Swiss Utopia

Bern is the best. Seriously. I only wish that we had a couple more days here, and that I wasn't sick...then we would have an even more amazing time in this city.

But we did what we could today! We went on a walking tour around the downtown area, which was pretty cool and informative! We learned quite a few interesting things about Bern...some of which are:

1. While Bern is considered to be the capital of Switzerland, it technically isn't. Instead it is a "Federal City"

2. There was a secret language (almost like Pig Latin) among the poor part of town hundreds of years ago. Only around 200 people or so can speak it today. They came up with the language so they could talk about illegal things in front of the police (like burglaries, prostitution, etc)

"The barrel full of gold is not buried here" In the Pig-Latinesque dialect

3. Switzerland considers Bernese people to be slow (including walking and talking slow), and a study actually proves that the Bernese are slower than the rest of the Swiss! Basically...they just like to take life easy. =)

4. The Old Town area of Bern is a World UNESCO Heritage site.

4. All the buildings are made out of sandstone, and they have to be in order to maintain its appearance.

Overall, our tour was great, and our guide was very sweet and knowledgable about the city. Unfortunately because I wasn't feeling super great, it was hard for me to keep up. But what I did learn and see, I was able to enjoy!

Aare River. You can swim in the river, and it's super clear! Only wish we were able to go in!

After the tour, we grabbed a bite to eat, and then went back to the apartment so I could get some rest. Later in the afternoon, we took the bus up to the Rose Garden. It's a beautiful park (with roses of course) that overlooks the city. From there we got to see some great views that also included views of the Alps. Breathtaking!

If you look closely, you can see people floating down the river

That pretty much wraps up our day! We really wish we had another day to spend here. Bern is a gem, and there's so much we wanted to be able to see/do. But next time! Luckily, Adam kissed the city of Bern (aka Berna) to ensure our return. ;)

In Beautiful Bern!

This morning we traveled from Lausanne to Bern, where we will stay until Sunday morning. With less than an hour train ride, we arrived in no time! We got in around 11:20, but our Airbnb host wasn't able to meet us until 1, so we had an early (and long) lunch to pass the time. Once 1 rolled around, we were able to check in. Unfortunately I'm coming down with a cold and was feeling yucky, so instead of going out right away, we rested/took a nap until 2:30.

View from the train

Once we made it out the door, we went straight to the Bear Pit! It's a small bear park near the downtown area where you can watch the bears do their thing. A fun fact is that bears are very symbolic in the city of Bern, and they have been a part of Bern's history as early as the 1500s. Kinda cool if you ask us! What's not to love about bears?

But once we got there, it said it was closed for construction and the bears have been temporarily moved until September. Nooooo! But luckily, we were able to walk around part of their enclosures!

Adam hugging a "bear". I will only hug a real one

Since there were no bears at the bear pit, we decided to walk around the downtown area, which is very cute! Lots of cobblestone roads, boutiques/cafes, it's hilly, and it's surrounded by a beautiful river that people were dipping their toes in. Bern is definitely up there with one of the most beautiful cities we've seen by far!

Parliament building

Another interesting thing about Bern is that it has 11 beautifully decorated fountains (dating from the 16th century) scattered around the Old Down (or downtown) neighborhood. They're all very beautiful, but the most popular one, Kindlifresserbrunnenis, actually pretty frightening, as it is an ogre eating small children.

Justice

Kindlifresserbrunneis (Ogre Fountain)

Samson

Banneret

Moses

We also popped into the Cathedral of Bern, just to see what it was about. It's actually under construction, so there was a lot we couldn't see, but the parts that we did see were very pretty! Additionally, this church also has a 300+ step tower you can climb up, but seeing as how we just did that in Lausanne, we passed.

I can never get over stained-glass windows!

We then continued to wander around the city center for a bit, just to take it all in. We also did some window shopping, stopped for a mid-afternoon drink at a cafe, and did more walking. Around 6:30 we were feeling pretty hungry, so we opted for an earlier dinner. We went to a traditional Swiss restaurant and had Rösti, which is basically like hash browns. I had a veggie and cream one, while Adam had a sausage and caramelized onions one. Both were very good and comforting!

Waiting for our bus

After dinner, we pretty much came straight back to our Airbnb place. I'm still feeling pretty yucky and tired, so I'm hoping an early night and some Swiss chocolate will help me feel better for our full-day tomorrow!

Going for Gold

It was a gorgeous day here in Lausanne! We started off by walking down to Ouchy, which is the port here in Lausanne. It is a very beautiful area, lined with hotels, shops, and restaurants, and a waterfront park for people to enjoy the views of the lake (and even France from across the way)!

Walking down to Ouchy

Quick detour!

View of France from the Lake

We hung out around the waterfront for awhile, just walking around, admiring the views, and also enjoyed a picnic lunch.

Countdown to the next Olympics!

After lunch, we went to the Olympic Museum. As mentioned in the previous post, Lausanne is home to the International Olympic Committee, so what better place to have an Olympic Museum?

The Olympic flame

Needless to say, this was one of the best museums we've ever been to! It was very interactive, told great stories, and there was so much cool content to see (like the Olympic flame, all of the different torches, and all of the medals). It was also very inspirational. If you ever decide to visit Lausanne, you must go to this museum.

Winners used to take home trophies in the past

Olympic torches

More Olympic torches

After the museum, we walked around and saw the Thai Pavilion, which is the biggest Thai pavilion in Europe. Random I know, but it was cool to see!

We then slowly made our way back to our room to rest up, stopping to only admire more views, walk around a 5-star hotel, and to pick up some tasty treats.

Tomorrow we set off for Bern, Switzerland! We're looking forward to seeing what the city is all about!