Switzerland
Switzerland

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    • Day 3

      J2 - Interlaken

      March 3 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

      Après vous avoir posté mon récit d'hier je suis allée boire un verre avec Jeanne. C'était très sympa, on a principalement échangé sur nos vies/expériences de vie respectives. Après deux bières (dont une offerte par l'auberge, ce qui nous a fait bien plaisir vu les prix en Suisse), une chenille avec un groupe de femmes trentenaires qui avaient envie de faire la fête, et des chansons suisses dans la tête on est allé se coucher. On s'est donné rendez-vous à 10h le lendemain pour randonner.

      Jeanne avait repérer un point de vue intéressant sur les deux lacs d'Interlaken, accessible en 6min en funiculaire durant la haute saison, ou par une montée de 2h30 durant la basse saison. Je pense que vous avez deviner l'option pour laquelle nous avons opté 😉 Pour accéder au départ de la randonnée nous avons pris un train de 3min, puis nous voila lancées dans une montée raide, sous le soleil, avec une vue magnifique, quelque soit l'endroit où nous posions les yeux. Les lacs avait une couleur magnifique, l'un d'un bleu turquoise qui ressortait parfaitement avec le soleil, l'autre d'un bleu un peu plus profond et mystérieux Nous avons finalement mis 1h50, ce qui nous a rendu assez fières ! Une fois en haut nous avons profité de la vue, dégusté nos sandwichs et c'était reparti pour la descente. Durant la montée nous avions vu que le chemin se séparait, il y avait donc deux itinéraires possibles. Pour éviter de revenir sur nos pas nous avons donc voulu prendre le second pour la descente. Un moment d'inattention, ou une erreur de lecture des panneaux et nous voilà en train de grimper sans comprendre pourquoi. Nous étions en fait en direction d'un sommet plus loin. Quand nous étions sûres de notre erreur nous avons fait demi tour, pas le courage d'aller jusqu'en haut ... La descente était agréable, plus simple que la montée, et toujours sous le soleil ☀️

      Après ce bel effort retour à l'auberge, je prends mes affaires, et Jeanne m'accompagne à la gare, j'ai un train pour Zurich. Le trajet est joli car longe un des deux lacs durant la première moitié. Je profite du trajet pour essayer de programmer la suite de mon voyage, ce qui n'est pas une grande réussite.

      Une fois arrivée à Zurich je vais en direction de l'auberge. C'est chouette car cette fois j'arrive dans une nouvelle ville quand il ne fait pas encore totalement noir, ça me permet de commencer à la découvrir ! Je m'installe puis ressort, téléphone à Nils et fait des courses pour le soir. Repas, douche, et au lit ! La journée était sportive et je ne sais toujours pas où je dors demain, j'ai des recherches à faire !

      J'avais prévu de prendre un train touristique dans le sud de la Suisse, mais mon manque d'organisation me fait réaliser trop tard qu'il est complet ... Changement de plan, demain je vais à Innsbruck, puis Salzburg, avec Ljubljana en ligne de mire ! Logements pour les deux prochains jours réservés, me voilà un peu plus sereine et apte à passer une bonne nuit.

      Bonne nuit à tous 😉
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    • Day 4

      Day 4 - Endless Art in Zurich

      March 2 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

      I woke up around 5.30am in my cosy Capsule 37 having had a deep undisturbed sleep. I watched Netflix until I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t going to get back to sleep. After using the perfectly adequate shower facilities, I treated myself to a fresh set of clothes (Yes, I know…….minging).

      (Morning to Angela & Pam, I see you are both following & liking my blog. I hope you are both keeping well & that Chris & Tony are also well. It seems strange being away on my own. I haven’t got Jackie to take the mickey out of or blame if things go wrong!)

      It was 9.30am, when I locked all my belongings away in my expensive locker and headed out for the day. I was keen to see if it was possible to get a cheap coffee in Zurich. It wasn’t. I headed first along Theaterstrasse passing Mascotte, the venue for tonight’s gig, just a 6 minute walk away, then on to Zurich’s Opera House. Outside the Opera House, was a large open space with numerous pairs of chairs presumably to relax in. The place was deserted.

