Bern, the capital of Switzerland, sits on a peninsula formed by the meandering turns of the river Aare. The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with over 6 kms of arcaded walkways along streets decked out with fountains and clock-towers. Unfortunately, many of the attractions were closed - the Einstein museum, the Parliament - but we really enjoyed walking around and taking in the ambience.
Fountain with child-eating ogre:
Albert Einstein rented this small flat with his wife during his years working at the Swiss patent office. Their first child, Hans Albert, and the special and general theories of relativity were born here, where Einstein's writing desk overlooked the busy street and its lovely clock-tower.
Einstein mask!
Berne is inseparably linked with bears. According to legend the city’s founder, Duke Berchtold V von Zähringen, named the city after the first animal to be caught here.
The Berner Münster was originally a small chapel (1191), but grew into the present Gothic church around 1421. The main entrance features a Last Judgement scene. It is one of the most complete Late Gothic sculpture collections in Europe, and the only statue in the Münster to survive the iconoclasm of the Protestant Reformation.
In the afternoon we caught a bus just outside the town to Zentrum Paul Klee, an extremely impressive museum housing a huge collection of work by the eponymous artist (he's one of my personal favourites). The museum itself is a celebrated work of modern architecture, with a rolling landscape-like form by Renzo Piano.
Dinner at the Tramdepot, the old final station of Berne's first tramway. The building now houses a popular brewpub.
Fountain with child-eating ogre:
Albert Einstein rented this small flat with his wife during his years working at the Swiss patent office. Their first child, Hans Albert, and the special and general theories of relativity were born here, where Einstein's writing desk overlooked the busy street and its lovely clock-tower.
Einstein mask!
Berne is inseparably linked with bears. According to legend the city’s founder, Duke Berchtold V von Zähringen, named the city after the first animal to be caught here.
The Berner Münster was originally a small chapel (1191), but grew into the present Gothic church around 1421. The main entrance features a Last Judgement scene. It is one of the most complete Late Gothic sculpture collections in Europe, and the only statue in the Münster to survive the iconoclasm of the Protestant Reformation.
In the afternoon we caught a bus just outside the town to Zentrum Paul Klee, an extremely impressive museum housing a huge collection of work by the eponymous artist (he's one of my personal favourites). The museum itself is a celebrated work of modern architecture, with a rolling landscape-like form by Renzo Piano.
Dinner at the Tramdepot, the old final station of Berne's first tramway. The building now houses a popular brewpub.
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