Last week, my husband had to go to his company offices in Bern, and I took the opportunity to visit this beautiful city and joined him. While he was working all day I was enjoying the city. At first, I was not so sure if I should join him because the idea of spending all day outside in December didn't sound very appealing, but then I realized that I could simply walk from one café to another, do some shopping or visit a museum. What a life, right?
We left home at 6AM because his meetings started at 9AM. We arrived just in time, and he dropped me at a café before he left to work. I ordered a croissant and matcha latte and my day trip could start!
Many people don't realize that Bern is the capital city of Switzerland. And I don't blame them. Zurich is much more cosmopolitan and busier, so naturally it would be more fitting as the capital. I would have also preferred it as anytime we need to arrange something at our embassies we have to drive to Bern which is so far away for us when Zurich is less than an hour away. However, it is a nice place to visit, so I don't mind to go there from time to time.
Let's have a look!
This time, I started my trip outside of the old town. I was lucky that I was at the top of a hill, so I only walked all the way down to the old town. It was a long walk, but I haven't been to this part of the city before, so I enjoyed it a lot.
As you can see I really meant it when I said that Bern wasn't busy. This is how it looked like before lunch 😊 There was a bus or a tram passing every now and then, but there were almost no cars or people walking around. Zurich is busy at any time during the day.
The old town is right behind the bridge, so let's walk over there...
When I reached the bridge I expected to see certain landmarks and I was surprised that I couldn't see them. I didn't realize before that the old town is surrounded by the river Aare, and this was another bridge on the opposite side of the old town. Every day is a school day!
But the views were great anyway...
One of the most iconic landmarks in Bern is the Zytglogge or the Clock Tower. It used to be the old entrance to the town in the medieval times. Today, it is visited by people from all over the world who admire the entertaining spectacle that takes place every hour. As soon as the rooster announces the full hour, several mechanical figures start to move. You can see a similar performance when you visit the Orloj in Prague.
The astronomical clock is full of details including the current zodiac sign, the moon’s phase, the time of sunrise and sunset, and the date.
The Zytglogge for me is more of an orientation point as you can see it from afar, so it minimalizes the chances of getting lost - those with bad sense of orientation will understand what I mean 😊
The subject of this post is 'Bern - the city of fountains', and it is not by accident. There are plenty of fountains in the old town, and as you can see they are even included in the decoration of some buildings. I'll get to the actual fountains a bit later...
Another thing that you cannot miss in the old town are countless signs with names of restaurants, hotels or shops. It wouldn't be anything special, but look at how beautiful they are. Each one of them is different, but all of them are intricately decorated and one of the kind.
The origins of Bern date back to the 12th century, and the medieval town is preserved, so you can enjoy your walk back in time. The old town has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983, and this is the proof that it is really special.
The original wooden houses were destroyed by fire in the 15th century, and the stone buildings were constructed in their place soon after. At that time, the typical arcades were built too.
You can walk through the arcades and at some places there are even restaurant terraces placed there, so you can enjoy your meal outside in any weather. Arcades are such a charming feature of Bern, and I can't imagine the city without them. This is how they look like from another side of the street.
There are many shops, restaurants, and galleries on the ground floor. If you look in front of the arcades you can see the wooden doors leading to the basements. Many of them serve as wine cellars, but there are also some that are used as cool shops.
Another important landmark is the Cathedral of St. Vincent from the 15th century. I have visited much bigger cathedrals, but apparently this one is the biggest religious building in Switzerland. It's not that it's not impressive because it is, but it is surprising to me that it is the biggest one.
I couldn't go inside this time because it was closed due to ongoing restoration work, but I remember it to be rather empty with impressive stained glass windows.
The best features of the cathedral to me is the entrance depicting the last judgment. I don't remember seeing another entrance to a cathedral that would be so colourful. There are usually many stone figures, but you don't see much colour. This detail makes it even more special to me.
The cathedral was closed, but the park behind it was open, so let's have a look...
My plan to climb up the tower didn't succeed, so I will have to return to Bern again 😊
The park is basically a large platform right above the river, so you can enjoy some breathtaking views of the city...
Bern is a canton in the heart of the Swiss Alps, and every time I come here I expect to see the white peaks of the mountains. I have no idea if I could see them in the back because it has always been cloudy during my visits 😊
Das Aareböötle is the most popular hobby here in summer. You can take a rubber boat or whatever can float on the water and enjoy the coolness in the hot summer days...
The cathedral in its full glory (although with some scaffolding) from the park...
And more views...
Let's go back to the city...
When I moved to Switzerland I expected to find similar architecture all over the country. How wrong I was! Each canton has something specific and you can see different development in various areas. The first Helvetian Republic was founded in the 18th century, and the federal state in the 19th century.
At some places there are even cute benches in the arcades...
A bear is in the coat of arms of Bern, so I was not surprised to find a bear track here 😊
You would have think that there are many bears in this canton, but in fact there are not. The last bear in Switzerland was killed more than 10 years ago, however in the recent years there were some bears spotted here and there. It is believed that they crossed the border from Italy. I find it funny to say that there were no bears in Switzerland as how you can be so sure in the land with so many woods, I don't know.
I think that we have seen enough of the old town, so let's focus on those promised fountains now...
Each of them has drinking water and is decorated with a statue...
They are all special, and I'm sure that there is a story behind each of one them...
There were no cars here, so I assumed that the entire street was for pedestrians until I got the scare of my life when a bus honked while I was taking this photo. I was getting slowly tired, but this did wake me up 😊
We cannot leave Bern without the last glimpse of a bear 😊
I hope you have enjoy our day in Bern.
See you next time...