Switzerland's vegetation region is the tundra region. The tundra region is very cold and dry. It contains a layer of what is called permafrost. Permafrost is a frozen layer of soil that is thirty-six inches deep. About five inches of it thaws out in the spring and in the summer. There is a lot of sleet and snow here because it is so cold in the alps. The winters in the tundra are very cold with bellow freezing temperatures. In the summer it is fair weather like a normal one of our springs. That is what the vegetation region of Switzerland is.

Switzerland is almost completely covered by forest. The most common type is deciduous forest. This means there a lot of pine trees, evergreens, and hollies. All these trees have leaves that stay on all year. There are also some oak and birch trees as well. Those are the forests and trees of Switzerland.

There are many interesting facts about Switzerland. One cool thing is that the kids here only go to school four days a week. They go to school on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Another is that Switzerland is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the country that eats the most chocolate. They are the founders of Swiss cheese. In their Christmas Santa is not a big part of the day. They celebrate and think of it more as the birthday of Jesus than a day when you get gifts and give out gifts. Those are some interesting facts about Switzerland.

Swiss cheese comes from Switzerland. It is only made from the purest and best tasting milk from their best cows. It is very simple to churn and go through all of the steps. People wonder why there are holes in Swiss cheese. The real reason why is because that during churning the cheese fills with carbon dioxide. Then when the cheese comes out of the churner to harden and dry the carbon dioxide in the cheese expands and makes bubbles. Then the bubbles explode and make the holes. That is how Swiss cheese is made and where it comes from.

The history of Switzerland is very interesting. During the Roman Period (58B.C. -400A.D.) The Swiss people moved toward southern France. On their way they get stopped by Commander C. Julius Cesar. They got occupied by the Roman troops. This is what sparked the start of Swiss history. During the Middle Ages (400-1,500) The People of Switzerland set out to build new states and empires in Europe. This slowly starts to happen. Then feudalism takes in. Feudalism is a process where people called Serfs raised crops and gave them to their king. Fore this the serfs got protection from the King and enough food to survive on. If the serfs refused to work fore the king they would not be protected by the king. Then monasteries develop new agriculture methods. Switzerland became an independent nation by its neighbors through a peace treaty in 1291. Now the Swiss people celebrate a national holiday on August 1. During the Old Swiss Confederacy three valleys in central Europe and unite against counts of Habsburg and fought fore autonomy to join the confederacy. They conquer territories in northern and southern Switzerland. The Swiss Revolution happened in 1798.

Switzerland is thought of one of the first democracies in the world. If you look precisely at the country you see that the majority does not believe in this although many people did. They dominated minor democracy to a true democracy. This is one of the revolutions of foreign troops fail to conquer democracy and start parliamentary democracy. This is the fallback that started the periods of changes that happened little by little. From 1914-1918 Switzerland was neutral of World War One. Then in the 1930's-1940's many people in were Nazis. Some people fought in World War Two with the Germans under Aldolf Hitler's command. They worked at some of the concentration camps that tortured the Jews. This is because of the stock market crash there similar to ours in America. Many Germans blamed it on the Jews and took them against their will under Aldolf Hitler's command. That is what the history of Switzerland was like.

One very famous person who lived in Switzerland for a very long time is Albert Einstein. Albert was born in on March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Germany. Before Albert had his first birthday his family moved to Munich. This is where his very close sister, Maja, was born. There Albert started to enjoy books, music, and family outings. As he grew up he seemed a very slow learner. This fact had worried his mother and father. At five years old Albert's dad gave him a compass. He loved the compass and tried to learn how it worked. This triggered his lifetime love of science and geography.

It is very odd but, Albert absolutely hate school. When he went to his German school, the rules were strict and the teachers where as mean as a swarm of piranhas. He often got failing grades and did poorly on tests. Albert refused to study things that did not interest him. Albert liked math and so it was the only thing he did good in. One day when he was twelve he received a simple book on geometry. This was the thing that made him so fond of math. During this time his Uncle Jakob taught him algebra and how to do it. When Albert was just fifteen years old his father's business in Munich began to fail. His family moved to Milan, Italy while he stayed behind to earn his diploma in high school. Albert was unhappy without his family. He began to learn the violin and quit after only a small time playing it. Kids in school made fun of him because he was Jewish. His teachers hated that he asked so many questions and made him stop. He couldn't stand it anymore.

