If there is one thing to know about us when we travel it would be that be hussle!!! We try to pack in as much as we can in hopes of seeing and doing it all. Thankfully Rochelle and her baby girl, Liza, were such troupers. As if a day in the Alps themselves wasn't enough, we stopped in Bern on the drive back for the evening. I must admit I knew nothing about Bern except for the fact that it is the capital of Switzerland. It did not disappoint! It turned out to be one of my favorite places of the entire trip.
Bern has got to have more hills than any other place...and considered I have walked up and down San Fran that is saying a lot!! The region Bern is in was formed by glaciers during the Ice Age and as a result there are many many many hills. We walked around the downtown area where the government buildings reside and where the shopping areas are located. Bern is the perfect mix of all and new. It was a very clean city with unbelievable architecture. And at the top of each hill was a magnificent view!
Just Beautiful
Panoramic
The old Lindt Chocolate factory
The city itself has a medieval feel to it. There are statues above fountains that all have stories about them. Rochelle told us this is her favorite one where disobedient children get scared and eaten!!
We are standing in the street of the main shopping promenade in the city and the longest one in Europe!! It's a good thing we didn't have time to go in many stores. Behind us is the Zytglogge clock tower that has moving puppets inside of it.
Yet another great find! This is the flat where Albert Einstein lived from 1903-1905. Since we have a poster of Einstein hanging in our office I would think it is safe to say that Nick was more than excited to find this along the promenade.
The sidewalks to go into the shops were above the cellar doors, but if you walked on the street level some of the shops were held in the cellars. It was so neat to see. I loved the old historic red doors.
You cannot go to Bern and not visit the famous bears!! Since the 16th century the city has had a bear pit in the center of town where people go to watch the bears play. Over the years presidents of countries have given bears to Switzerland as a gift. A few years ago the bears got quite the upgrade to this nice open air area by the water. No joke, Nick took probably 50+ pictures of the these bears. He loved them.
Rochelle asked us if we were up for a "little" walk. Haha, that was an understatement as we dragged ourselves up the longest hill I have EVER seen! At the top though is the Rose Garden which is known for the scenic view of the town center--and it made that sweaty hike all worth it. So great!
Bern also has a 15th century Gothic Cathedral and town hall. It was so interesting to look at all the carvings and statues-some of which were kind of scary looking.
I love how patriotic Bern was. The city flag and crest were flying everywhere.
Definitely we could have stayed a lot longer than 4 hours here! It was so great. Until next time!
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