September 11th – 25th, 2024
September 11th – 25th, 2024
by Richard Bergmann
Today we are in Bern, the capital city of Switzerland for a visit this morning. The city of Bern got its name from Duke Berchtold and folklore legend has it that a bear was the first animal that the duke hunted and killed, thus the city of Bern (German for bear). Because of this, the coat of arms has a bear on it and the city has a bear cage with bears enclosed near the water as its local mascots. It was here that we start our day, and I come across a sign at the hotel Zollhaus that says, “Sleep with the Bears, book your stay now.” I chuckle to myself; my wife doesn’t have to book a stay to sleep with a bear for I come by it honestly and am reminded of this having forgotten the power cord for my beard trimmer on this trip. I had to look up this one suite hotel on my return in the evening and sure enough, they claim to be the only place that one can enjoy a cup of coffee while looking at a bear.
Ayold takes us on a Bern city walking tour and it is quickly evident how beautiful and clean this city is. We stop by several historical points throughout the city that have an Anabaptist connection and find the irony at the street named the Gerechtigkeitsgasse (justice alley) for it was here that Anabaptists were sentenced and executed for their faith. The historic downtown is very walkable and there are a few other notable things to check out – one being their famous astronomical clock (Zytglogge) built in the 15th century that was a sign of their sophistication. They also have some beautiful statues around the city but there is the most bizarre statue of the Kindlifresserbrunnen (Swiss German translated as Fountain of the eater of little children) which is a guy swallowing a baby in his mouth while holding a bag of other babies that are next. No one is certain what the meaning of this 500-year-old statue is but it gave me the creeps of what was going through this artist’s mind back then!
We have some free time over our lunch, and I take the opportunity to check out the church tower and summit the 300+ steps for the best view of the city. From here the alps can be seen in the distance on this clear day and it is absolutely a stunning view of this urban setting. I enjoy some kasse kuchan which is more of a fruit pie than a cheesecake and the view overlooking the Aare River (super clear and swimming allowed in this river running around the horseshoe shape of the historic district). I notice on my walk that in this area of the city, no one seems to steal, as many bikes are left unlocked leaning up against apartments and homes. I stop in a specialty coffee shop along the Aare and get into a conversation with the owner about his Turkish birth home, how he ended up in Germany meeting his wife and now opening a coffee store. He wants to show me all his specialized coffee equipment that is for sale and tells me how he’s the largest online coffee supplier in Switzerland. I’m looking for a cold coffee and he convinces me to an aerocinno which results in a frothy and foamy coffee that has the appearance of a stout beer (but to be clear was still a coffee). It was an interesting conversation about our cultures and where we live, I enjoy talking to him and make a make a mental note to stop in again one day.
We are now on our way for a walk in high forest hills of the Emmental and climb the 195 steps at the Aussichtsturm Chuderhüsi (lookout tower) for another spectacular view of the pastures and valleys in these forested hills. The children’s fiction book “Heidi” is what these hills and views of the Alps remind me of. We run into another tourist family that we had seen the previous day, and they immediately recognize us and refer to us as the singing tour group – they saw and heard us sing at the castle and hadn’t forgotten. Maybe we take this on the road as the TourMagination bus choir?
Our last stop of the day for our group is the Emmentaler Schaukäserei (cheese factory). It’s late in the afternoon and they are cleaning up from their day’s production, but we still get the chance to walk around at the shops and see the history of how they used to make cheese and see the cold storage place where they are aging the cheese. I resist the temptation to buy some cheese to take home as I am not convinced having cheese in my luggage unrefrigerated for close to another week is a good idea.
We are back for our last night in Burgdorf and it’s been nice to be in one place for 3 nights. Travel hack tip: take a laundry pod when you travel and use the opportunity to refresh when your clothes can dry out (Mennonite frugality 101). This 3 days in one spot wasn’t by coincidence and it’s details like this that tour companies and tour leaders carefully consider when designing an itinerary which is much appreciated by our travellers.
In Ayold’s wrap up of the day and the “Let’s talk about the day of tomorrow” he reminds us that we are headed to the Alps and up the Schilthorn Mountain. Another good day awaits.