Slow Train to Switzerland
Page 30
A personal note of thanks goes to:
Helen Fields, Shelley Harris and Brian Wright for never letting me forget that writing is fun, especially at the weekend.
Anna Galvani and John Sivell for maintaining my English through Scrabble.
Zelda McKillop for hours of proofreading.
Julie Schmutz for the extended loan of an essential book.
Martin Tschirren and Beat Stoller for keeping Gregor occupied.
Simon Whitehead for making me look good on film (see www.threebythree.ch for more from him).
Without my agent, Edwin Hawkes, and everyone at Nicholas Brealey Publishing, this book would still be sitting on my computer rather than in your hands. All their essential work behind the scenes might go unnoticed by the reader, but I am forever grateful for it.
Without Gregor, and his family, I would not have stayed in Switzerland this long and would never have written one book, let alone three. He has patiently shared me with a 180-year-old woman for the past few years and rarely complained about our unusual ménage-à-trois.
Last, but not least, thanks to all my family, who may be far away in person but are never far away in spirit. And most of all to my parents, whose enthusiasm and support helped me believe that this dream could come true.
ALSO BY DICCON BEWES
FROM
NICHOLAS BREALEY PUBLISHING
Swiss Watching
Inside the Land of Milk and Money
A Financial Times Book of the Year
“A journalist who now lives in Switzerland, Bewes is a well-qualified guide to a country that, although familiar, requires expertise to understand… Bewes reveals how Switzerland is riddled with contradictions… Informative and entertaining.”
—Harry Ritchie, Mail on Sunday
One country, four languages, 26 cantons and 7.8 million people (but only 78% of them Swiss): there’s nowhere else in Europe like it. Switzerland may be almost 400km from the nearest drop of seawater, but it’s an island at the centre of Europe. Welcome to the landlocked island.
Switzerland is the country that not only gave us triangular chocolate and holey cheese, but also the world’s first Toilet Duck (1980) and Velcro (1955). It’s a country famous for its punctual trains and strict neutrality - but what lies behind these stereotypes? What does Switzerland look like from the inside?
Swiss Watching is a revealing historical journey around Europe’s most individual and misunderstood country. From seeking Heidi and finding the best chocolate to reliving a bloody past and exploring an uncertain future, Swiss Watching proves that there’s more to Switzerland than banks and skis, francs and cheese. In the land of cultural contradictions, this is a picture of the real and normally unseen Switzerland, a place where the breathtaking scenery shaped a nation not just a tour itinerary, and where tradition is as important as innovation. It’s also the story of its people, who have more power than their politicians, but can’t speak to one another in the same language - and who own more guns per head than the people of Iraq. As for those national clichés, well, not all the cheese has holes, cuckoo clocks aren’t Swiss and the trains don’t always run exactly on time. And if you think Roger Federer is the only famous Swiss big cheese, think again!
ISBN 978-1-85788-587-3
eISBN 978-1-85788-991-8
PB £10.99
www.nicholasbrealey.com