The Example of Switzerland

[FangKC]

I've always marveled about the stability and aesthetic of Switzerland.

One notable thing about Swiss cities is how clean they are. It was probably the cleanest and tidiest places I've ever been. There are also very few instances of blight anywhere in country.  The Swiss keep up their houses--many of which are centuries old and have remained in the same family for generations.  They preserve their old buildings as well, and there appears to be a emphasis on beauty and function. It's like a religion.

One of the things I noticed when walking around in the morning was how many shopkeepers and residents were sweeping their sidewalks or hosing them down.  There were also flowers and landscaping everywhere--hanging baskets of flowers on streetlamps and under eaves, flower boxes in windows and near doorways.  I've never experienced such a disciplined and pleasing aesthetic.  Even the smallest hotels and inns are very clean and organized.

Many of the buildings are centuries-old, but they aren't rundown or left unpainted.  I don't recall seeing any trash on the streets or overfilled garbage bins.  You also didn't see old, non-functioning cars sitting rusting on the streets or in yards, or unsightly furniture.

The mass transit systems are among the most efficient in the world.  In Lausanne, I marveled that the mass transit system operated on the honor system.  There are no turnstiles or attendents to take your fare. You buy a ticket and get on the system. No one is checking each passage to see that you have purchased a fare.  Of course, if you are caught freeloading, you will have to pay a severe fine.  However, I cannot imagine this system ever working in the USA.

I'm of Swiss heritage, so I guess that must explain my attachment to old buildings and my penchant for preserving, maintaining, and reusing them.

The youth in Switzerland are among the most polite of any place I've visited, and speak perfect English.  There was no place in Switzerland that I visited that felt unsafe--even late at night. Petty crime is almost non-existent it seems. It was truly the loveliest place I've visited.

I would be content to just ride the Swiss trains for days.  It is a lovely experience to say the least.  One of the things I like most about it is that mass transit goes practically everywhere--even small villages using the postal bus system.  You can buy a ticket and get on and off the national train system along the route, and re-enter the system at will using the same ticket.  This allows the tourist to get off the national train system in small villages along the route, have lunch, shop, and sightsee, and get back on the train and continue to another city.