Trains, bikes and guns are three things that are different in Switzerland.
Trains are fantastic! They are smooth, quiet, clean and on time. In what other country would the notice board mark if the train were about 2 minutes late? If the train is not leaving the station about 10 seconds after the minute of departure, something is really wrong. The whole system seems to run incredibly efficiently and makes my morning commute a breeze! It really is possible to train almost anywhere you could want- trains leave at least every two or three hours for all points in Switzerland. If there isn't a train, a Poste bus will get you there- these buses stop in almost every single small town, even in the furthest reaches of the Alps. It truly is a wonder, and super convenient for people like me (and many others) who don't have cars. In fact, in my research group of 16-ish people, I think there are 2 car owners!
One thing that is different about the life here is that is normal is for there to be soldiers on the train. Military service is mandatory for all Swiss men, so basically all the time some are coming and going from wherever, using the trains and buses. It amuses me that soldiers take public transport- I don't know why. What is even more strange to me is that they carry their huge guns with them- just strapped to their back! And they are often drinking a beer (which is allowed in public here), since they're on their way home. Somehow, beer and guns and public transportation together just seems like a poor life choice. However, I have been told that they either don't carry ammunition for the guns or that it is carried in a separate canister that would have to be specially opened. Still, this definitely is not something that you normally see in the US. Could you imagine a soldier with a gun and a rucksack in camouflage riding your bus in the morning? And drinking beer?
Swiss people also heart cycling! They bike to work, bike to school, bike to the grocery store, bike on the weekends, bike in the mountains, bike in the valleys, bike to the moon. (Just kidding about that last one. I think.) Wherever I have gone hiking, there have been mountain bikers on the trail, except the trail where we had to shimmy along waterfalls. There are always mud-spattered bikes and their riders on the trains on the weekends, and from the trains I watch families biking in the valleys. All of the train stations rent bikes and have huge bike parking lots. It really is incredible! The mountain biking here especially astounds me- going so fast down super steep and rugged hills must take so much talent!
By far my favorite use of bikes is by hunters. On most of my hikes I have been overtaken by at least one man in camouflage with a gun strapped to his back, going or returning from hunting. What on earth these men would do if they actually shot a deer is beyond me- drag it behind their bike? Put it in their rucksack? Leave the bike, carry the animal? At any rate, I still can't stop giggling when these tough guys with their guns tool by on mountain bikes. Another thing you definitely don't see in the US.
