Switzerland
Bern / Matte

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    • Day 15

      Bern 🇨🇭

      June 24, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

      That is the Aere river - we are floating down that tomorrow...should be interesting.

      Guy playing the bagpipes!

      Plus, some interesting Swiss art 🎨 thoughts??

      Also, people are really mean here 😢 when they hear us speak English to each other they give the stink eye and say something to us in either German, Spanish, French, Italian or Swiss German...because yes they all speak every language here except English 😭Read more

    • Day 3

      Stadtspaziergang durch Bern

      July 21, 2022 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

      Kaum eine andere Stadt hat ihre historischen Züge so bewahrt wie Bern, die Hauptstadt der Schweiz. Die Berner Altstadt ist UNESCO-Welterbe und besitzt mit 6 Kilometern Arkaden, den so genannten Lauben, eine der längsten wettergeschützten Einkaufspromenaden Europas.

      Einmalig ist die mittelalterliche Atmosphäre der Stadt mit den zahlreichen Brunnen, Sandsteinfassaden, Gassen und historischen Türmen. Den schönsten Ausblick über die von der Aare umflossene Altstadt bietet der erhöhte Rosengarten über dem BärenPark oder die Plattform des 101 Meter hohen Münsterturms. Steil fallen die ehemaligen Schanzen und Bastionen zum Fluss hin ab. Die Boutiquen, Bars und Kleinkunstbühnen der Altstadt, teils in den Kellergewölben, sowie die kleinen Strassencafés ziehen Einheimische wie auch viele Touristen an. Trotz seines guten öffentlichen Verkehrssystems erkundet man Berns Innenstadt am besten zu Fuss.

      Die weltweit umfassendste Sammlung an Werken des Künstlers Paul Klee findet sich im Zentrum Paul Klee am Stadtrand. Das Albert Einstein Haus zeugt vom Aufenthalt des Physikers Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts in Bern und kann mit einem Besuch im Einstein Museum ideal kombiniert werden. Vom Historischen Museum, über das Kunstmuseum, das Schweizerische Alpine Museum bis hin zum Museum für Kommunikation bietet Bern vielfältige Ausstellungen.

      Bern ist Regierungssitz der Schweiz. Nur wenige Schritte vom Hauptbahnhof erhebt sich das Bundeshaus über die Stadt. Meist stehen die Türen des Parlamentsgebäudes Besuchern offen, und wer Glück hat begegnet vielleicht auch einem der Regierungsmitglieder in den Gassen der Stadt.

      Im Sommer lädt die Aare zum ultimativen Badespass; sehr gute, geübte Schwimmer lassen sich in der sauberen Aare mit Blick auf das nahe Bundeshaus treiben. Ebenfalls am Flusslauf liegen der Botanische Garten, der Tierpark Dählhölzli und das alte Stadtviertel der Matte. Bern und der Bär, sein Wappentier, sind untrennbar miteinander verbunden. Bei einem Besuch der Stadt darf auf die Besichtigung des BärenParks, dem Lebensraum einer Bärenfamilie, nicht verzichtet werden.

      Auf den Plätzen der Innenstadt bieten farbenfrohe Wochenmärkte ihre Waren an. Besonders sehenswert ist der Zibelemärit, jeweils am vierten Montag im November: Bereits in den frühen Morgenstunden füllt das der Zwiebel gewidmete traditionelle Volksfest die Stadt mit Besuchern. Bern ist das Tor zu den Alpen, im Herzen der Schweiz.

