After we crossed the border into Switzerland the bus stopped at a rest stop for a break. When I walked into the rest stop my mouth dropped. It was the most amazing rest stop I'd ever seen. First off, it felt like I was walking into a Trader Joes or Whole Foods. There was a large bakery area where a baker was rolling dough to be put in the huge wood fire ovens behind him. There was a giant breakfast buffet spread out with all kinds of fresh meats, cheeses, fruits, yogurt, etc... In the back of the rest stop was a convenience store for any quick things you might want to buy. Then there were the bathrooms. When you walked in you were greeted with sounds of birds chirping, ocean waves breaking, and a light piano being played. After going to the bathroom, the toilets & urinals flush automatically. The faucet & soap dispensers were also automatic. It was finished off with an automatic high powered Dyson hand dryer. And to top off the whole thing? Free WiFi through out the entire rest stop. It wasn't just a break from driving...it was an experience.
After we were done, we hit the road and didn't stop until we arrived in Bern. Once there, we had about 45 minutes to kill until our tour was supposed to start. We were on the outskirts of the old town area, near a river, so we decided to walk down to the river area and explore. After taking pictures of the water, the first thing I noticed was a bear walking around. It was in an enclosed area, but then I saw a few more. There were 3 or 4 bears just walking around, playing with tree branches, swimming in the water area that was sectioned off for them, and having a good time.
We walked down the stairs, closer to the river area and closer to the bear habitat area. The first thing we noticed was how fast the river was moving...it was flying. On the pictures page I have a video so you can see how fast the water was moving. We walked along the river side area for a bit and came across a bicycle attached to a rock in the river. It looked like it had been underwater for awhile and had been been retrieved, then put on display. On our way back to the tour meeting point we saw about a dozen apples floating in the water, and a bear swimming right for them. One by one he swallowed them all. He'd go up to the apple, open his mouth, and in a blink, the apple was gone. I got lucky and happened to get a picture a second before the apple disappeared.
Back at the meeting point, we met up with our tour guide and began the tour. The city was founded in the 12th century, and our tour guide showed us the three city edges they had over the years. Legend has it that they got the name Bern because the Duke who founded the city went on a hunting trip and said that the first animal they killed they'd name the city after, and it happened to be a bear. As a result, you can see statues and paintings every where of bears, including on the state flag.
Once the tour was over, Renee, Katia, Jenny & myself went looking for a place to eat lunch. Our choices were limited because most shops & restaurants are only open until 2pm, then they close down until about 5pm when they open back up for dinner. We found an Italian place, though, and it had DELICIOUS pizza. I'd heard that Switzerland was expensive, but when we were in Zurich the last time, we never bought anything, we just took the city tour and drove back home. The prices here were no joke. Every place whose menu we looked at were all priced about the same. My small portion pizza was 21 Franks, which is approximately $26. The half liter glass of beer was $10.
The rest of the day the four of us wandered around the city. We stopped in various shops to look around and at various cafe's to sample some of the local drinks. One of my favorites was an amber Maerzen beer brewed at what I later found out was our meeting point that evening to leave Bern.
I was hoping to find a nice beer stein or glass that said Switzerland, but had no luck. After a lazy afternoon of walking around shops and relaxing in the old town area, it was time to head back to the meeting point. When we got there, I walked into what appeared to be just a regular restaurant to use the bathroom and found out it was a brewery. Not just any brewery...they brewed the beer I had enjoyed at one of the cafe's! They sold growlers and kegs of their beer, and the growlers looked pretty neat. So not only did I get 2 liters of this great beer, but I got a collectible growler to display with my other beer steins & mugs.
Finally the bus arrived and it was time to head home. Renee sat in the back and chatted with us, and we made it home in good time, despite running into a lightning & thunderstorm. It was a lot of fun, and I'm glad I got a chance to see it. I think the next day trip I take, though, will have to be to a cheaper country.
To see the pictures, click here or on any of the pictures above.
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