During the pandemic lockdown, I was sorting out my old stuff and came across a photograph of a group of people on a boat in the 1980s. Except for a couple of them, I’ve lost touch with everyone else. Sitting next to me was Hanspeter whom I remember very fondly of his time with us in Singapore and ours with him in Switzerland.
We first met at our bank’s year-end party in Singapore. He just arrived from Switzerland for a three-year overseas posting and soon became part of my group of friends who were out island-hopping, scuba-diving, water skiing and other weekend escapes. When he returned home after his term, we were invited to ski with him and his friends in Bettmeralp where he used to work as a ski instructor. It was an amazing first experience in the snow and everyone had a great time.
From the mountains, the Singapore group took a train to Geneva on the way to Paris. That was the last time I saw Hanspeter, waving goodbye to us, not knowing if we’ll ever meet again in the future. Those were the days before smartphones and social media. Writing letters and postcards were the only economical way to keep in touch and our contact gradually faded.
The photograph brought back warm memories and I decided to look for my old Swiss friend. It wasn’t easy and took me a bit of sleuthing before we reconnected. It was magical! We immediately picked up from where we left. Hanspeter could still speak the colloquial “Singlish”. We were both delighted to be in contact again.
Thirty-eight years is a long time to be apart. There is so much to catch up with each other, to fill in the gaps of our lives – the highs, lows and in-betweens. Over the months we shared heartaches, heartbreaks, battles won and lost, adventures, journeys, relationships, and almost everything under the sun 10,000km from each other. It came to a point we decided to meet in person, as soon as it was safe to travel again.
So here I am in Switzerland with Hanspeter again after almost four decades. Took one of the first flights out of Singapore when travel and quarantine restrictions were removed. The airports were still empty and the plane was only 10% filled. Having left a masked-up Singapore, it was liberating to find that life in Switzerland was already back to normal in the spring of 2022.
Hanspeter is a great host. Through him, I got to know more about Switzerland than watches, cheese, chocolates, banking secrecy, alpine mountains. Here’s what I learned from my excellent companion.
First of all, the Swiss consider their country is small. Compared to its immediate neighbours, France is 13 times bigger, Germany is almost 9 times, and Italy is over 7 times bigger. One can drive or take a train across Switzerland in less than 5 hours to another country within a day. Still Switzerland is 57 times the size of Singapore. Everything is relative.
Though Switzerland is a landlocked country, it has over 1,800 glaciers, 50 major rivers and 7,000 lakes that provide an incredible amount of fresh water in pristine state. Sadly many of the glaciers are retreating and may vanish in years to come due to climate change. This will affect the rivers and lakes that populate this beautiful country. The two major rivers – the Rhône flows through France into the Mediterranean Sea and the Rhine flows through Germany and Netherlands into the North Sea. Both rivers have their sources in the Swiss Alps. Lake Geneva, shared between Switzerland and France is largest lake in Switzerland.
Closely connected to the water sources are the seriously high mountains with snow peaks that pierce the clouds. Switzerland is home to over 10,000 named mountains, the highest being Mt Rosa (4,633m/15,200ft), and the most iconic is the Matterhorn (4,478 m/14,692ft). The two main mountain ranges are the Alps in the south and east of the country, and the Jura in the north and west. Between these mountain ranges is the Swiss Plateau with hills and immaculately maintained meadows where grass-fed cows graze. In fact, everything is well maintained here. Travelling around this country is like being in a postcard.
Switzerland as we know today is formed from the Old Swiss Confederacy, an alliance among the valley communities of the central Alps. For hundreds of years, the rural communities suffered brutal wars, seizures and invasions from neighbouring kingdoms. Originating from the confederation, a powerful infantry force of professional soldiers provided service as mercenaries to the kings and noble families in Europe until modern weaponry and technology took over the battlefields. Today, the only practice of this nature is the Pontifical Swiss Guard at the Vatican. Switzerland established its independence and the state of neutrality was recognized by other nations in 1648.
The Swiss are exceptionally discreet and do not wear their money. The flashy bling-bling tribes are typically foreigners on holiday or spending time in their vacation homes. Unlike many developed countries that are dependent on migrant workforce and cheap goods, the Swiss choose to support their local craftsmen, products and services, thus the high cost of living and quality standards here.
