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Guten Tag,Gruess Gott,Greetzar, these are just a few of the cheery greetings you'll encounter up here in the Swiss Alps. I'm Rick Steves, back once more to share with you some tips on travelling in Europe. I always try to introduce you to some out-of-the-way spots to give you some practical tips to make your trip more hassle-free and to share with you some cultural and historical insights so you can better understand your sightseeing.
We are on a grand circle tour of Europe, from the Netherlands through Germany, Austria, Italy and now into Switzerland. Right now we are in the heart of the Alps under the staggering Jungfrau in Interlaken, the original Alpine resort. It goes back to the 19th century when those idealistic dreamers of the Romantic Movement discovered that mountains were a lot more than troublesome obstacles. In fact, from that time onward, tourists have flocked to the Alps because they are there. I've communed with nature here annually since 1973. Interlaken is the tourist headquarters for the Berner Oberland. But before we dig deeper into the scalps of these Alps, let's orient ourselves to Swiss culture. Let's go to Brienz ,one of the best preserved old fashion summer resorts around here and home of the Swiss Open-Air Museum at Ballenbergh. You'll find these clever open-air folk museums all over Europe. The Swiss one is a rich collection of traditional historic farm houses from every corner of the country, this 50-acre park is a natural preserve, an idyllic setting for what I'd like to call a culture-on-a-lazy-Susan look at Switzerland.
It's a walk into the past. This place is like a miniature of the Swiss nation. And speaking of nation, Switzerland is an unlikely success story, it's got four national languages, it's fairly equally divided between Protestants and Catholics, and it's basically a confederation of 26 proud little states, rather than one strong centralized government.
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hassle:quarrel
orient oneself to (towords) :make familiar with or adjusted to facts, principles, or a situation
idyllicf or having the nature of an idyll ; simple and carefree
miniature: copy or model that represents or reproduces something in a greatly reduced size
confederation :a union of political organizations
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