Switzerland

AJ wrote:Isnt the swiss language difficult to learn depending on which canton.
I remember an interveiw with Verni Schnider and no one could understand her when she first came on the circuit and she was from the Valias region.
Some years ago when i was in Wengen they spoke a mixture of Italian,French and German, Very confusing.




AJ Adele

bandit wrote:

AJ wrote:Isnt the swiss language difficult to learn depending on which canton.
I remember an interveiw with Verni Schnider and no one could understand her when she first came on the circuit and she was from the Valias region.
Some years ago when i was in Wengen they spoke a mixture of Italian,French and German, Very confusing.




AJ Adele

That's about right! Additionally when the Swiss speak "Swiss German", it's not the same as German. I have read that Scweitzerdeutsch (sp) is not written down, as it's only a spoken language, making it even harder to learn.

After a few weeks in Switzerland, I'll travel back up through France, and find hoteliers correcting me when I say my room number (for example), so even the French is spoken slightly differently. Generally it's slower, so that makes it easier for me.

bandit wrote:My spoken French is also pretty grim, and I never studied German. I did offer up valenciano dialect spanish ) Anyway resorts. Davos/Klosters is really good. Huge ski area, lots of jump in points between Davos and Klosters, plus some stand alone areas. Of these Pischa was my favourite. Good rail service which was included on the lift pass. Tons of shopping, mostly hotels on the Davos side, lots of hotels and some chalets on the Klosters side. I didn't think it was pricey, compared to France.

Engelberg is good for a quick trip, less fun for piste lovers for a week long stay. Good access from Zermatt by rail. Tons of serious off piste, and it attracts powder hounds. For mileage fans, there's not too much on offer, though what I found there are long, long runs. The skiing extends up on to the glacier at Titlis, access is by a revolving cable car. Expect to share the c/c with lots of tourists wearing far too few clothes. Grooming on the glacier runs I found to be impeccable and one of the few places where I could really let my skis just run on freshly groomed corduroy :D On hill eating and drinking is of a high standard, off the hill restaurants can be a bit pricey, though it's possible to shop around. Alternatively just get stuck in with the general scrum in the Yucatan Bar & Restaurant. Short report on Engelberg here.. http://sunshack.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2006-01-01T00%3A00%3A00Z&updated-max=2007-01-01T00%3A00%3A00Z&max-results=12