A Stopover in Bern

This morning we left the hostel around quarter after 8 and headed to the train station to catch a 9:01 train to Bern. The trip to Bern only takes about an hour, so we arrived at the Bern train station around 10:00. The Bern train station is the biggest one we have come across thus far on our trip, but we managed to find our way to the luggage storage room and after a detour to get some change to pay for the luggage storage we had our bags stored and started walking into town.

We first walked by the Zytglogge or clock tower, for which Bern is famous for, but it was not close to the hour so we merely walked by and planned to stop back by closer to the hour to see its famous revolving figures. Next we continued down Kamgasse to the Einstein Museum. The Einstein Museum is housed in the humble apartment where Einstein lived while working as a clerk in the local patent office, but Einstein said that it was here in this home that he developed his theory of relativity in 1905. After touring the Einstein Museum we went to Bern's 15th century Gothic Cathedral and climbed its 344 steps to the top of Switzerland's tallest spire for panoramic views of Bern. By now it was nearly noon so we headed back to the Zytglogge and watched it strike 12 and its characters come to life, not nearly as thrilling as it sounds, trust me, but there sure was a crowd there to watch it, so at least we weren't the only crazy tourists. After this we walked down Kornhausplatz and saw the decorative fountains that depict various historical and folkloric characters, including one of a giant eating some children, which I found sort of creepy. Then we had the lunch we had packed along the river before walking by the Bundehauser, home of the Federal Swiss Assembly, on our way back to the train station.

We caught the 1:00 train out of Bern to Zurich and were there within an hour. Our hotel was a bit of a way from the train station and took us an expensive 8 Swiss Francs tram to get there. At the hotel we relaxed, when down to the grocery store to get something for dinner, and swam in the pool, another relaxing evening. Tomorrow we will be day-tripping out to Luzern and checking out Zurich upon our return.

By Christine