After only six months he left the school and moved to Milan, Italy with his family. He discovered Italy as one of his favorite places in the world. Einstein wanted to get into a university but, it was very difficult to do with no diploma. In 1895 he took a test that if he passed he would be accepted at the Swiss Polytechnic Institute of Zurich, Switzerland. He did very bad in biology, zoology, and languages, but did fantastic in math and physics. He did so good that one of the Swiss professors told him to study more and retake the test. So he did one more year of high school in Switzerland. In 1896 he passed the test and entered the institute. He had many troubles in this school again. Einstein graduated in 1900. Because he had a bad reputation in school, it was hard for him to find a teaching job. In 1901 Einstein became a citizen of Switzerland. In 1902 he worked as a clerk at the Swiss Patent Office. In 1903 he married a women named Mileva Maric, a classmate at the institute. They lived in Bern and had two sons, Hans Albert and Edward. In 1905 Einstein published a series of articles setting forth some of his ideas.

In these articles he made the equation E=MC. He also talked about the relationship between two physical properties, mass and energy. The University of Bern read the paper and liked it so they hired Albert a part time job there in 1908. In 1909 Albert Einstein became a professor in physics. Einstein became very close with the king and queen of Belgium and did many things with them. In 1905 Einstein published the first theory of relativity, the Special Theory of Relativity. In 1916 he published the General Theory of Relativity. This made Einstein come up with the idea of atomic energy. In 1911 Einstein moved to Prague. In 1912 Einstein accepted a high position at the Federal Institute of Technology in Switzerland. In 1914 Albert divorced his wife and married his cousin Elsa Lowenthal and had two girls. By 1918 Einstein was famous around the world. In 1921 Albert won the Nobel Prize for physics. . In his book, A Manifesto to Europeans stating that the war was insane and was slowing scientific progress. When Germany was defeated he move back there and started following he Jewish religion. Then in 1933 Einstein's life shattered when Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany. He could not go back to Germany because Hitler hated Jews and pacifists. He was both. One of the job offers in the U.S.A that he got was at the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. He only asked for so little money that the institute insisted that they pay him three times as much.

President Roosevelt invited him to the White House. Einstein became an American citizen and never returned to Europe. The U.S government heard that the Germans were making an atomic bomb. So Einstein decided to help the U.S.A and make one for them first. Einstein insisted that it should not be used in violence but as a threat to the Germans. Military leaders did not agree with him. The United States dropped the first ever atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. It ended World War Two but horrified Einstein. More than 92,000 people died or were missing. Others died later from the affects of radiation. Einstein felt responsible for this. People asked him questions about bombs. He just said to use them responsibly. He was getting old and started sailing again. He took a peaceful life after all the things he did. He started playing the violin again. Then Einstein died in his sleep on April 18, 1955. He was one of Switzerland's most famous people.

Another one of the most famous people from Switzerland is Shania Twain. Shania Twain was born on August 28, 1965, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. She grew up in Timmons. When she was born she was really named Eileen Edwards. Her father abandoned her family when she was very young. When she was a little older she planted trees with her step-father in a forest group. When she got just a little bit older than that she started a musicale career. Her parents supported her musical career. When she was just 22 her parents died and she was the legal guardian of her two half brothers and sister.

This put her career to hold while caring for her siblings. Then after she settle everything down she got a singing job at a resort in Deer Hurst. She worked at the resort for three more years. She stopped because her siblings were old enough to live lives of their own. She put some of her songs that she sang at the resort on tape and arranged a showcase concert in Canada. After that she released her first album, “Eponymous Debut'' in 1993 but is wasn't a huge hit. So she launched two more singles, “What Made You Say That?” and “Dance With the One that Brought you.'' These two singles were huge hits in Europe. Country Music Television in Europe named her Rising Video Star of the Year. Shortly after this she fell in love with Robert John “Mutt” Lange. He worked with AC/DC, Pet Leopard, Foreigner, and Cars. He worked with her on making a new album. This formed the album, “The Women in Me.” It was released in 1995. It's first single, “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?'' was rated number 11 there for that year. Then came her first number1 hit single, “Any Man of Mine.” Her second number 1 hit single was, “(If your not in it for love) I'm Outta Here!” In 1996, “No One Needs to Know” became her third number 1 hit single. In 1996 Shania sold over 6 million albums.

By late 1996 she sold more than 3 million more albums. She made the song, “Come on Over” in 1997. She spent the next two years traveling around the world. By 1999 she had sold 36 million copies of, “Come on Over.” Shania returned to her Swiss Home to have some down time with her family. The next summer, Shania had her first child. It was a boy that they named Eja. Eja was born on August 21, 2001. While balancing family with work she made a new album that appeared in 2002. Shania Twain is one of the most famous people from Switzerland.

