I'll never forget the time my aunt and uncle were here visiting from Central Europe. They were beside themselves, marvelling at all the smoking factories, the glittering skyscrapers, the superstores selling anything and everything, the twisting highways, the electronic billboards, the giant video screens, the mass of cables criss-crossing overhead in every direction...

"Everything here runs like a Swiss watch"

The phrase captured my imagination and I was immediately taken back to my own trip a year earlier, when I went to visit them. I was beside myself, marvelling at the beautiful cobblestone streets, the centuries-old castles and cathedrals, the outdoor cafés, the sweet-smelling breeze, the people relaxing and enjoying each other's company, the children kicking a football around the city square, the wrinkled elders discussing politics, culture and philosophy over an old chess board...

I simply smiled at them and looked out towards the lake.

Swiss watches aren't all they're cracked up to be.