I am very behind when it comes to entertainment news in the US, and only today finally managed to catch up on the whole Jessica Alba hullabaloo. And even then, it was only thanks to a very astute reader who sent me the story. Thanks! You know who you are.
What surprised me was just how many Americans think that Switzerland is the only neutral country in Europe. But what didn’t surprise me was how many of those Americans then went on to confuse Switzerland with Sweden.
But to set the record straight – yes, Sweden is indeed a neutral country, regardless of what some under-educated American talk show host thinks. Ms. Alba was right, and good for her.
But what desperately needs pointing out I think, are the differences between Switzerland and Sweden. Both countries are neutral, but that’s about all they have in common.
So, here we go:
Switzerland – only recently (December 12, 2008) finally joined the Schengen zone, not an EU member
Sweden – EU member, part of Schengen.
Switzerland – white cross on a red background
Sweden – yellow cross on a blue background
Switzerland – banking
Sweden – Vikings
Switzerland – Swiss watches and Swiss Army Knives
Sweden – Volvo, Saab and Draken fighter planes
Switzerland – yodeling
Sweden – ABBA
Switzerland – Swiss cheese
Sweden – surströmming
Switzerland –Swiss chocolate
Sweden – Marabou (Mmmm, mmmm…)
Switzerland – Roger Federer
Sweden – Björn Borg
Switzerland – Ursula Andress
Sweden – Izabella Scorupco
Switzerland – not so keen on immigrants applying for Swiss citizenship
Sweden – welcomes immigrants and happily allows them to become Swedish (after residency requirements have been fulfilled)
Switzerland – not really sure who’s in charge over there
Sweden – the royal family (they’re not in charge, but at least they look good on postcards)
Switzerland – the Alps
Sweden –mountains and everything else
Switzerland – Heidi
Sweden – Pippi Longstocking (Pippi Långstrump)
Switzerland – German, French, Italian and one other language that nobody ever heard of
Sweden – Swedish in all its many varieties
And now you should be able to easily distinguish between things Swiss and Swedish. And I don’t think I need to tell you which ones I personally prefer.
