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Switzerland
The thing about Switzerland is its mountains. Just the names are evocative – Eiger, Matterhorn, Jungfrau. In between the mountains are the crystal lakes – Lucerne, Geneva (Leman), Zurich. Sat beside the lakes or perched on the lower mountains are the castles, many dating from medieval times (Neuchâtel the ‘new castle’ was actually built in the 13th century before lending its name to both city and lake). So unsurprisingly, tourist life centres on the Alps. Alpine challenges for mountaineers are second only to the Himalaya. And what goes up, must come down … often on skis. Switzerland has literally innumerable skiing and other winter sports resorts. They effectively invented downhill skiing as a sport, stage the great races, and came up with terrifying ways of descending mountains like the Cresta Run (well the mad Brits helped). In the summer, the lower slopes offer quite incredibly beautiful scenic views to even the most sedate traveller. And those same gentle Alpine meadows are the pastures for the Swiss cattle that produce the creamiest dairy products ever (and hence some of the richest chocolate). And only the ‘predictable’ Swiss would create a cheese full of holes, reward their first Wimbledon tennis champion with a cow, communicate by yodelling, or win the America’s Cup despite being landlocked.
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