Switzerland , or  officially the  Swiss Confederation is an country situated in Western-Central Europe  and is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.  An interesting fact about Switzerland is that there are  four national languages: German,French,Italian and Romansh.

Attractions:Switzerland has  plenty of impressive and fascinating sights to visit but I think that its top attractions are : Matterhorn-the symbol of Switzerland  . Matterhorn is a pyramid shaped colossus of a mountain which is very difficult to climb and its surely the most photograohed mountain in the world.  And The Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen whichis one of the Europe’s largest waterfalls and the view of it is breath-taking ( you can reach it by a ship).

Matterhorn      

 The Rhine Falls 

Traditions&Customs:    Swiss people love folk music and traditional dances  so  the most commonly heard musical instruments are: «Schwyzerörgeli» (accordion), the violin, bass violin, clarinet and, in certain regions, the dulcimer or Trümpi (Jew’s harp). A Swiss tradition is the the  Alpine farming which has a very  long history . The production of cheese in the summer enabled people to preserve milk and stockpile it for the long winter months. The practice of Alpine farming gave birth to various customs such as the festive processions up into the Alps and down from the mountains, the call to prayer, the Älplerchilbi carnival and the Chästteilet cheese sharing – traditions that have been carefully maintained to this day.  There are also some Swiss traditional sports like ‘’Swiss Wrestling’’ and Alpine Festival ESAF.

 Folk music 

 Alpine Farming 

 Swiss Wrestling 

 Sports:  Swiss people love sports and European football (or soccer)  is by far the most popular sport in Switzerland . But there are also some other famous sports too like Ice-hockey, volleyball, basketball, hand-ball,tennis. Some of their famous summer sportsare :biking, mountain biking , skating ,hiking and the winter sports they prefer are skiing and snowboarding.

Food:  The Swiss cuisine is multifaced but unique so,if you ever visit Switzerland don’t leave without trying some of these delicious ,incredibly tasty traditional foods such as : Fondue, which is a must-have for any of you, Rosti (Valaisanne –style) an iconic national dish ,Raclette another amazing dish while drinking wine (Swiss’sfavourite drink) ,Tartiflette and many many others !! (Don’t forget the Swiss cheese and chocolate !!)

1. Fondue    2.Rosti   3.Raclette   4.Tartiflette

Mary Tzani B4