In addition to the other to famous people in Switzerland is Roger Moore. Roger Moore was born in London, England on October 14,1927. He attended an art school in the 1940's. He was at the Royal Academy of Drama he was drafted to the British Army in Germany at the end of World War Two. So he did. After he did his time there he went to the U.S.A. to attend a job he got contracted for with MGM for the TV series Ivanhoe and Maverick. He rose to fame with his star role in The Saint. In 1972 he played James Bond in the movie Live and Let Die instead of former James Bond actor Sean Connery. This was the first of seven movies he stared in as James Bond. His last appearance was in 1985. Ian Fleming thought that Roger was perfect as James Bond in all those movies. His great acting career earner him a Medal of Honor from the British Government in 1999. After the death of one of his best friends Audrey Hepbun he took over as ambassador of UNICEF. During his breaks he skies in Gtsaad, Switzerland where he lives. You could see him at one of the mountains there in the Alps. Roger Moore was a great actor and a famous person of Switzerland.

Although it was not the ski season I had wonderful time there.

The weather was wonderful. It was sunny all day long, the view is amazing and very clear.

The mountain train and funicular works at summer time as well.

So I started my visit at the town's lower part (bad). I walked along the river and then in the beautiful park surrounding the lake. It felt like walking in a picture or a post card.

The lake itself is beautiful and calming. The mountains are high, with different colors, and on top of them I observed snow "leftovers".

After taking a walk in the park, I took the mountain train to the top of the mountain, to the ski routes.

The scenery there is beyond words. There were no clouds, so I could see the lake and town from the top of the mountain.

Moreover the way that leads there is amazing too.

The town itself is very pleasant. I ate my lunch in one of its restaurant, and for dessert I had some of the delicious Swiss chocolate.

If you will happen to be in the area at summer time, I warmly recommend a visit to this town.

Enjoy!

In Singapore, the cable car is used to commute one from the summit of Faber Mount on the Singapore Island to a low hill on Sentosa, a famous resort island just off the southern part of Singapore.

The cable car resembles a carriage which hangs from a strong steel cable suspended in the air. It moves along the cable with other cars on pullers turned by electronic motors. Each cable car is painted with eye-catching color and can seat up to six persons.

Through the glass window of the cable car, passenger gets a breathtaking view of the modernized city of Singapore, harbor bustling with workers, and some tiny islands off the coast of Singapore.

As the cable car is hung so high in the air, ships on the sea appear to be small boats or the boats like toys. You can view workers on the ships in the dockyard below busily moving cargo from the ships to the shore or from the quay on the waiting ships by looking through binoculars or a telescope. On sunny day, the sky above is beautifully blue and the sea below looks crystal blue.

Passengers have adequate time to capture a magnificent view during a trip to Sentosa Island as the cable car moves at a leisurely manner. When reaching the island, the visitor can walk round viewing some interesting sights or swim in the artificial lagoon. The visitor can also take a bus to travel round the island if he or she is not eager to walk. Golf lovers can have a round of golf course on this island.

After spending some memorable times on the island, you have to take a cable car back to Mount Faber. The return trip is equally enjoyable and interesting as during the trip to Sentosa Island.

The city dues the assignment of its nickname as "City of the lights" to an ancient legend which tells about the miracle of the light: one day an angel showed to the first colonists of Luzern the exact place where to build a chapel in honor of San Niklaus, the patron saint of the fishermen and of the sailors, and did it with a bright light which radiated in a specific position.

There was a time when Luzern was a village of fishermen, but with the years, thanks to the opening of the St. Gotthard Tunnel, it has been always more known for its monuments and natural beauties and today it has even become an important reference point for an always growing commerce. Luzern is the capital of the homonym Canton, where the main language is the German, it is the cultural centre of the region and the fourth Swizz urban agglomerate, it is also very appreciated for its picturesque landscapes inserted between the Alps and the superb homonym lake onto which it has been built.

From every zone you arrive into the city, you can immediately notice the neatness and the extreme cleanliness which will surely be stamped in the memory of the tourists, just as it happend to me; in addition, it is easy to notice the naturalness with which the modernity is able to co-habit with the ancient, it is an example the combination of buildings used as banks or important commercial offices with the bridges and the ancient towers which can be suddenly discovered walking downtown.

