Switzerland Travel

Thursday, February 08, 2007

The Varying Categories of the Swiss Secondary Level

While living is kaleidoscopic in Switzerland, education in this country is unique because the authority in the educational system in this country depends on its cantons (the Swiss states). There are three levels of education in the Swiss society: the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary, but I will only discuss the second because this level is utterly captivating among the three.

The secondary level begins happens when the students finish primary; this is where students are distributed into three categories according to their capabilities. In such case, the most brilliant students are excluded and taught more advanced classes, while the rest go to the pre-gymnasium, intermediate, or pre-professional section. The first section comprises the Science, Math, Physics, Chemistry, and Literary fields, which all aim to endow the zealous pupils for a Federal diploma, while the second section prepares students for secretarial or technical schools. The last section are for those pupils who want to have manual jobs because this category endows those students for apprenticeship by developing their reading, spelling, and mathematics skills.

The Swiss educational system intends to give students a kind of education that's seemly to their interests and knowledge. While this system may be conducive, most people disagree with it because it shows nothing but inequity among students.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

A Few Info On The Astonishing Swiss Watch Valley -- Geneva

Switzerland, the home of the premier quartz watches brand, Swatch, is recognized for its huge watchmaking industry. The said field is condensed in the western province of Switzerland, specifically in Geneva. Watches and clocks were first developed in Geneva in the 1500's when Jean Calvin, a French Protestant theologian, restricted the use of jewelry to his followers. This event forced the jewelers and goldsmiths to develop a new craft, which is watchmaking.

Furthermore, Calvin was recognized for being strict in timekeeping for he charged fines on people who came late for church. In 1561, to make churchgoers punctual, clocks were stationed in different sites in Geneva, and because of this act, clock and watchmaking became a very good business. Eventually, the city had the reputation of developing high quality watches and clocks.

Watchmaking improved in 1685 when France's Loius XIV annihilated the Edict of Nantes, inhibiting the freedom of French Protestants. Many of them abandoned the site with their watchmaking skills and moved to in Geneva's Protestant refuge. It was the beginning of the new state of the industry's growth for various unconventional and elegant watches and clocks were produced starting that period. Today, the watchmaking field in Switzerland continuously provide a means of income for countless families in the country.

Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting: A Merge of One Luscious Treat

What could be a merge of one luscious treat is chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting! But what if I tell you that this is a valid Swiss dessert? Then, what used to be a yummy snack will then turn out to be a form of heaven's delight in a flavorful specialty. This is not a figment of exaggeration, when cheese and chocolate are popularly found in no other region in the world but Switzerland.

I don't have a sweet tooth, although I believe chocolates do make ladies and everybody else feel fine every once in a while. But I guess, I will have to change my mind after having in my meal plate a particular taste for this sweet extravagance. Cherry torte or even the Black Forrest cake could even be more tempting at mere sight, but what I love about this Swiss dessert is the rightful combination of cheese and chocolate that is almost too good to be true. Like a charming couple, in many ways, they complement each other with delightful flavors. For a cake, it's not all about being sweet, but giving it a sprinkle of soothing discovery with luscious frosting of cream cheese. I call this craving of mine a love affair for Swiss cakes.

Monday, February 05, 2007

National Representation Turned Into Fashion Vogue

The young generation of Switzerland may have showed little magnitude on things connected to being xenophobic for instance, celebrating the national day. Many young Swiss think that being nationalistic is something so distressing, well, the status could be reverse now. If before, only the old Swiss were mostly seen undulating the flag during national day celebrations, things have definitely varied now.

The so-called techno-generation has been introduced to a new craze- bright red shirt with white cross embossed. The area's flag has turned into a fashion pictogram and is now taking young Swiss by storm.

Marking Switzerland's flag on a bag, shirts, confectionery, watches, and a lot more and seeing almost every young Swiss having one or two of these elements was before an unbelievable idea. Any national image attached to any young Swiss was already an discomfiture for them. They were abashed of what symbolizes them. However, today, with the initiative of the young and voguish-- and not by any right-wing extremists-- displaying the country's flag is already a craze.

To add, the celebration of national day is now no longer about politics and monotonous, slow speeches but it is now about every Swiss enjoying the day.

A Little-Known Swiss Downtown and A Standard Swiss Hotel

People who have been to the beautiful country of Switzerland will instantly point to either Zurich or Bern or to some other famed Swiss city as perfect tourist destinations. Yet, there is one other Swiss city that some people, especially tourists, rarely talk about in their voyages to the city of Alps, which is quite sad, because the said city is actually the second largest in Switzerland and is considered one of the oldest as well.

The city being referred to is none other than Basel, and it is one Swiss territory that voyagers should quietly include in their schedule. For one, it is known as the pharmaceutical center of Switzerland and has uninterruptedly portrayed host to the annual Autumn Fair, a chief Swiss trade fair regularly held since 1471.

Another argument to visit Basel is its many historic landmarks, the more vital ones of which are the Romanesque-Gothic cathedral, the Basel townhall Rathaus, and the Basel plaza Barfuesserplatz. These benchmarks have their own colorful histories and getting to see them is unquestionably a unique experience.

Of course, in order to fully enjoy a Basel journey, one will need to have a fine place to stay in. For this, there is the St. Gotthard Swiss Quality Basel Hotel that boasts of a total of 94 outstanding rooms, 89 of which are totally renovated, with the remaining five serving as duplex suites.

Operating since 1929, the rooms at the opulent Hotel St. Gotthard are equipped with recent facilities. However, what will definitely attract visitors to this Basel-based hotel is its grand buffet breakfast, simply the perfect way to set out a pleasurable trip to historic Basel.