Bern

After a short trip to Bern from Interlaken, we arrived too early to check into our accommodation. So, we went exploring. This started with the parliament building. An incredibly impressive building with an even nicer view of the old city. After this, we walked across the Aare river to see the Einstein Museum. Although not entering, it was still a cool building with an interesting statue, Welttelegrafen-Denkmal, commemorating the importance of communication and remembrance out the front. We then continued our walk back across the river to see the main attraction of the old town. The city has three roads that date back as late as the 12th century when the city was first formed. This is reflected in the simplistic design of the buildings. Long rows of connected buildings, normally around 3 levels high, that would once have accommodated the whole city. The building facade, on the ground level, contained the stalls or markets that held up society in the city of Bern. The architecture is similar to the Hassmann style of architecture in Paris. The long, straight roads, with a single and constant duplex that lines the road, goes for hundreds of metres and only ends at the Nydeggkirche protestant church where the city reaches the river. Nowadays, a bridge exists in which you can cross and see the city from the hill. For today, though, we simply returned the way we came and saw the main cathedral of the city on our way back to the accommodation. The cathedral was quite impressive but quite dark and undergoing considerable renovations. Unfortunately, this meant that we could not see the main attraction of the cathedral. The roof is covered with over 100 faces, with articulate detail that makes the view incredible. We did not see any of this, but we also didn't pay any money to enter, so we can't really complain. After this, we stopped by the famous Zytglogge clock tower on our way home.Leggi altro