Swiss Surprises - Things I did not know about Switzerland until now

1. That chocolates have nationalities too. You will never, never find German chocolates in Switzerland. I searched for a box of Ritter Sport at two different supermarkets but was told, "We Swiss are very proud of our chocolates. You will not get German chocolates anywhere in Switzerland."

2. That it can rain in Switzerland in the middle of May. There have been a few summers of snow too in the past. And when it does rain and fog, you may not get to see the Alps. That means, your pictures will look more like they've been taken in Gangtok or Mahabaleshwar than from the banks of Lake Lucernne.

3. That the Swiss love Italian food. There will be a Ristorante Pizzeria on every street.

4. That the Swiss are very proud of their democracy and believe a lot in people's power.

5. That you may find a slum on the outskirts of Lucernne. It's hardly comparable with Dharavi but there are tin-and-wood sheds alright!

6. That you will find dilapidated houses, bus shelters and graffiti on the walls in parts of Zurich.

7. That the Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich is possibly the world's poshest street and quietest for its stature too.

8. That the Swiss believe in teaching their kids about technology when they are really very young. The transport museum at Lucernne is an example. There are four and five-year-olds who come there to learn about magnetism, trains and geography through interactive games and toys.

9. That you may not see a single cow throughout your trip in Switzerland. DDLJ was shot over 15 years back. Things have moved on since then... and so have the cows.

10. That the Swiss live in villages and travel to cities such as Zurich, Bern and Geneva for work. They'd prefer a commute instead of living in the city.

11. That the Swiss are very rooted and have strong ties with their native villages.


12. That on Sundays and public holidays all, and I mean all, shops in Switzerland are closed.

13. That you may find Indian restaurants with menus in German. We checked out the menu at Kanchi restaurant in Lucernne.

14. That the Swiss enjoy Bollywood song-and-dance sequences.

15. That the trains in Switzerland are always on time... to the minute. After all, the railway clock was designed in Switzerland.

16. That though Switzerland is part of the Schengen, the currency is still the Swiss Franc (CHF). We made the mistake of thinking that the Euro will work. It does, but in very few places and the exchange rate offered to you by the locals is not that good. So if you're travelling to Europe, keep some CHFs with you. Unlike in Germany, people are more willing to take credit cards here at larger stores.