After quite enough time spent in both cities, I smashed on the amazing truth that not all world is like Switzerland (fact which I almost forget when I spent too much time in this country):

1 Englishmen are gentlemen (they wait for women to enter a room first and so on) even under beer effect. Swiss men ignore any kind of politeness (they just mind their way others around would transparent) even though they just under Rivella effect.

2 English people have real humor (not like the swiss: "Italy? Ahahah, mafia!" ... thinking "Ok... and where is the fun?") and have fun in life (they joke and laugh without thinking this would make them less efficient in work or any other social situation). Swiss do not laugh (simply because they do not get jokes, besides not being able of creating one).

3 Though full of foreigners from all around the world, you'll never see any political campaign on posters picturing these strangers as black figures with just very bad intentions. The opposite, English people are even more polite when you look disoriented. From the other side, the swiss one, SVP is the 1 political party of the country...

4 English people have style, man and women keep updated with fashion though in a personalized way. Elegance and taste, creativity and perfect cut are daily bread for them. They do not wear outdoor clothes unless they go outdoor for outdoor activities. Swiss women feel sexy only in leggins and Louis Vuitton bag or outdoor clothes (even when they go the opera, I saw it personally). Swiss men feel sexy with... do they ever feel sexy??? Maybe that's way they just take anything from the closet with the light off.

5 London offers a huge range of art, exhibitions, museums, nightlife and the English can still be quite modest about it. In Zurich is almost embarrassing how poor is all mentioned before (last year Zurich was rated the 3rd most boring city of Europe, first was Brussels), still the Swiss are so proud of it like it would be the worldwide capital of fun.

6 London is huge and with the Olympic Games construction places traffic is even bigger. Still the English can manage and ORGANIZE everything to affect the least possible daily life. Zurich is very small (to be considered a town, not certainly a city) and the traffic is to compare to the rush hours of NY. Should I mention all the construction places for months and months with no Olympic Games coming soon?

7 English people are fun, have an healthy concept of privacy and do not judge just according to bank accounts: this means that when they get to know you they do not immediately ask you what kind of job you do, where and then if it's prestigious they keep talking to you, like some Swiss. If they bump into you they do not ignore they almost ripped a shoulder away from you and keep walking like you were just an annoying obstacle on their busy way. The English stop and say "sorry", but smiling and caring if you are still one piece. This happens even if London is 100 times busier and crowded as Zurich.

8 English can flirt and pretty good. Swiss can stay stiff but not in a good sense.

9 English are international. Swiss are mountain focused.

10 English are human beings and in case of default they laugh about it and go on. Swiss are like my laptop: they keep turning off because of invincible virus. And behind their eye pupils everything is silent, just a buzzing noise in the back gives some vital signs...maybe!

Thanks so much for sharing your degree course work with us.

I hope you get the job at the London Tourist Board.

thanks. i wish you posted this on friday when it could have kept me amused.

phil last night

I already work for the swiss one

I can imagine some Swiss thinking Zurich 10 - London 0:

1. English women expect courtesies which are too passe.

2. Swiss people have real humor like: "Italy? Ahahah, mafia!" English laugh for stupid things.

And so on. You know, they are called cultural differences.

I think i will be banned but i do not know about london but i love zurich night.

and why? I am latin and here you go to a bar you do nothing and you have 3 or 4 beautiful girls to lay down. Crazy.

Well if you promote London then you are not doing a very good job

Your Swiss boyfriend dumped you and went back to Mummy ?

You've based your comments about two countries on one city in each respective country.

Next you'll be telling us that all Scotsmen wear kilts and Jimmy-hats and always say "och-aye the noo".

Cheers,
Nick

I love the OP. "Thanks" and "rep" for this line alone:

remind us again what the total tax burden is for a higher rate tax payer incl NI and council tax, plus congestion charges.

Yes, because it is ALL about the money of course. But if you're going to add random things like the central London "congestion charge" (assuming one doesn't live within the zone and drives every day) then why not add the unemployment insurance, retirement insurance, disabilty insurance, accident insurance and health costs that one pays here? Then there's the virtually compulsory personal idemnity insurance.

AmericanGotWorkVisa in disguise? Next you will be telling us Zurich feels like a prison while in London freedom is perpetually in the air, and Singapore.......

Varenne, I assume you have Swiss nationality as you work in the Swiss tourist office, and thank you for writing such nice things about my home town. It wasn't necessary, but thank you just the same.

You missed the point completely! This has nothing to do with income, capital or expenditure. Geddit? It is about attitudes and manners, OK?

I do not think it is him ( OP joined in April ).

If you have a Degree and work in tourism, a bit of in-depth research () could have told you that Zurich is smaller than London, lol.

Just copied and sent your e-mail to my friend at the Swiss Tourist Board...


not.

There are some truly wonderful gentlemen in London I agree - and some appalling men too (hmm a bit like in Switzerland really, or most places I've lived in).

I have to say...for a country stuck in the 1950s, I was pretty surprised on the flight out of Zurich, finding that my 4yo daughter and I were not seated next to each other, rather I row apart, both middle seats and having to ask the folks in the four seats around us if they'd please change with us since a 4yo not next to a parent is a pretty unhappy kid....out of 3 swiss guys and 1 american/swiss woman, none of the swiss guys offered and, in fact, one swiss guy made a lame attempt at saying, "I need an aisle seat". I glared at him thinking, "yeah, you need an aisle seat next to a miserable 4yo for 10 hours...yeah." It almost disappointed me when the american woman very quickly offered me her seat as I would have very much liked to have tortured all three swiss guys next to us but I don't think I would have had the energy to sustain the punishment for 10 hours, even if my daughter would have. If you want the world of "Mad Men', one thinks you should have the manners of that era, including not being a douchebag and butting in line at the grocery in front of a little girl with an ice cream cone (for which I extracted the balls of said line cutter saying in my most loathing German that unless he wanted to lose a part most close to him, he should get his fat ass to the back of the line where it belonged instead of cutting in front of a little girl anxious for an ice cream. Thankfully he complied as I didn't have plan for his nuts at that moment....). ers.

Yeah innit