I’m tempted to say that the Swiss culture is hiking and skiing. As far as I can observe of the people walking up the mountains or skiing downhill, there is no age limit to physical outdoor activities. Of course many are young folks but I’m really inspired by how trim and fit most Swiss are. In fact, I’ve not seen a single obese person in the cities and villages that I’ve visited.
Switzerland is a quiet ‘mind-its-own-business’ country that’s not as well understood and known by the many people, including the famous English writer Graham Greene who misquoted Switzerland in his novel, The Third Man.
“You know what the fellow said – in Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace – and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.”
To set the record right, the cuckoo clock originated in the 18th century from Germany’s Black Forest which is close to Switzerland but not in Switzerland. The Irish comedian group Foil Arms and Hog recently made a joke about this in their “Getting past Swiss Immigration” sketch.
What I realized from these three months is that there many things about Switzerland that are stereotyped and mistaken. Beyond the land of cheese, chocolates, banks and watches, here are 10 lesser known and fun facts about Switzerland.
- There are four official languages – German, French, Italian and Romansh. However most Swiss speak fluent English and are happy to converse with you.
- The national flag displays a white Swiss cross in the centre of a square red field. The white cross has been used as the combat field sign used since the 13th century up to 19th century Napoleonic Wars. Switzerland and the Vatican City are the only two countries that have square flags, rest of the world are rectangular.
- Related to the Swiss cross, there are many crosses erected around the country. These are summit crosses to identify mountain and hill peaks, and are used for marking alpine pasture and municipal boundaries. During the tumultuous period in the 17th century, the crosses symbolised faith, hope and strength for the people defending their land.
- The humanitarian organisation Red Cross originated in Geneva by Swiss businessman Henry Dunant who was shocked by the terrible aftermath of war, the suffering of the wounded soldiers, and the near-total lack of medical attendance and basic care. Completely altruistic, Dunant used his own funds to kick-start a relief centre for the soldiers and villagers affected by conflicts. Through his contacts and lobbying, the International Committee of the Red Cross was established in 1863.
- The folk legend who had to shoot an apple placed on his son’s head is from Switzerland. No, it’s not Robin Hood. He is William Tell or Wilhelm Tell, who according to legend, was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated an Austrian tyrannical duke. Tell’s defiance and tyrannicide encouraged the population to open rebellion and a pact against the foreign rulers and starting the foundation of the Swiss Confederacy.
- Switzerland has one of the highest rates of gun ownership, one in every four citizens. Yet gun-related crimes and homicides are almost non-existent. Most Swiss guns were issued to male citizens by the government as part of their compulsory military service. Therefore, guns are in the hands of people with extensive training in weapons handling and storage. Shooting is also a Swiss tradition with clubs across the country and an annual target shooting competition “Knabenschiessen” has been held since the 17th century.
- Almost 70% of Switzerland is mountainous with about 50 peaks over 4,000m (13,000 ft). The highest railway station in Europe on top of the popular glacier saddle in Jungfraujoch at 3454m (11,332ft). The tallest staircase in the world is in Mt Niesen with 11,674 steps running alongside the mountain railway ascending 1,670m (5,480ft).
- The world’s longest and deepest railway tunnel is in Switzerland – the 57km Gotthard Base Tunnel running under the Swiss alps and reaching a depth of 2,300m (7,545ft). The tunnel took 17 years to complete and will increase freight transportation by shifting trucks to rails to protect the alpine environment without hindering trade.
- The Swiss are fiercely protective of their environment. Lakes, mountains and clean air are inextricably associated with its enviable quality of life. Beyond its picture-postcard image, Switzerland’s environment is an integral part of the country’s natural heritage and concrete measures are adopted to safeguard its national assets. For example, tap water is drinkable and tastes better than bottled water because it is the Swiss environment protection policies that ensure the water sources remain as clean and untouched as possible.
- Edelweiss, Switzerland’s national flower, is probably most associated with the movie “Sound of Music”. It is technically not a single flower but hundreds of tiny florets surrounded by velvety white leaves arranged in the shape of a star. As the flower became popular, tourists and mountaineers picked them as souvenirs leading to it being endangered. A Swiss canton banned people from digging up the plant’s roots in 1878 in what is considered one of the first environmental protection laws in Europe. Today the flower is no longer listed as endangered species at the federal level, but several cantons include it as a protected plant.
I am grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with Hanspeter and for his generous sharing of his beautiful country. This is just the beginning and I’m sure there will be more to learn from now.
Joan Yap
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