Bern; the surprise stop.

Right, pop quiz! What do we know about Bern?
Um, it's in the middle bit, where it's flatter.
Is it the capital?
Is it the home of Bernaise sauce?
Answers: Sort of, yes & no.
We had decided to make a dash for Paris and then the Loire Valley for the 4 or 5 days we had left swinging, so I says "Why not stay overnight in Bern and catch the fast train from there?"
One of my better ideas, as it transpired.
Bern is one of the easiest places to live in we have come across: we both fell in love with it. Cultured, quiet, organised and friendly- it was a real delight, and we were disappointed to only have 24 hours there. In a funny way it was very like Melbourne, without the cheeky kids and graffiti/vandalism!

Did you know Einstein was Bernese? He was travelling home from his work in the Patent Office near the big clock in the town square, when he formulated the ideas for his theory of Relativity. The clock is 2 minutes fast! At about 4 minutes to 12 every day, hordes of camera-wielding tourists come to take the obligatory pictures. I confess to being one of them, but it's all relative, of course....


They have a Bear Pit in the middle of town, a tradition which goes back hundreds of years. Ironically, the humans now descend into the pit to learn about the bears, who have a prime bit of Real Estate on the riverfront. This fellow recognised another Alpha male and came to growl at me.

Talking of Alpha males, this is for Alan McIvor. We all have our issues with the Post at times, but this is probably going too far........


The Swiss have a wicked sense of humour!
For instance, just look at Roger Federer's stand-up routines at the tennis.
This statue is right in the middle of the biggest square in Bern- every child in the city would be taken to see it. Needless to say no child misbehaves until they are more than a mouthful.

This couple are in the entrance to the Cathedral- they look like they were just put there last week, not hundreds of years ago.

So Bern was the biggest surprise of our trip- we expected a boring stopover, we got a charming place where we felt totally at home. A 5-egg omelette!!

Next: Not so Gay Paris, and the Loire Valley