Switzerland - Sion

Sion is the capital of the Swiss canton of Valais.

It takes its name from the Latin word Sedunum, itself derived from the celtic tribe that lived there, the Seduni. It was occupied by the Romans with the rest of the surrounding area in the first century BCE. The town-hall is said to contain several Roman inscriptions, one of which found at Sion memorializes the Roman presence: Civitas Sedunorum Patrono. The Roman Catholic diocese of Sion is the oldest in Switzerland and one of the oldest north of the Alps.

Sion lost to Turin, Italy in its bid to host the 2006 Winter Olympics. Sion also bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics, which it lost to Salt Lake City, and the 1976 Winter Olympics, which it lost to Denver (the games were re-assigned to Innsbruck when Denver residents voted down additional funding).

Switzerland - Bern

Berne is the capital of Switzerland, a diverse and beautiful city! It is a medieval city founded in 1191, on and around the River Aare and has quite a few attractions and historic sites, as well as an active cultural life. It is here that Albert Einstein worked, the Toblerone chocolate bar is made, and Emmental cheese, known as Swiss Cheese, reached out to the world.

With its stately sandstone buildings, historical towers and 11 magnificent fountains, Berne is one the most impressive examples of medieval town architecture in Europe. Over the centuries, the townscape has been preserved virtually intact, and in 1983 the UNESCO inscribed Berne as a World Heritage Site. The noble dome of the House of Parliament presides above the city, just a few steps from the main station, and also from the Aare River, the Prison Tower and all the other places of interest in Berne. On most days, the doors of the House of Parliament are open to the public with visitors permitted to watch the live proceedings of the parliament.

Switzerland - Aletsch

The Aletsch Glacier or Great Aletsch Glacier is the largest glacier in the Alps. It has a length of about 23 km and covers more than 120 square kilometers (more than 45 square miles) in the eastern Bernese Alps in the Swiss canton of Valais. The Aletsch Glacier is composed by three smaller glaciers converging at Concordia, where its thickness is estimated to be near 1 km. It then continues towards the Rhone valley before giving birth to the Massa river.

The whole area, including other glaciers is part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001.