      I crossed Quai Bridge and found myself up on Bahnhofstrasse, where I saw a super busy bakery which also sold coffee. I bit the bullet and bought myself a small Americano, costing 5 Swiss francs, nearly £5. I sat outside in the sun next to the random rhinoceros metal statue & ate half a packet of biscuits with my coffee. I got out my DK Eyewitness Travel 2008 guidebook & planned my route for the day.

      As I set off, I realised that I had actually chosen the most expensive street to buy a coffee on, because the street was just designer shop after design shop, including every high end Swiss watch makers. Along Bahnhofstrasse, I had to avoid a little old man handing out leaflets under a gazebo with the words ‘Jesus Sucht Dich’. I hope it’s not what it sounds like and I’m not sure googling it would be a good idea!

      My first stop was Fraumunster, the history of which dates back to 853ad. I took some photos from the outside & from Munster Bridge, where wedding couples where having their photos taken. I then moved on to St Peter’s Church with its large clockface, measuring 28ft in diameter, the largest in Europe. Next was Augustinerkirche, a 13th century Gothic church.

      I continued back along Bahnhofstrasse, past the monument to Alfred Escher on Bahnhofplatz, and on to Bahnhof, described as Zürich’s monumental Neo-Renaissance train station & one of the city’s greatest icons, built in 1871. It was virtually empty inside.

      I continued north to Schweizerisches Landesmuseum, the Swiss National Museum for history and culture. It was housed in a very impressive building, but I wasn’t enticed in. I continued through the park known as Platzspitz, then crossed the Limmat River. I followed the river back to Wasserkirche, meaning Water Church, where Felix and Regula were martyred in Roman Times.

      Next was Grossmunster, with its twin towers that dominate Zurich’s skyline. It was not open & in any event an admission fee required. I then wandered through the narrow cobbled streets of Niederdor to Rathaus, Zurich’s town hall.

      Within Niederdor, I found the 13th century church, Predigerkirche It was open and I was able to go in free of charge!

      On the way to the Kunsthaus, I saw signs for the Cabaret Voltaire which I followed to a beige coloured building, which was the birthplace of the Dada Movement which started in Zurich in 1916. I was more interested, because I assumed it was the inspiration for the Sheffield band of the same name.

      At 12.30pm having already walked 5.7 miles, I arrived at the Kunsthaus, which my guidebook tells me is Switzerland’s greatest art gallery. It cost 24 Swiss francs to enter and I felt that it was worth every franc. There was artwork from Monet, Manet, Picasso, Cezannre, Van Gogh, Munch, Warhol, Hockney, Miro & Rodin to name just a few. I studied & then memorised the artist & title for each and every piece of artwork on display. It included Claude Monet’s Winter.

      Photos from the Kunsthaus I will upload as a separate footprint.

      I left the Kunsthaus at 4.00pm exactly & then marched along the busy lakeside promenade to the Henry Moore sculpture, just another 1 mile away. It was a pleasant sunny walk.

      Back at my Green Marmot capsule hotel, I sat on the balcony in the setting sun & drank 3 plastic cups of red wine accompanied by just a packet of imitation Jaffa cakes. From my balcony I espied 2 obvious NMA fans.

      At 7.00pm I hurried out from my capsule balcony, for the 6 minute walk to Mascotte. I found the couple I had seen & I introduced myself to them. I found out they were German and they had spotted me on my balcony. We had several chats throughout the evening.

      The ground floor seemed tiny and I took advantage of the Swiss politeness to get myself a spot right at the front, next to Ceri Monger’s drums. I was not moving from this spot.

      The support band, Anger Management, were ok, but not worthy of a playlist on Spotify. Very annoyingly a security guard insisted that he had to stand at the front of the stage. With the kind assistance of a fellow NMA fans, we got him to agree to ‘work with us’ during the performance. It wasn’t perfect, but I took the opportunity to record pretty much the whole performance in less than 2 minute chunks.

