea level. Here, palm trees grow and the climate is Mediterranean. The highest point is the Dufour Peak, at 4,634 meters (15,199 feet), with an arctic climate. As the crow flies, Ascona and Dufour Peak are 70 km (43 miles) apart.
Valais in the south is a mountainous canton, famous for the Matterhorn and Switzerland's longest glacier, the 24 km (15 miles) long Aletsch. Yet apricots, cherries, tomatoes and grapes grow in its valleys. |
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