“Der Grosse Kanton … und alle Problemen mit Deutschland sind geschichte”
Viktor Giacobbo makes an apparently satirical movie about “What if Germany were absorbed into Switzerland?” and comprises it of various opinions.
I was waiting for a train with my grandfather the other day, and he saw a guy in dress uniform for the Swiss military. Swiss soldiers travel free in uniform. He then turned to me and told me how, as a former military man himself, he always had great respect for soldiers.
The thing is that the Swiss military is a standing militia. All men are required to do extensive basic training and then refresh it every year or two. Swiss soldiers mostly only get involved in peacekeeping or development work.
So the very American socialization that soldiers deserve respect for defending democracy or making sacrifices to defend a way of life just doesn’t apply. It’s a tradition here, more than anything else.
My parents are somewhat obsessive planners. My dad in particular, when traveling, likes to look up all the train connections and all the details and print out multiple possible itineraries.
My mom is just a bit of a control freak, and maybe slightly OCD.
A few years ago they lived closer to Zürich, and there was one almost direct train to the airport, with one changeover. The time between when your train arrived and the next one left was something like 3-5 minutes. This is a long time, considering that the trains actually shared the same platform, and so it’s literally crossing from one side of the platform to the other.
Despite taking this train multiple times, in the months and months after having moved to this area, they would tense up one stop before the change, remind each other and anyone else they’re with that they have to change soon, rush like hell to the other side, and sit and wait for 5 minutes.
The wonderful thing about the Swiss public transport network is that most of it works together really well. Buses and trains arrive with generally enough time to make your connections. You might occasionally have to run a little, but most of the time you don’t have to do more than walk. 7 minutes is a lot of time to go from one platform to another.
Sina ft Marc Say - Wa du bisch
So I mentioned I heard Swiss German music on the radio that I liked. I managed to track down the song, but unfortunately it’s not free to listen to, but the same artist does have some nice stuff on YouTube.
Youtube hat am Dienstag ein Internetportal speziell für Schweizer Nutzer und Videoanbieter gestartet. Damit verbundene Werbung soll die Kassen der Google-Tochter und von Videokünstlern klingeln lassen.
Saw this in the free paper today. YouTube has set up an official Swiss portal, making it easier for Swiss users to interact in their own languages, and make it easier for Swiss YouTubers to show off their stuff.
The example shown in the paper was “Pepouni” which is an amateur dubstep beatbox group based here in Switzerland, and their videos have views in the over 100,000 mark.
Yay Swiss YouTubers?
Was ist unsere Rede anders, als eine unsichtbare Hand, wunderbar und viel gefingert, mit welcher wir fahren über unserer Mitmenschen Gemüter.
“
| — | Jeremias Gotthelf |
My mom: Switch to the French channel so we can watch the countdown, they're in the same time zone!
Me: We can switch to the German channel too, they're in the same time zone.
My mom: Yeah, but the French know how to enjoy life!
Me: That's a little judgmental. Germans aren't just a whole country of boring people.
My mom: Yeah but we were watching a countdown concert earlier with topless dancers on the French channel.
Me (after switching channel): They're singing in German...
A street was named after this Swiss Socialist, noted as a co-founder of the Swiss Labour Fund.
Also, apparently there’s a “House of Colour”
I’m also fascinated by thoughtful graffiti.
…und als ihnen ihre Tempel nicht mehr genügten, bauten sie neue, grösser as jemals zuvor.
Or:
… and as their temples were no longer satisfactory, they built new ones, larger than ever before.
