Bern

Today, we had awoken to discover a considerable amount of snow had fallen and covered large parts of the city. We had not noticed throughout the night, but it was evident as soon as we walked out the door. As such, we backtracked our steps from yesterday to some degree to see how different the city looks under a vale of white. This meant wandering through the parliament building and the old town, all the way to the Nydeggkirche protestant church. However, this time, we figured we would continue to the other side of the river and see the rose garden. We figured that despite being too cold for roses, it would still look nice with the snow and would have great views of the now white city. As we crossed the river, we also wandered through the BärenPark, or the bear park. During every other season, you can sit and watch bears wander around their enclosures, like a zoo in the city centre. But, because it was winter, they were all in hibernation and so were not visible. As we continued up the hill, we were disappointed to learn that the main walkway to the rose garden was closed. This is likely due to a slip risk during the cold winters. We did, however, find another way to access it and walked toward the garden. It was too nice to miss. The white trees enclosing the path and snow-covered surfaces made for a blissful tunnel to a beautiful park. The views of the city did not disappoint. We spent some time wandering around the park before heading back into town for a lunch reservation we had made. After almost a couple weeks in Switzerland, we had still not tried fondue (due to costs), and given I would be leaving today to head to Geneva, and eventually Madeira, it was our last chance to try it. It was a nice experience, but as someone who isn't obsessed with cheese, it did become a bit much after a while. We stuffed ourselves with as much cheese and bread as we could physically handle, to get our moneys worth, before going back to the room to chill. After a while, it was time for me to head off and catch my train to Geneva. I said goodbye to my parents for a couple of weeks and boarded by train to Geneva. Luckily, it wasn't too long, and eventually, I arrived. After looking lost, a nice guy began to converse with me and even offered me a place to stay on his couch surfing house. Unfortunately, I had already paid plenty of money for a hostel in the city and so he kindly showed me how to get there and said bye. After I checked in, I grabbed my tablet and headed to the bar for a drink, and watched AFCON. I didn't know it, but this began a series of events that I came to regret endlessly. A nice Venezuelan girl then came and sat with me, and we had a few drinks before we also met an Irish girl. They convinced me to go out somehow, despite not being able to afford clubs in Switzerland and having an early flight the next day. You can guess where this went. I spent a lot of money, didn't have a lot of fun, and lost plenty of sleep I so desperately looked forward to.Read more