I love the bread.... no other country is baking better bread

I love the country itself it has beauty in each canton, i love the mountains
the lakes, but sadly no ocean, lol. Oh well but still it would not take me too long
to get to it right? ... smile

Germany, Denmark, Austria, Holland, Sweden and Norway all make just as good bread. If you're from an anglo-saxon country, your love for the bread is understandable - there never was much of a tradition for breadmaking in e.g. Britain. To me, Switzerland is behind Germany and Denmark both - for one thing, you can't get any fresh black bread around here. See my other list of thigs I love about the place in your other thread.

You see i never had bread from austria, denmark, holland befor, i did from germany though, they have this really nice Pumpernickel bread... Is that the one you are talking about?

That's one option, but Pumpernickel is really a specialty. Black bread is made with rye and sourdough. Here are some pictures from my homemade bread: http://www.dansklisten.org/albummet/...129110943.jpeg
When you find really good bread here it's because of a European tradition for breadmaking. It varies (hence the lack of black bread here), but commonalities are found everywhere in mainland Europe.

Yammy, yes that looks similar to the Pumpernickel bread and i love it....

I was never crazy about the bread in the US, i got toasted out... LOL but i did
find some german store and they had pumpernickel bread there.

Just in case everyone thinks that I am always complaining.....

Skiing - bloody brilliant.



This will be probably the number one thing that I will miss when I leave Switzerland. Infrastructure is generally excellent, and costs aren't outrageous when compared with some other countries. It's close, and it's accessible for all. Of course (surprise suprise) there are some things that bug me like snowboarders smoking joints in the middle of the piste, but on the whole a big thumbs up from me!

Oh and the other thing which is really well done here is the diving industry. Many dive stores have an excellent range of products, and the infrastructure is excellent. Where else could I obtain fills for my cylinders directly on the shore of Zurisee 24 hours a day? (ok, it would also be nice to be able to visit a dive store for supplies on BOTH days of the weekend rather than just one - but that's not going to happen any time soon!)

Mark

We love the city of Zurich. The restaurants and bars, even if the food is typically not so good and very expensive, are so quaint.

We love the public transportation system.

We love that our kids (young teens) can go places and do things in a safe environment without parents driving them everywhere.

The "Monopoly" money. Love all the different colors.

Spungli chocolates.

Yep agree with most of that (except restaurants), the public transport system is excellent, though a little expensive for someone who refuses to buy a halbtax card

And you are right, Sprüngli is excellent, have you ever tried the Luxemburgerli that they sell? Apparently they don't export them (they are fresh so you have to eat them within a few days), so you must buy them here.

I guess if you come from the US then you would find the Swiss franc colourful. I've never understood why US banknotes are so boring, all the same size and a single colour - a forger's dream!

Did you know that the 2 most "secure" banknotes in the world (so I've been told) are the Swiss franc and the Australian dollar. The Swiss franc because it has so many intricate security features built-in, and the Aussie dollar because it is made from plastic instead of paper. You can find info on this (including colourful pictures) here.



Here's a trick I like to show the tourists. Take a Swiss banknote, and rub one of the colourful parts on a white sheet of paper. If you rub hard enough you'll see that some of the colour comes off. This is apparently one of the many security features!

Mark

How about chees? Fondu? Raclette? Chocolate?

Tax? Salary? Schools? Unemployment?

landscape, cultur, .........

You can travel to other countries very fast and easy. Germany, Italy, France, Spain, England..... everything is so close.

Our main reason to stay in switzerland is for tax issues. Since wa are managing our own company switzerland is taxwise excelent!!!!! But I am very glad that we are able to travel a lot.
And yes mark the regulations are very strict in switzerland but our biggest sales are not in switzerland.

Hi "Luzern",

I wasn't going to say anything of the sort If your income is from other countries, then Switzerland is, as we all know, very happy to assist you with paying very low rates of taxes. If your company derives its income from the internal market then it is a very different story... (especially in Luzern!). After all, why else is Switzerland packed full of so many accountants and bankers?

Enjoy the fondue....

Mark

Actually if you're looking for low corporate taxes, Ireland is where you want to be. Or rather, that's where you want your company to be, whilst you live in Switzerland. (Irish corptax is the lowest in Europe, about half of Switzerlands)

LMAO, how funny and how true about the smoking pot on the ski slopes...
Skiing is awesome here, but the US has also wonderful ski areas. I love Breckenridge, Colorado.

I LOVE the trust that people have in others here....seems your word still counts for something in Switzerland and I think that's great. Simply the ability to order and buy on invoice is refreshing to me. We've even purchased our home on our word, no 'sign on the dotted line and offer your firstborn...'.

Also love the long summer evenings, the ability to go hiking, walking, skiing so close to home, being so central to other lands and cultures, the fact that people greet each other on the street, the way the Swiss really know how to enjoy great weather, the many outdoor cafes/restaurants in summer, the different seasons.
But boy I miss being able to have a quick chat/laugh with strangers...I simply don't have the language, and that's the biggest downer of being here I feel.

Things I love about Switzerland...

- double cream from Gruyère, fondue, raclette, chocolate

- the cleanliness of the streets, except in Bern in winter where everyone hawks loogies all over the place

- the four seasons and various types of weather (winter is still a bit too long here in CH, but it makes me appreciate spring more than I ever have in my entire life. I'm from southern California where there's basically only one type of weather. I sometimes miss the earthquakes.)

- the cows! Oh, the beautiful cows! I wish I could give up beef. Cows have the most beautiful eyes and lovely long eyelashes. Sometimes they have a crop of silly-looking hair mounted to their heads. My husband and I often say, "hey, check out that bad wig/toupé"

- church bells and train whistles (don't remember having those in CA)

- listening to children speak French

- roast beef on baguette

- meals which last hours, everyone sitting around the table and enjoying each other

- learning to appreciate cheese and wine


loads of other stuff, too!

I so agree with you. I think those swiss cows are absolutly gorgeous... Actually since i have been living in CH i can't eat beef anymore, somehow it just doesn't taste that good to me. Maybe its those eyelashes, LMAO

You could always revert to hormone- and antibiotic-infested US beef I really love the fact that Swiss food is much better protected and labeled....
JM

sleeping out on my terrace in 7.2 degrees, bright sunshine and a killer dog as a pillow

Over the time I've been here I have found that it just suits me to live here. Clean, low tax, organised, cosmopolitan. But not too big.

[quote=spamchek]Germany, Denmark, Austria, Holland, Sweden and Norway all make just as good bread. If you're from an anglo-saxon country, your love for the bread is understandable.quote]

What a shame to think that way.

I love all the Continental backeries in Australia, you can get any bread imagineable there!

Where can I start:

1. The trains - going through Gotthard Tunnel and coming out into sunshine in the south.

2. The mountains.

3. Cheap cigarettes and the occasional wine.

4. Saying "Grüezi" to the neighbours.

5. Playing football at the local school haus after work.

6. Bar-B-Qs in summer

7. Shopping or just walking through Globus always makes me feel good.

8. Plane-spotting next to the runway on the west side of the airport

9. Ticino. Full-stop.

10. Hot summers (and topless women at Kazenbach, but don't tell my wife )

That's all for now...

oldmanc, tell me more about #5