Today is Swiss National Day so Happy 721th Birthday to old lady Helvetia and to another rich and wealthy year in your life. At the end of the middle ages, in 1291, some lonely guys from three cantons got together and with an oath the old Swiss confederacy was born. The people living in this regions were called Helvetii, a Celtic tribe described by no other than Julius Caesar. And Helvetia is what the men from the three cantons expected to find in their country: fertility and defense against foreign powers. She’s therefore often depicted as beautiful woman holiding a spear in her right an a shield in her left hand.
In the old days, the Swiss were fighting all over Europe. Not for their country, but for everybody who had enough money to hire them, like the French king for example.
After many battles in which Swiss soldiers from one side killed Swiss soldiers from the other side, the Swiss decided to close them self up in neutrality and become a safety deposit box for the world’s money. And that’s how we got rich but that’s an other story…
The pictures are from the anime series Heidi, Girl of the Alps (アルプスの少女ハイジ). Do you know it? I think they captured the landscapes pretty well!
Every first of August, there are explosions from the fireworks and the air is filled with the scent of grilled sausages and marinated meat. I wish I could tell you about what awesome grill party I’m having, but I’m just enjoying the fireworks from my living room window.
I’ll be back at the beginning of September guys!
byebye
