Capital City of Bern

On Tuesday we went to the capital city of Switzerland in Bern. We traded our mountains and nature for Parliaments and architecture. It was a short hour long ride there from Basel and we began our exploring.

First we walked through the arcade with many fashionable shops and souveneir stands. The arcade is a sight to see on its own, with the flags of all the cantons of Switzerland lining the street. It was alive with activity, providing an interesting take on how people live their daily lives in the capital. From there we hiked over to the famous bear pits to see the three live, fully grown bears that have become a symbol for the city. We had a quick lunch and headed on our way.

Next we headed down the banks of the Aare River up to the Parliament building and got to observe its majesty up close. The design reminds of the castles of old, with large green and gold spires. Sadly no tour was available to us, but seeing it was important just the same. From there we went to the large cathedral, and climbed hundreds of steps up to the observatory on top. The view was incredible, seeing the old medieval city built so interestingly into the bend of the Aare, like a large one armed hug. Impressive to say the least.

With time quickly dwindling on our Swiss trip, we allowed the students to do some last minute shopping in the arcade to find keepsakes for family and friends. A nice trip all in all. The next post will be the last one, putting together our final days attending school with our partners, seeing the mad hat museum of artist/architect Tinguely, and breaking bread one last time at the farewell dinner.