The Scintillating Scoop on Switzerland!

As you may recall from some time ago, there was the first edition of Fun Facts about Franklin! Well if you enjoyed that, you're gonna love this! Welcome to The Scintillating Scoop on Switzerland! Perhaps sometime in the future we might even run across Enlightening Erudition on Europe, but don't cross your fingers. So now, sit back, mabye pop some popcorn, and prepare to have your mind blown!

The Scintillating Scoop on Switzerland!!!

Beyond the ABC's: Alps, Banks, & Chocolate

1. Native Swiss speak 4 different languages throughout the country, each one with its own region: French, German, Italian, and Romansh.

2. Switzerland is composed of 26 cantons or states.

3. Apparantely each one of these cantons has its own regionally designated shutter style.

4. Switzerland is famous for its neutrality, but it is very much an armed neutrality. There are bunkers everywhere you go because in the seventies every building was required to have a bomb shelter. Our campus bomb shelter now pulls double duty, serving as the library as well.

5. The ancient legend of William Tell took place and originated in Switzerland. Whoever said Robin Hood was the greatest archer was on crack. Did he ever shoot an apple off his son's head? I didn't think so.

6. Switzerland actually did not become a federal state until 1848, making it one of the few countries around here that the U.S. is actually older than.

7. Switzerland requires the use of state designated and approved trash bags. Use of any other bags or material for trash storage is a crime and punishable by fine.

8. Women were not granted the right to vote in Switzerland until 1971.

9. There is a bitter inner tension between the German-Swiss and the French and Italian-Swiss. They have names for each other. It's intense. Going from region to region, it almost seems like each is a different country.

10. Switzerland is abbreviated "CH." So if you see that on those white oval stickers, now you won't ask yourself, "what is that? conferederation of hungary...? coalition of hitchhikers...?" It stands for "Confoerato Helvetica," which is Latin so as not to favor one of the national languages.

11. Helvetica is the name of the Celtic inhabitants of the region throughout many centuries BC, until the Roman conquest during the empire.

12. Switzerland is about half the size of Kansas.

13. It is perhaps the most beautiful country I've ever been to.

Ok so there at the end maybe I did a little editorizing, but I didn't say these all had to be "facts." But you should know all of the above is true to the best of my knowledge. There is a history of Switzerland course here, but I'm not in it. It would have been fun, but let's be honest folks. It's at 8:30 in the morning, and you all know me. I'll photocopy the notes from my friends. And besides, don't I already know enough already?!!!