      At the end of the gig, my German friends, told me they were disappointed that the gig had only lasted an hour and 35 minutes. They were used to NMA playing a double bill concert (of which I have experienced).

      The gig finished at 10.10pm local time & at the end I hunted out the NMA stalwart, Steve Clarke. I found him near the bar & I introduced myself as a fellow Magic Bus traveller. He asked me to call him ‘Red’ & told me that he and Jack were driving the Magic Buses. We agreed that we would meet in Bern & he disappeared into a throng of fans near the stage. One of his mates/companions handed me a bottle of beer which went down a treat, but not worth the £10 it probably cost,

      I returned to the Green Marmot Capsule Hotel to download my photos and videos. I necked the remainder of my 3 litre box of red wine.

      Song of the Day - Endless Art by A House.

      NMA Song of the Day - Winter by New Model Army
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    • Day 2

      J1 - journée à Berne

      March 2 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

      Ce matin difficile de sortir du lit, l'habitude de se lever tard ces dernières semaines de fait ressentir ! Après avoir pris une douche et remballé mes affaires j'ai quitté l'auberge en y laissant mon sac pour la journée.

      Je me suis baladée dans la ville, la vieille ville est assez petite mais jolie. Les bâtiments sont tous gris, avec des arches au rez de chaussée sous lesquelles on trouve restaurants et magasins. Je suis allée visiter le jardin des roses dans lequel se trouvent environ 80 espèces de roses différentes. Mais vu la saison, aucun rosier n'était fleuri. Le jardin est quand même agréable, avec une belle vue sur la ville. J'ai passé la matinée sous un soleil agréable et réconfortant. Ensuite je suis allée en haut de la colline de Gurten, l'ascension à pieds m'a rappelé la montée de la Bastille en terme de dénivelé et de longueur, j'étais ravie de ne pas porter mon sac ! En haut il y avait une tour avec des escaliers, on y avait une vue magnifique sur la ville, ses alentours, et les Alpes !

      Ensuite je suis rentrée me poser à l'auberge devant une série en attendant mon train pour Interlaken, où je passe la nuit. J'y ai retrouvé Jeanne, la française rencontrée hier, et nous avons partagé un repas et un verre.

      Cette journée était assez spéciale pour moi car je pense ne pas encore m'être faite à ce voyage et au fait d'être seule. Je traverse donc des moments de questionnement, mais ça n'est que le début. En espérant que ça s'arrangera les prochains jours !

      Je vous embrasse
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    • Day 27

      27. Flueli Ranft

      March 2 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

      Today we woke to beautiful sunshine, we left our funny farmyard campsite and decided to head up the mountain road to go for a walk. After climbing the van to 1380mtrs, we decided to stop as it was going to be a long way down and we could see the road disappeared up into snow... Erm no thank you 😂. The views were amazing and we enjoyed a walk in the sunshine.

      Afterwards, we headed to Aldi to do a food shop as we have an exciting plan for the next few days. We are back tracking abit and heading back to the same free park up as yesterday as Grangee has said to look at the Lauterbrunnen valley. Upon researching, we have found out that we can go on Europe's longest sledge run and looks unbelievably scenic. The sledge run is 11km in total, we will be getting a bus upto 1800mtrs and then climbing ourselves another 800 mtrs to the start of the sledge run.

      We have found a lovely but extremely expensive campsite at Lauterbrunnen to make base at 1300mtrs so we can explore these 2 snowy valleys. Jungfrau is a renowned skii resort and we are super stoked to do this sledge run. It can take anywhere between 30 mins and 1.1/2 so we may have time to do a couple of runs. This ticks 2 boxes for us, Climbing nearly to the top of an Alp mountain and also having the fun of sledging all the way down..

      We took Maddy on a long walk and then played basketball for a bit before planning tomorrows movements into the snow! The campsite we are heading to tomorrow is currently having heavy snow and is - 5 in the day, so I'm sure it will be an adventure!!
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    • Day 3

      Day 3 - Too Much Reliance on my SatNav?

