Bern

Well, I'm starting to get behind...it's inevitable, since I can't type every night, and it takes time to sort out and edit even a few photos. Hopefully i won't forget stuff.

So Tuesday morning, we got up pretty early, packed, and checked out of the hotel. We walked down to the train station and checked our larger suitcases with Swiss Rail fast baggage service, so they would go on to Montreux without us having to schlep them between trains. Then we had a quick breakfast at a station cafe.

At 9AM we boarded the fast train for Bern. As has been true on most trains, the first class compartment is not at all crowded. We spread out in a set of 4 seats, and watch the landscape go by. It's not all that interesting, especially as it is a grey rainy day. We get to Bern by 10. We have quite a bit of time, since we don't need to catch our next train until 4PM. So we spend some time exploring this lovely city.

Bern is a great place to wander on a rainy day because the streets are lined with covered arcades, as you can see in this photo.


Also, Bern is adorned with loads of interesting statuary and decorative carvings. There are fountains like these all over the place









On the gate into the old city, is a fabulous astrological clock







We visited Einstein's apartment, where he may have first cogitated on his theory of relativity. There is not a lot to see there, but it's interesting to get a little history of the man.

We walked through the city, until we reached the far side, where we saw the bear park. "Bern" means bear, of course, and you see bears all over the place, in statues, on their flag, and most importantly...the actual bears.