In fact, Luzern is also famous for its many bridges, one of them in particular attract the curiosity of the visitors, it is the one always pictured in the photographs of the city onto magazines and travel guides, it is the "Sheltered wooden bridge", the most ancient one preserved in Europe, called the Kapellbrücke; it is magic to cross over on it by foot and walk in this way onto the Reuss river and it is possible to look up to several paintings inserted in triangular-shaped wooden panels under the trusses of the roof, as well as a breath-taking panorama; next to the bridge it is situated the Wasserturm octagonal tower, named in this way just because it was built onto the water.

From that position, people can notice the two dark and very spiky steeples of the Hofkirche cathedral and at the opposite place there is the lake of Luzern from which the touristic boats leave and where they arrive (which are amazingly enlightened during the nights). Proceeding with the walk, you can encounter the railway and bus station and the fantastic lake front from which you can have access to the beach zone of the Lido, going on the most venturer tourists can do trips and naturalistic excursions onto the Pilatus Mount via cog railway or cableway.

Entering the historical center, I quickly reached the promenade where there is the Weinmarkt main square, during the walk it was surely magic to esteem the beautiful fresco paintings on the walls of the historical houses and to stop in some shops which sell the renowned and unholy Swiss chocolate. I can remember when, after a few steps, during my first visit to the city, I arrived at one of the most famous monuments of Luzern, the Sterbende Löwe, which means the "Dying Lion", carved directly onto the rock in memory of the heroic death of the Swiss soldiers occurred in the 1792 at the Tuileries, it is a very touching sculpture for every tourist.

Proceeding on the lake front, I relaxed on a bench onshore, as many other people, in a wide area among the trees and the flowers of the promenade and moving a bit forward I met a place of the nightlife which certainly give prestige to the city of Luzern, the large Grand Casino. Again a few steps forward you can reach the most interesting zone for the ones who want to relax on vacation, in fact it is the beach area and the place for the accommodations for the tourists, with several campsites where the operators speak the languages of the Swiss Cantons and the Lido, a sort of "park" with fee where the visitors can sunbathe on the sand or on the grass, can take the children in the playing area, can do some sport on the playgrounds or in the swimming pool, can have their meals at the restaurant or under the beach umbrellas on the terrace on the lake.

In sum, Luzern is a fascinating place proper to every requirement, a cutting edge city in many fields which knows also how to keep alive its own origins, which knows how to welcome the other cultures in a very tolerant atmosphere and at the same time rigorous in its rules, it is the ideal destination for relaxing or very active vacations according to the preferences, in every case it is the perfect place where to find yourself again.

If you are interested in a 3D virtual trip to Luzern you can visit 3dcity.luzern (in English and German), it will surely be a great experience to repeat "live".

Trains are comfortable and very regular from certain stations. They are more expensive than buses, but it is possible to get them between countries and they have the distinct advantage of running into the town rather than the outskirts that the planes fly to. The trains vary heavily in price, and there are different classes of ticket. It is such a romantic way to travel around especially in Europe. It is bizarre though to catch a train inter-country as it is only possible in land joined countries. Of course the Sweden-Denmark train from Copenhagen to Malmo is an exception. No passports required between countries, how cool it would be to be a fugitive fleeing countries.

I finally heard back from a Recruitment Agency who were telling me of a great sounding Council position in Ealing. It was a great sounding no pressure but great pay role. At 15 pounds an hour, it would've been bliss. The Working Holiday Dilemma was almost solved, but I came up short with my interview. It is like having a coach with these Recruitment places as they want you to get the job so they get your cut, but at the same time they do apply for you, get the interview and tell you everything about what the employer wants. It is a totally different system. I have mainly applied online to these agencies and never been asked to actually visit one until they suggested I come in before I go to the job interview. They were cool at Anders Elite, but the funny thing was I sent them my CV a month ago. The timing of everything around London can be painful. I hadn't heard back about any jobs or from any agencies for months until I got that phone call that fateful Friday and quite frankly it threw my plans to leave and go touring with Boss in doubt. Again I didn't get the position. I am almost considering going into a job interview without wanting or trying to get it and seeing if the reverse psychology helps me get it. The thing is missing out on all these positions once I reached the interview stage isn't normal surely? The thing is I never get bad feedback. It makes me realise that getting an interview is only half the battle and you don't usually hear of those who miss out once they make it to that stage. It is like guys who get shot down by girls, it is one of those things people don't broadcast. Usually I am told if they give an excuse it is actually nothing to do with my interview, more just that the successful applicant had more experience or actual experience at the place the job was advertised. This annoys me because sometimes you have to go through a big effort like me travelling an hour each way to make an interview and to miss out after all those efforts, really sucks!