      March 1 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

      Woke up early despite not finishing my blog until 1.00am. I started reading through the social media and realised that I had made a mistake in my blog for Day 2, because NMA did play ’Deserters’. Videos of 3 songs, ‘Deserters’, ‘Idumea’ and ‘States Radio’ had already been uploaded to YouTube from last nights gig. I couldn’t add any video to my blog because any uploaded videos to Penguin can’t be longer than 2 minutes. Noted for next time.

      I checked out of the hotel around 10.30am & bumped into a German also checking out in his NMA hoodie. The lightweight admitted his next gig was not until in his home town at the end of the year. I listed off my itinerary until his eyes started to glaze over.

      I headed out of the city faithfully following my SatNav which I had set to arrive at the Green Marmot Capsule Hotel in Zurich on the ‘Windiest Route’ setting again. In the outskirts, I found a huge U supermarket, so I parked up for breakfast. In the cafe area my eyes were bigger than my belly & I ordered an enormous poulet curry roll & a cafe au lait. Sadly the roll was too soft and sweet for my taste, so I picked out the filling out & ate just some of the base. To console myself I bought a 3 litre box of Cab Sav (to avoid paying Swiss prices) and a couple of packs of biscuits and sweets.

      With the panniers now heaving at the seams, I continued my journey only for less than 30 minutes later my fuel gauge told me that I needed to stop for petrol. After filling up, I went up to the cashier & in my best French accent I announced “Pumpf six’. She looked at me rather strangely and asked “Do you mean Pump Six?” I was slightly taken aback but I told her “I did”. After paying up & feeling a little miffed I returned to the forecourt to discover that all the cars were German and I was now in fact back in Germany. I had no idea.

      I continued south following my SatNav & it took me into alpine country. All the buildings were chalet like and the route took me through valleys alongside rock strewn fat flowing rivers. All was going well until the SatNav decided I had had it too easy. It directed up mountain roads that got narrower, bumpier, steeper and of course windiester!!

      The road got so narrow and bumpy with a steep unbarriered drop on my side that I prayed I didn’t meet a car coming towards me at any sort of speed. Luckily I only met one car coming the other way & he was kind enough to stop to let me pass. I was starting to curse my decision to do windiest route on my SatNav.

      Finally I arrived back on a wider road, but at the top of a cold mountain where all the signposts were for ski lifts. Luckily the now wide smooth roads had me racing towards Zurich and I was making good time. Unfortunately this didn’t last long, my route tried to take me along a road that was closed.

      I chose an alternative road which after several miles came to a muddy dead end. I then chose a 2nd road which took me on a 5 mile loop back to the road closure. By now very frustrated, I took a 3rd road in the opposite direction to the road closure, hoping that the SatNav would find an alternative route. After an approximate 10 mile loop, I again ended up back at the same bloody road closure.

      In the end I set my SatNav back to Fastest Route’, re traced my route all the way back to a major road, then turned east on to it until the SatNav finally gave in and properly rerouted me. As it happens the remainder of the journey was a pleasant experience. The border into Switzerland was almost non existent & if you had blinked you would have missed it.

      I finally arrived & parked up free of charge outside my Green Marmot Capsule Hotel at 4.45pm. The capsules were a bit of a shock to me. They were MDF boxes with a large single bed inside, but only a privacy curtain for a door. I was forced into paying nearly £10 a night for a large locker. The hotel is divided into men’s and women’s areas. At the end of our corridor is a changing room similar to in a shop, but the bathrooms are well catered with shower cubicles, toilets and basins. They even provide free towels!!

      I got changed then headed straight out for a walk around the city. I 1st crossed the Quaibrucke Bridge over Lake Zurich & followed the footpath around the lake. As I walked and looked out across the lake I saw what appeared to be a naked man on a pontoon jump into the lake. As I got nearer, I discovered that it was an obviously gay sauna establishment, where a whole load of naked men were flouncing about in and out of the water on the end of the pontoon. My mate, Alka, would have loved it there. Surprisingly, none of the other pedestrians took a blind bit of notice.

