Travels in Switzerland - 1

Feeling the Bern – Day 1 – Tour of Old Town Bern At the Bern tourism office in the main train station, we met our city guide, Beatrice Gyger Lang. She is a charming lady with curly locks and sparkling eyes. We would discover a lot about Bern from our time with Beatrice, and more later from her interesting and informative blog: “ Bern Inside .” Beatrice led us through an expansive square that marks the entrance into the long, river-ringed finger of the Old Town of Bern, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town began over 900 years ago; there was no prior Roman occupation on this finger of land, unlike so many Swiss cities. Its broad streets were planned even then, with space for markets, and running water. The fountains along the main street are capped with allegorical statues from the Reformation, and the water remains potable to this day. Beatrice gave us cups to drink right from the fountains’ spouts as we strolled.   It was hot ...

Feeling the Bern – Day 1 I t was our last morning in Lausanne. We had enjoyed a wonderful three days exploring the Swiss Riviera, and were sad to be leaving. After I had breakfast, my former high school classmate, Christie Stewart, came to our room for a few minutes. We chatted and gazed one last time at the lovely view from our balcony. Christie walked with us to the Lausanne train station. Our time with her had passed so quickly – we definitely had been having fun! It took a 50 th Magee High School Reunion to connect again, and we were delighted to explore the beautiful part of Switzerland she now calls home. At 9:50 a.m., we caught the train to Switzerland’s capital of Bern. We were impressed as ever by the massive, gleaming trains as they pulled up to the platform – right on schedule. Our inter-city train sped through rolling green farmland dotted with herds of cows, patches of forest, and the occasional hilltop medieval châteaux. We arrived right on time at B...