      Wir lassen uns wieder einmal treiben und lassen den Nachmittag auf der Terrasse der Casino Bar bei Livemusik ausklingen. Hiermit kommt der link zu unserem Spaziergang:

      https://www.komoot.de/tour/852419069?ref=itd
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    • Day 36

      Snowy Surprise

      January 19 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ -1 °C

      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

    • Day 6

      Altstadt und Aare

      September 14, 2022 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      Der erste vollständige Tag in Bern war für die Erkundung der Stadt Bern vorgesehen. Mit ihren historischen Gebäuden und Gassen ist sie sehr beeindruckend. Im weiteren Verlauf des Tages ging es hinunter zur Aare und an die Mattenschwelle. Dies ist eine Staustufe für den Betrieb des Laufwasserkraftwerks in Bern. An den Ufern entlang der Aare ging es zum Bärenpark mit seinen Braunbären bevor es auf dem Uferweg bis zur Staustufe Engehalde ging. Am Nachmittag wurde das Wankdorfstadion besucht in dem Deutschland 1954 erstmals Fußballweltmeister wurde. Als Abschluss des Tages war der Botanische Garten der Universität, mit seine teils über 100 Jahre alten Bäumen, nochmal ein kleines Highlight des Tages.Read more

    • Day 20

      Oct 9 - Bern

      October 9, 2019 in Switzerland ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

      We then headed towards Bern, working our way down through more little villages. The landscape gradually changed and became flatter. Cows don’t need two different lengths of legs here to be able to graze. As we drove, William gave us short synopses on Switzerland’s educational system, its economic status and its political system. Switzerland developed the International Baccalaureate high school graduation program that is recognized world-wide. And of course, Switzerland is renowned for its banking system and its secret bank accounts. Don’t think I have any accounts here…..

      Tonight we are staying in Bern which is the capital of Switzerland. Geneva was deemed to be too French and Zurich was deemed to be too German, so Bern was chosen as a compromise capital city. This is very similar to what happened in Australia where Melbourne and Sydney were both rejected in favour of the purpose-built capital city of Canberra. In 1983, the historic old town in the centre of Bern became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bern has a population of about 140,000. Many of the residents work in federal government type jobs. We drove into the city down embassy row - we waved at the Canadian Embassy.

      Before we got to the hotel, we made one stop - at a bear pit which houses several huge brown bears. “Why??”, you ask? Bern was founded by a nobleman who founded the city and who vowed to name it after the first animal that he encountered on the hunt, which turned out to be a bear. The bear became the heraldic symbol of the city in the 1200s and bears have been kept since the 1400s.

      The hotel we are staying at in Bern is the Hotel Bellevue which is the official guesthouse of the Swiss government. It is located right beside the Swiss Parliament Buildings. Its got a magnificent lounge with a spectacular ceiling (there are a lot of those in Europe) and superb views of the Bernese Alps – always a ‘belle vue’. It’s full of brocade drapes, velvet-covered chairs, polished bronze railings and elegant floral arrangements.

      Our room (alas for just one glorious night) is a suite - with a lovely desk with built-in USB ports, a sofa and an easy chair, a king sized bed (not just two single beds butted up to one another), a separate toilet room, double sinks in the bath/shower room, and a fabulous view of the city and the Aare River. Scenic is spoiling us very badly.

      William took us out for a 45-minute walking tour. We saw the parliament buildings, the Swiss National Bank, the 15th-century astronomical clock, several of the city’s fountains, the house where Einstein lived, the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (Catholic Church), the Münster of Bern (Swiss Reformed Church) and the City Hall. The rain was kicking up again, so William released us to our own devices for dinner.

      We found the local grocery store and picked up salads, pineapple, honey yogurt, milk and chocolate digestive biscuits. One of the reasons we search out grocery stores is that restaurant meals are incredibly expensive in Switzerland. We considered having spaghetti at a little place - each plate would have been $30. Not happening. While we dined Chez Hotel Suite - pretty posh settings for an indoor picnic - we watched a British TV game show that we have endured before just because it’s in English. The housekeeping staff had been in while we were out to turn down the giant bed and to lay little mats on the floor on each side with a pair of slippers for each of us. We have to be on the bus at 9:00 a.m., so there’s not going to be much time for lounging around wearing our Bern slippers.

      Tomorrow we are off to Luzern (Lucerne) and from there to our final Swiss destination of Zurich.
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    Bern / Matte

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