      I then headed inland to take in the FIFA Museum, Paradeplatz, several impressive churches & bridges that I will revisit in the morning in the light. I also came across an impromptu shrine for Alexei Navalny where people were leaving flowers, lighting candles and saying prayers for him. It was his funeral in Moscow earlier today.

      Before returning to my capsule, I bought a litre of orange juice (for some much needed vitamin c) and some Fairtrade Madagascan dark bitter chocolate.

      I returned to the capsule that soon became nice and cosy. I had a chat with Jackie as she walked home after her work shift, then settled down to several cups of red wine, all the Twiglets, half a packet of Biscotti biscuits & some faux liquorice allsorts.

      Song of the Day - Motor Bikin’ by Chris Spedding.
      NMA - Song of the Day - Aimless Desire by New Model Army.
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    • Day 1–2

      J0 - Départ depuis Annecy

      March 1 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

      Ça y est ! C'est le grand départ. Je monte dans le train. Je m'y attendais mais le départ est difficile, la tristesse de quitter Nils et l'appréhension se font ressentir.

      J'enchaîne 3 trains pour arriver à Berne où je vais faire ma première nuit. L'auberge est sympa, en particulier la dame de l'accueil qui me conseille, me donne le plan de la ville, et m'annonce qu'une française est dans ma chambre. Plus tard dans la soirée je ferai sa rencontre, et coïncidence, c'est aussi son premier jour de voyage interrail et demain soir on dort dans la même auberge ! Belle surprise !

      Demain visite de Berne au programme, après une bonne nuit je l'espère.
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    • Day 39

      …And the Flag is a Big Plus 🇨🇭😉

      August 18, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

      After a brief stop in Lyon to break up the long journey, I cross into Geneva. From Geneva I catch a train to Montreux and almost as soon as we pull out of the station i’m entranced. The route takes us along lake Geneva and with the blue sky and crystal clear waters, it’s stunning.

      From Montreaux, I catch the train to Zweiswimmen - a famous route known as the Golden Pass. I stand on the platform in Montreaux as the train pulls in and modern carriages with huge panoramic windows pass me by. I hold my nerve as tourists make a beeline to the front. Thanks to a friend I have insider knowledge and so I wait as the tail end of the train finally pulls into the station. The carriages are older but they’re quiet and most importantly, the windows open, allowing me to shoot photos without the reflections that have become my pet peeve on the train journeys I’ve taken so far. I spend much of the next few hours running from side to side of the carriage, and sticking my head out of the window, the new Hozier album in on the go, as happy as Larry, (and doing an excellent impression of a golden retriever). Everywhere I look there’s towering mountains and rolling hills. I think Switzerland might just be one of the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen
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    • Day 20

      Dag 20 Panorama weg

      June 10, 2022 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

      Laatste echte vakantiedag. Niet al te laat op, met de fiets naar het treinstation. We hebben een reisepass gekregen en daarmee kunnen we gratis gebruik maken van het openbaar vervoer. Als trein enthousiast wil ik wel eens in een smalspoor trein mee reizen en dan ook nog een tandheugel baan, ik heb er zin in.
      Op het station nog 15 minuten de tijd om nog wat foto's te maken.
      Het ritje naar Brünig duurt maar 10 min. Als de trein even buiten Meiringen op het tandheugel traject arriveert, mindert hij snelheid en hoor je "Klilkliklik" En neemt weer snelheid op. Leuk, dat schuine gevoel in een trein. Met een gangetje van 40 in het uur, GPS traking op de telefoon, gaat het omhoog.
      Wat mij opvalt is de reinheid. Alle treinen zijn schoon, van binnen en van buiten zélfs het materieel voor onderhoud.
      Bij Brünig begint de "Panorama weg" naar Reuti, het eerst gedeelte gaat door het bos, heerlijk koel, dan volgt na een km of 3 alpenweiden. Helaas op asfalt. Wel mooie vergezichten op de bergen. Na 3,5 uur en nog 3 Km te gaan beginnen onze knieën zeer te doen. We besluiten om de bus naar Reuti te nemen. Daar nemen we zeilbahn terug naar beneden naar Meiringen.
      Nadat we onszelf opgefrist hebben gaan we lekker uit eten in Meiringen, we hebben gereserveerd bij Bar en Grill Röslli, dat was een goede keuze. Als aperitief nemen we kirch met prosecco en vers rood fruit. Lekker! Gevolgd romige groentesoep. Anja neemt witte en groene asperges met Hollandse saus en ik een hamburger van een plaatselijk rund. Onze serveerster heet Bernadette een heerlijk mens. We komen aan de klets, ze houdt van de bergen en fotograveren.
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    • Day 4

