At the airport in Geneva, every passenger is handed a free transit ticket to travel into the city by train. In 10 minutes we were in downtown Geneva. And suddenly everyone around us spoke French.

The city of Geneva is draped along the shores of lake Geneva. We found a reasonable hotel in the city center from where we explored. Every other shop here seems to sell watches, knives or chocolate. Sometimes all three.

When I arrived here, I knew only the basics about Switzerland. You know… land locked, small, Alps, neutral. It wasn’t til afterwards that I stumbled across a fabulous book: Swiss Watching by Diccon Bewes. He moved to Switzerland and explored all aspects of what makes the country and its people tick. I was blown away by the politics. Can you name the president of Switzerland? Probably not. Because ministers take turns being president. Without pay! People get a say in all decisions which makes changes slow but very democratic. Bewest looks at the history that shaped the country and answers many questions, such as ‘why is the Swiss Guard in charge of safety at the Vatican'?’ A fascinating read even if you don’t plan to visit Switzerland.

Prices in Switzerland are sky high compared to surrounding countries. It was quite a shock to suddenly pay as much for one coffee as we had for an entire meal in Madrid. But the hotel did provide us with a free transit pass for 2 days to use on trams, buses and ferries across the lake. So we took a little ferry to the opposite shore and walked along the floral clock, past glittery shops and high end finance buildings, to the old town. Since it was late Fall, the trees had turned brown and yellow, leaves piled up in the gutters and first snow powdered the hills. When the clouds lifted, we saw a majestic, snow covered Mont Blanc.

We climbed cobblestone streets to the old cathedral while church bells tolled. I do like ‘old world’ cities with their characteristic centres.

While in Switzerland (I conducted author visits at an International School near Geneva) we learned many interesting facts about this small and unique country. Did you know that this land-locked country has a navy? And that the Swiss National Guard serves to protect Vatican City? (You can read more about this 500 year old, fascinating tradition here: https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/trouble-recruiting-_an-uncertain-future-for-swiss-soldiers-guarding-the-pope/44946426)

Switzerland has three official languages: 65% of the country speaks German, 20% speak French (that’s all we heard around Geneva) and 10% speak Italian.

Did you know that the Swiss flag has been a white cross in a red field since 1289? The Swiss founder of the Red Cross used the opposite colour for this organization’s flag.

Switzerland is a republic. Quick, name the president! (His name is Guy Parmelin :-).

The country has 8.5 million people of which about 25% is foreigners. Switzerland is slightly larger than Vancouver Island. And while the Swiss are famous for their chocolate and for being a neutral country, they have also achieved many inventions like cellophane, the Swiss Army knife and the potato peeler.

I was surprised to learn that Switzerland, although firmly hugged by European countries on all sides, is not a member of the European Union. They still have their own currency (Swiss francs) rather than euros, and also their own license plates. They also like rules, i.e. no lawn mowing on Sunday - not because of religious reasons but because the Swiss value peace and quiet.

Something else that surprised me is that the country is covered in grape vines and many wineries. Yet, they do not export wine. Those smart Swiss keep it all for themselves. You can only buy local wines in each village. If you visit a winery and like the wine, you have to go back to that specific village to buy more since they do not sell wine anywhere else but where it is produced.

One of our favourite nights was spent in Auberge de Saviese in Geneva, a fabulous traditional fondue restaurant. They offer thick, gooey Guyere fondue as well as raclette, another traditional melted cheese dish. It was a good thing we had reserved a table. I have never, anywhere seen such a steady stream of people come into a restaurant. Many were turned away. The place bustled and burst at the seams. And rightly so. If you are every in Geneva, go try the fabulous fondue in this popular place, but be sure to make a reservation! (https://www.aubergedesaviese.com/en/)

And one final fun fact about Swiss chocolate: the Tobleron bar was named after its creator, Mr. Theodor Tobler. Its line of points resemble a long line of 2,700 9-ton concrete blocks placed across Switzerland during the Second World War to prevent tank invasions. A portion of that line is now called ‘the Toblerone Line’ and has been turned into a hiking trail: https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland/routes/route-0114.html

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