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You are here: Home Life in Blogs & photos Stuff Swiss people like, part one
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10/10/2009Stuff Swiss people like, part one

Stuff Swiss people like, part one After a year in Switzerland, Amanda of Queso Suizo summarises 20 things Swiss people like. Here’s her first instalment.

This past weekend marked the one-year anniversary of my move to Switzerland. In honour of the occasion, I've compiled a list of 20 things Swiss people like (sort of a rip-off of 'Stuff White People Like' but not as vague and annoying). I'll share 10 of them with you today and the last 10 at a later point.

Please note that the purpose of this list is to share some observations I have made over the past year. Unlike the 'Stuff White People Like' lists that you may have heard of, my list is not meant to poke fun at Swiss people. In fact, with the exception of number 18, these are all things I now like too! Let it be known that I respect the Swiss very much and am grateful to the people of my host country for introducing me to some wonderful things that I would never have learned about had I not moved to this country. Here they are in no particular order.

Swiss people like

Wanderungen

#20: Wanderungen
Far and wide, high and low, for an hour or a couple of days, Swiss people follow little yellow signs all over the country for pure outdoor enjoyment. Here is a photo of Isaiah at the Nature Trails we visited a couple of weeks ago in Schwägalp.

#19: Made in Switzerland
From Victorinox to fondue pots to hiking socks, stuff made in Switzerland is high in quality, durability, craftsmanship, and style. We now own a bread knife and pocket knives by Victorinox as well as SIGG reusable water bottles.

Bottles

#18: MBT footwear (aka the anti-shoe)
Apparently the company has gained international recognition, but the only American I have ever seen (in a photo, not even in real life) wearing these is, oddly enough, Paris Hilton. In CH, however, you'll find young and old sporting this footwear.

#17: Fair trade, organic, and locally produced goods

Swiss supermarkets make it convenient for shoppers to enjoy goods made by local farmers by selling their products alongside name-brand items. Shoppers can also find organic produce, dry goods marked 'Bio' and fair trade items by Max Havelaar.

 

#16: Cheese
More choices than I can ever imagine. Some infused with flowers, and some with wine and herbs. Entire meals revolve around cheese, like fondue and raclette.

Cheese

#15: Badi (public bathhouses, outdoor swimming pools and water parks)
When it's cold out, you go to the Badi. After skiing, you go relax your muscles in a mineral Badi. In the summer, you enjoy many of the outdoor Badi. Here we Badi all year long. (Surprisingly, the indoor bathhouses are among the very few places that stay open after 18.00!)

#14: Fireworks

I am mostly surprised by just how easily people have access to fireworks here. For weeks leading up to the August 1st holiday, tents and booths outside of Swiss supermarkets offered a wide variety of fireworks for sale. For weeks before and after the holiday, people were setting off fireworks; test runs and leftovers, I assume.

#13: Velotouren
I am so glad Isaiah and I have bikes. Not only is my bike my day-to-day mode of transportation, it also provides endless hours of bike riding, or touring, for pleasure.

#12: Swimming in the rivers and lakes
Some bodies of water are off limits except for certain times of year, and others are just plain COLD (though refreshing when those summer temps get high enough).

#11: Alphörner
I have heard musicians playing these horns while on a hike, at a shopping centre opening, and even as pop music.

Check out the top 10 of 'Stuff Swiss people like' here.

Text and photos by Amanda Freerksen of Queso Suizo

 




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