      Tag 4 is vorbei

      May 31, 2022 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

      In der (zollfreien zone) noch 1l öl gekauft ubern zoll gschmuggelt und aufgetankt,
      Campingplatz gefunden 19chf , wetter schaut nimma so guad aus fe heid , morgen gehts übern pass mal nach chur und dann schau ich weiterRead more

    • Day 7

      Spaziergang

      May 23, 2022 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

      Nochmal kurz ein Stündchen bewegen, nach dem Arbeitstag im Sitzen. So der Ursprung und die Durchführung des Gedanken. Direkt hinter unserem Hotel ging es den Berg hoch und dann links abbiegen in einen kleinen Wald.
      Zu meiner Überraschung sah ich ein paar bunte Frisbees auf dem Boden liegen und dann auch das passende Schild dazu. Hier im Wald wurde eine Frisbee Golf Anlage errichtet, bei der man mit seinen Scheiben in Körbe werfen muss, die ca. auf 1,50m Höhe auf dem Boden stehen. Richtig cool! Hätte ich einen Spielpartner dabei gehabt, hätte ich mich gerne daran versucht. So bin ich allerdings einfach weiter durch den Wald gestreunert bis zum nächsten Örtchen. Dort hat mich dann ein kurzer Regenschauer überrascht, aber hey, ich hatte ja eine Jacke im Gepäck!
      Durch die Ortschaft bin ich dann ganz runter zum Fluss gelaufen und an seinem Ufer zurück nach Savonign.
      Wirklich ein kleiner feiner Spaziergang zum Feierabend!
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Switzerland, Schweiz, Switserland, Swetzaland, ስዊዘርላንድ, سويسرا, isveçriya, Швейцарыя, Швейцария, Suwisi, সুইজারল্যান্ড, ཧྲུད་ཧྲི།, Suis, Švajcarska, Suïssa, Švýcarsko, Y Swistir, སུའིཊ་ཛར་ལེན, Switzerland nutome, Ελβετία, Svisujo, Suiza, Ĩveits, Suitza, سوئیس, Suwiis, Sveitsi, Sveis, Suisse, An Eilvéis, Suíza, સ્વિટ્ઝર્લૅન્ડ, Suwizalan, שוויץ, स्विटज़रलैंड, Švicarska, Svájc, Շվեյցարիա, Suissa, Swiss, Sviss, Svizzera, スイス連邦, შვეიცარია, Uswisi, Schweizi, ស្វីស, ಸ್ವಿಡ್ಜರ್‌ಲ್ಯಾಂಡ್, 스위스, سویسرا, Confoederatio Helvetica, Switizirandi, Swisɛ, ສະວິດເຊີແລນ, Šveicarija, Swise, Šveice, Soisa, Швајцарија, സ്വിറ്റ്സര്‍ലാന്‍ഡ്, स्वित्झर्लंड, ဆွစ်ဇလန်, Sveits, स्विजरल्याण्ड, Zwitserland, Soïssa, ସ୍ବିଜରଲ୍ୟାଣ୍ଡ, Szwajcaria, سویس, Suíça, Svizra, Ubusuwisi, Elveția, Šveica, Sûîsi, ස්විස්ටර්ලන්තය, Švajčiarsko, Švica, Swiiserlaand, Zvicër, Швајцарска, ஸ்விட்சர்லாந்து, స్విట్జర్లేండ్, สวิตเซอร์แลนด์, Suisilani, İsviçre, Швейцарія, سوئٹزر لینڈ, Thụy Sĩ, Orílẹ́ède switiṣilandi, 瑞士, i-Switzerland

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