OK, Tatsujin, here's the scoop:
For some reason I thought you were from the U.K. I don't know why, but I did. Otherwise, I would have mentioned earlier that my grandfather was from Widnau.
Widnau is a town in the St. Gallen canton near the Austrian and German border. Lake Constance borders all this stuff. We have relatives that still live in Widnau, but they've only come to the U.S. a few times and it was really my grandfather who was keeping the relationships active (he visited Switzerland a lot during his later years).
My Grandpa's family name is Swiss-German (Gugger) originally coming from Austria, IIRC, but if you ever meet a "Fry" in Widnau, there's a good chance that they are somehow related to me. There are lots and lots of "Fry's" in Widnau (my great-grandma's family line), but not so many Gugger's.
Now, due to the absolutely SEXIST policy of the Swiss government (correct me if this has been changed in the last 15-20 years), I am not eligible for Swiss citizenship (or dual-citizenship), since the privelege doesn't pass down through daughters (my mom). But my cousins are eligible since it passes down through sons (my uncles).
Of course, I'd have to serve in the Swiss "military / army reserves" (I forget how it is referred to) as a requisite for dual-citizenship, which would never have happened (I'm a peacenik).
Anyway, that's my Swiss anecdote for the day. Are you familiar with Widnau or St. Gallen? I've never been there, so I've always been curious about it.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot: my grandpa played the zither... when he wasn't playing it, he was listening to recordings. He was totally into it. I don't know if nowadays anyone under 70 years of age plays the zither.