The only successful interviews at the DCC were mainly because I actually had worked there and the shoe was on the other foot! I had met the interviewers from previous interviews and so I was going in a step ahead of my rivals!

I feel that I have seen everything I want in London. I feel like a user of prostitutes who has taken all they want from a prize woman of the night and left her. The city of London has some beautiful points, but at the same time is an ugly place with so much filth.

My decision to come on this trip stemmed from several factors. The only male at work amongst 17 females was a great starting point. I basically felt alienated from the start. The marriage of my friend Darren and the intention of several others from New Zealand to go over there was another factor. Finally the winter blues in Dunedin was getting me down ever so slightly so I decided it was time for a Northern Hemisphere summer. But in hindsight it would've been best to just come on an extended holiday, rather than look for work. The job market over here is no different to back home. Most jobs I try to get are popular with the punters and difficult to come by. I had been buoyed by the reachers I knew who came over here and walked into jobs immediately. Maybe my BA and B Com were not specialised enough. Having general office experience is dime a dozen these days. The Student Loan scheme has left it's mark along with Aunty Helen's Working Holiday VISA which has continually been a thorn in my side. I seriously believe if I wasn't on that and could work longer here, I would not be the unemployed person I am today. I can see why some couples come on their OE once they get married. It automatically means a travel companion and hotel deals. Also if only takes one of you to get a job for you to be viable. I find I miss my home mates and want them to be over here to go to places I want to go while enjoying the cheap hotel deals. When my mate Boss arrived over it was so good to have someone I can joke around with and share similar interests to do things with. We naturally want to go to cool things. It has been harder than I thought making companions in UK. The big city has been hazardous and I haven't been outside London because I will have to start all over. I have more acquaintance type mates over here.

The big winner is the London economy which has swallowed me live and spat me out. The regulations with working visas was the catalyst. At the same time I can see why so many people get down on themselves in London. I see so many lonely people over here, sitting on their own. It is harder to just pop over to a mates house and people have their own agendas. The nights get longer and the living costs don't die down. It is funny, I was outside a Recruitment Agency which was advertising office jobs and most of them have a salary of 15000 per year. They were laughing at how low those are, and that they seem quite demanding what they want from a person in this job, yet the national average income they were saying, is supposed to be 40000 per year. I think it is another myth the whole once you are earning pounds it is easier. It is hard to know what sort of pay rate jobs I should be aiming for. When I was back home I was earning about 35000 NZ and that was pretty solid. I have qualifications but not much experience. I think plenty of the jobs I have been applying for at around 15000 pounds were potentially seeking office juniors (straight from school with no qualifications or exp). But it is hard to know. You are worth what the market dictates.

The hills are alive!

Green meadows full of yellow dandelions and white crocuses, snow-capped peaks, pure mountain air…Switzerland has it all!

Arriving at the Swiss village of Maienfeld by train, I stepped off the platform into the heart of ‘Heidi Land’. For millions of people around the world, Switzerland is the home of Heidi, one of literature’s best-loved Swiss heroines.

The Heidi tales have touched generations for the past 125 years and have been translated into more than 40 languages. Heidi is still one of the world’s best-selling books and has sold more than 50 million copies.

Heidi’s author, Joanna Spyri (1827-1901) was inspired to write the stories when she spent her holidays here in this quaint alpine village at the foot of the majestic Faulknis mountain.

I set off on a commemorative trail through the rolling countryside, retracing Joanna’s steps from the Jenins’ summer house to the wooden house up in Oberoffels, two of the stories’ key locations.

Stepping back in time

The Heidi house, open from March to mid-November, contains furnishings dating back to 1879, giving visitors a taste of the simple rural lifestyle. You can sit on Heidi’s straw bed in the attic, see the cooking utensils and food stores of that time and feed the goats outside.

A traditional horse-drawn carriage took me down the narrow, winding lanes to the heart of the village, where I sampled the regional cuisine, local wine and spring water.

The Engadine region of Switzerland is well-known for mouth-watering specialities such as honey and walnut ‘Nusstorte’ cake. And its wood-panelled homes, featuring intricate wall etchings, are cosy and inviting.

The Heidi legend

Over the years the Heidi character has appeared in many films and TV series, including a modern-day adaptation filmed in the vast Swiss National Park.

Every year the Heidi legend draws tourists to Switzerland from all corners of the globe. Loved by old and young alike, Heidi has universal appeal and inspires a return to nature. In fact, ‘Heidi’ is the most popular name used in search engines when people are surfing the internet for information about Switzerland!