Swiss Watching: Inside the Land of Milk and Money

Swiss Watching: Inside the Land of Milk and Money by Bewes, Diccon. paperback edition. ISBN: 9781857885873.

A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR One country, four languages, 26 cantons, and 7.5 million people (but only 80% of them Swiss): theres nowhere else in Europe like it. Switzerland may be almost 400 km from the nearest drop of seawater, but it is an island at the centre of Europe. Welcome to the landlocked island. Swiss Watching is a fascinating journey around Europes most individual and misunderstood country. From seeking Heidi and finding the best chocolate to reliving a bloody past and exploring an uncertain future, Diccon Bewes proves that theres more to Switzerland than banks and skis, francs and cheese. This book dispels the myths and unravels the true meaning of Swissness. In a land of cultural contradictions, this is a picture of the real and normally unseen Switzerland, a place where the breathtaking scenery shaped a nation not just a tour itinerary, and where tradition is as important as innovation. Its also the story of its people, who have more power than their politicians, but cant speak to one another in the same language and who own more guns per head than the people of Iraq. As for those national clichés, well, not all the cheese has holes, cuckoo clocks arent Swiss and the trains dont always run exactly on time.