Potpourri
Students — Children walk to school or take public transport from the age 5. Parents are STRONGLY discouraged from driving children to school as it increases traffic congestion. School is year round, with periodic two week breaks and a slightly longer summer break.
Working women — Though the percentage of working women has increased, its difficult for a mother of two or more children to work. Children have a long lunch break in the mid day and they head home for lunch. Depending on the child’s age, school lunch times as well as day end times vary. Some schools now offer lunch. Working professionals, such as doctors, will share a practice to accommodate child care scheduling. Mothers are the predominant care givers.
Education — Students are routed to either a university or technical/skilled craftsmen route by the age of 12. Changes over the last 40 years have resulted in the ability to change directions and career paths. There isn’t a teachers union and each canton and municipality determines the teachers salaries. There is federal testing and schools across the country tend to perform well.
Air Conditioning — By law, homes with AC, and there very few, as well as most businesses, must set the thermostat to 5 degrees centigrade or less than the outdoor temperature. So if it’s 90 degrees Fahrenheit your thermostat is set to 81 degrees or higher.
7 presidents! — The Swiss constitution was modeled after the US. They are a federation of 26 cantons. Each canton elects representatives and senators. This National Assembly elects seven individuals to serve as the executive committee. A member of the committee is designated as the “lead” for one year, then someone else on the committee becomes the lead.
Cantons — Swiss history is fascinating. Rural areas banded together for common defense eventually attracting cities into the mix. As a result of the religious wars of the 1500’s, cantons would decide on a language and official religion. The center of the country is Protestant “German” with the west primarily French catholic. There are also Italian catholic cantons and a Romansh canton.
Language — Swiss German is a dialect of German. Each “German” canton has its own unique dialect. It’s not uncommon for an individual from Zurich to have difficulty understanding the Bernese dialect. 1% of the population speaks Romansh, similar to Latin and Italian. Though not
officially measured by the Swiss, English might be the most prevalent second language in Switzerland.
Swiss Wine – who knew! — The Swiss make excellent wine but less than 1% is exported to the US. The grape harvesters are Poles, Spaniards and Serbs. Their effective salary is 65,000 francs/year with 5 weeks vacation, though they are typically employed for three to four months.
EU — The Swiss are not part of the EU. There was a referendum that was rejected by the voters several years ago. Not being part of the EU adds a lot of complexity and paperwork to any exported good. However, they have signed an agreement with neighboring countries that allows free passage between countries without passport checks.
Emigration — During the 1800’s several Swiss cantons encouraged emigration. There are Swiss settlements in the US, Uruguay and Brazil. A canton was responsible for the welfare of all Swiss individuals within the canton. A canton would subsidize and sometimes entirely fund the removal of poor families to a foreign destination as a way to realize long term cost savings.
Immigration — It’s hard to Immigrate to Switzerland. You must be a resident for 12 years before requesting citizenship. The citizenship process is started at the municipality where you must prove proficiency in the local language, knowledge of Swiss history and be accepted by the local community. If you have enough fame and or money, this rules can be relaxed.
Women rule — Zurich was effectively run by women for about 350 years. Fraumünster abbey was founded in 853 by Louis the German for his daughter Hildegard. It was a convent for aristocratic women. He endowed the Benedictine convent with the lands of Zürich, Uri, and the Albis forest, and granted the convent immunity, placing it under his direct authority. In 1045, King Henry III granted the convent the right to hold markets, collect tolls, and mint coins, and effectively made the abbess the ruler of the city. Emperor Frederick II granted the abbey additional powers in 1218, making it territorially independent of all authority except the Emperor. This increased the political power of the abbess. The abbess assigned the mayor, and she frequently delegated the minting of coins to citizens of the city.
The political power of the convent slowly waned. The rule of the Abbess and girl power effectively ended with the establishment of the guild laws in 1336 when Rudolf Brun became the first mayor not assigned by the abbess.
Swiss paradox — Switzerland was the last industrialized nation to give women the vote. Federal elections were open to women in 1971 while the last canton did not enfranchise women until 1991. However, Vaud allowed women to vote in Canton elections in 1958.
Food
Our last meal as part of the Smithsonian tour was at a two star Michelin restaurant, the Domaine de Chateauvieux, over looking the Rhône River. The setting and the meal were extraordinary. The wine served with lunch was a local vintage. The presentation of each course was artistic and the flavors sublime.
And now, I’m off to Croatia!