Hotel Arabelle Bern

... to catch the bus to Bonigen which was a quaint small town on Lake Brienz. The girl at the hostel had said that it was a 20 minute walk but in true Swiss style, we think that it was probably 40 minutes for any non-Swiss person. Bonigen was so quiet, hardly anybody was about but it was a good opportunity to see different styles of the ...

... and celebrated my birthday and the yank's (his was on the 9th) with some champagne. It was ok, but after a couple of wine glasses full my head was spinning, it was more fun walking around after that. I also watched the terminal because as we found out there isn't much to do at night in Bern, they even turned the fountains off which I was going to jump around in. I also got to try Swiss truffle chocolate (dark and white). They were very good.

... br>So, I got to the hostel, checked in, and then set off to the river to swim. On the way out, I saw some German guys from my hostel also clad in swimsuits with towels. They, too, were going to swim in the river. One of the guys had already done it and had told me that it was great, which eased my nerves a little because the guy at the front desk of the hostel made it sound like I had to be as good a ...

... we arrived we went to the tourist office to get some info on Bern and than went to the phone with the list of Bed and Breakfasts to make calls as the only hostel available was in a 20 bed room. We made some calls but everything was full. We finally just went to McDonalds and had something to eat because we were so tired and hungry. After we ate we felt better and decided to go and check if there was a train to Varenna the same ...

... the lack of Alpine views, Bern is a beautiful city. The old town is located in a radical bend in a clear-running alpine river. Part of the river is diverted to a powerplant in the middle of town--but the plant is nigh invisible. The town sits upon a hill in the river bend and is tiered like a wedding cake with several different levels terraced down to the water's edge. Between red-roofed chalets and cobblestone streets are ...

... in the process of building new enclosures for the bears, so I can only hope the next ones are a little bit more luxurious for them. We became more and more fond of Bern as we strolled through the old town, along the cobbled streets. They have so many shops that are below street level in what must have been old cellars. The magnificent Gothic cathedral Munster was a bit disappointing as the outside was partly obscured by scaffolding, and the inside was closed for some religious ...

... of course - went for a nice Malasian meal though & a few beers in a portguese bar. But the next day we went to Ballenberg an open air museum, that displays traditional buildings and architecture from all over the country & has over 100 original buildings that have been transported from their original sites from I don't know but about 100 years ago. Its a 164 acrs site so we walked every bit of it and I ...

... it was free because of our eurailpass), had some fondue, and then went to Bern! We thought the capital might be very "big city" chaotic, and were a little freaked out when we had to find our hostel at 10:30 at night with NO ONE around anywhere. It turned out, though, that it was also a very clean and safe city. We got to see Albert Einstein's house, where he developed the theory of general relativity, and also went to a special, temporary exhibit on Einstein at the Museum of ...

... the Swiss Guard of Louis XVI. Was quite big and surrounded by a number of tourists, damn tourists ;) Moved on to the mirror maze which was quite cool, it had an attached fossil museum. Lunchtime and we ate at a lovely restaurant beside the river Ruess. We both had some pasta and this turned out to be one of our most expensive meals! Very nice and of course when in Switzerland (Rome). Picked up some pocket knives, swiss knives - one for Trudie and one for little Robert ...

... used to the new life situation. Hala's parents are in town from Egypt, and the extended family is all keeping quite busy "vacationing" with Nader. Hany, Mona and kids left for vacation this past Saturday morning. Early in the month, they told me they'd go anywhere except the south of Spain because that's where they've been every year. It is a complicated story about cars that don't run well and banks that are slow to finish paperwork for giving loans for new cars, but ...