a day in Bern

as i had 6 days of nothing lined up and the weather was going to be annoying, i decided to go and visit C. & J. in Bern. it turned out J. was in France (typical), but C. was there and happy for me to come. after hesitating as to whether to take the car or a train, i ended up driving up (1h30! - thought it'd be at least half an hour longer) - which caused some mild pre-dawn panic but went fine, of course. it was actually a really nice drive.

C. showed be around the old city, which is apparently a World Heritage Site. while i can see why, i personally think it'd be nicer if all the buildings weren't the exact same colour, made with the exact same bricks. the buildings are indeed gorgeous, but still. on the other hand, the area where C. lived reminded me very much of Copenhagen, so that i wouldn't mind.

we saw the Swiss Parliament, the Swiss National Bank and the bears - live bears (2 adults and 2 cubs) that 'live' in a relatively small area, although, to be fair, much bigger than the old 'bear pit' and with access to the river. the amount of people who were there to have a look at the cubs was amazing. the pride of Bern. i also had a real roesti - as in, not just as a side dish but a full meal, with ham and tomatoes and cheese (that was the Ticino version). heavy. i think i prefer the side dish.

anyway, it was fun. i'm glad i went up to see her, and glad i got to see another Swiss city (i mean, i still haven't really seen Lausanne!). the atmosphere was really different and very nice. and now that i know how to get there, no excuse not to go again!