July 15, 2016 to July 17, 2016
Stay in Bern.
Feel the Bern!
July 15 Friday, 16 Saturday, & 17 Sunday
Feel the Bern!
After our mainly rural travels in France, Bern has come as a pleasant assault on all the senses.
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If you were to create a toy town of the sort they used for model railways, that would be Bern. The fast flowing Aare, at full volume and icy emerald green hue is crossed in several places by beautiful high bridges and all this to the backdrop of those snow covered peaks glistening in the distance, whose names are the stuff of legends- Jungfrau, Eiger.
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Bern also caters to the intellect and to the appreciation of art- at Zentrum Paul Klee, the architecture of the gallery, designed to reflect the mountains beyond it, we gain an appreciation of the work and ideas of one of Bern’s favourite sons.
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We also walk along the river and catch sight of one of the city’s symbols, the Brown Bear in its enclosure. At the top of the hill we quench our thirst on the local IPA.
Sunday. After catching a train to Spiez we walk alongside the Thunersee and join a few of the hearty locals in the lake’s clear, bracing waters. There’s something surreal about swimming in surroundings so magnificent- almost defies belief.
It is a dozy train ride back to the city with many other day trippers. Another impression of Berne is the food- every kind of Bread, dried meats and cheeses, fruit, vegetables- leave you a little overwhelmed- in a good way. And prices for many of these are lower than in NZ. Lastly the fact that this is such a cycle friendly city is an inspiration for two from New Zealand where the same must be possible with creativity, flexibility and tolerance- speaking of which, I must go and move our bikes from in front of the Bally shoe shop after they posted a notice in German on our bikes. We didn’t understand all of it, but got the gist.
To say leaving Berne is hard would be an understatement. Having experienced a world of such interest- great food as we experienced from the Saturday market; the dramatic setting of a city, so compact and easily traversed at a leisurely pace, ( the Bernese do not rush); and the natural surroundings of the river and the lakes and mountains beyond- made the wrench all the more difficult. Stepping out from a modern apartment to a cobbled street in the old town is a special experience. The porticos overhead ensure one stays dry no matter where you walk, and give small businesses immediate connection with pedestrians. Sarah-Maria and Christian had made us welcome and opened up Bern to us. It was lovely to be part of a family and we really enjoyed our time with young Luis.
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