Bern to Montreaux to Carema

Switzerland- Clean, mountains and lakes and rivers! Cheese, fondue, chocolate, and wine! However it is expensive. We enjoyed our brief few days driving through the Alps- seeing so many gorgeous mountains, towns and villages.
Today was no exception. Our first stop was Bern. Another gorgeous mid sized town with the Aare River running through it and gorgeous mountains surrounding it.
Bern, the capital city of Switzerland, is built around a crook in the Aare River. It traces its origins back to the 12th century, with medieval architecture preserved in the Altstadt (Old Town). The Swiss Parliament and diplomats meet in the Neo-Renaissance Bundeshaus (Federal Palace). The Französische Kirche (French Church) and the nearby medieval tower known as the Zytglogge both date to the 13th century.

Perhaps the most famous Bern landmark is the bear pit, where bears have been kept on display at the city's expense since 1480. Old Bern was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983. The University of Bern was founded in 1834 and incorporates the Theological School (founded 1528).

Bern cannot be completed without visiting the colourful fashion boutiques on the famous shopping Marktgasse Street. It is also a site to nine astonishing fountains with unique sculptures.

We then headed to Montreaux on Lake Geneva to visit the site of this permanent exhibition, Queen: The Studio Experience, is housed in the former premises of Mountain Studios, the legendary recording studio that Queen acquired in 1979 and which itself is located within the current Casino Barrière in Montreux.

And we walked along Lake Geneva to the statue of Freddy Mercury given to the city of Montreaux by the surviving band members as a memorial to their friend.

We drove the St Bernard Pass (tunnel) to Carema, Italy for our next Airbnb.Read more