Bern, Switzerland
So it sorta feels like I've been editing and posting Switzerland photos forever which is hard to believe since Adam and I only spent three days there. It looks like we spent a week or more as I scroll through all these photos in my library, but I guess that just means we utilized our time well! That, or maybe I take too many photos?? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Our last day in Bern was short, but we squeezed in as much as we could that morning before we had to leave for the airport. We took the bus from Veronika's place and walked the cobbled streets of downtown Bern. We saw tons of clocks, trains, and Swiss flags flying high.
One of the more touristy things you can do in Bern is visit Einsteinhaus. Einstein lived in Bern from 1902 to 1909 with his wife and son, and they lived on the 2nd floor of this building from 1903 to 1905. He was living in this apartment when he published the Annus Mirabilis papers. "These four articles contributed substantially to the foundation of modern physics and changed views on space, time, mass, and energy. The annus mirabilis is often called the 'miracle year' in English or 'Wunderjahr' in German." (source)
I love stuff like this. Adam often makes fun of me for fangirling over famous people, but it was just so cool to stand outside and imagine Einstein up there, living and breathing and doing Einstein things. (I think Adam fanboyed a little bit this time, too.) We didn't have time to tour the actual museum, but there's an Einstein-themed coffee shop downstairs, so we had some coffee and croissants so we could feel like we at least experienced a little bit of Einsteinhaus.
The other touristy thing you can do in Bern is visit the bears of Bern! What?? Yeah, there are real bears in Bern, just hanging out in the city. It's called the bärengraben, or bear pit.
"The bear has long served as the symbol of Bern. Legend has it that, in 1191, Duke Berthold V of Zähringen vowed to choose as namesake the first animal his hunt met in the woods that was to be chopped down for his new city. As Konrad Justingers chronicle puts it: Then they caught a bear first, which is why the city was called Bern; and so the citizens had their coat and shield, which was a black bear in a white shield, going upright. The first records of bears being kept in the city come from 1513, when the chronicler Valerius Anshelm described how the Bernese returned home victorious from the Battle of Novara, carrying both the captured standards and a living bear as spoils of war." (source)
They have since updated the space and moved the bears around from where they once were to give them a better life, but the "bears in the city" thing is still alive and well, that's for sure. We waited for the bus back to the train station across the street from where this bear was sleeping and I just couldn't help but laugh at how strange it all seemed.
How weird would it be to live in one of those houses? You'd just look outside and see bears chillin' in the grass just across the water from you. So bizarre!
We said goodbye to Switzerland with one last soft pretzel at the airport. I wonder how many pretzels we ate while we were there. They were so good, and exactly what I want when I'm craving a pretzel. The ones you get at the movie theaters here are garbage. You know the ones I'm talking about. They're always served with that nasty nacho cheese. I refuse to eat them! Anyway, sorry, I'm very passionate about my pretzels.
Switzerland was great and Adam and I really, really enjoyed it, even if we were only there for three days! We saw a lot and were constantly impressed by how efficient, clean, and easy everything was there. Was it expensive? Yep... Was it worth it? Yep.
Now it's time to sort through my GREECE photos! Oh man, I can't wait. As always, thanks for reading! xo