Switzerland

Switzerland Day 7: Bern, the Capital City

by Jessi on June 4, 2013

On Friday, our last day in Switzerland, we rented a car and drove north to Bern, the capital. The weather had been beautiful all week, and as if getting ready to leave wasn’t depressing enough already, it was rainy and cold for our last adventure.

We made the best of it with cheesy European radio stations and lots of dog kisses.

When we got to Bern, we walked around the university and saw some historical markers highlighting one of its most famous former residents, Albert Einstein.

Downtown Bern was bustling with shops and commuters.

Bern is in central Switzerland, right on the border between the French and German-speaking parts of the country. The official language of Bern is German, but the main spoken language is the Swiss German dialect called Bernese German.

After a failed attempt to trek to the other side of the river in the rain for lunch at a famous local restaurant, we stumbled across a little Bavarian diner with a good menu, and more importantly, a dry seat.

To our good fortune, the restaurant was exactly what we were hoping for. Delicious authentic Swiss German food, cold beer, and even a milkbone for Henry.

Jacob, Randy, and I all ordered a dish called Albertus-Röschti. Basically sausages on top of a buttery potato hash. This skillet was huge, and I could only finish about half of the plate. Even so, it was one of the best meals I have ever eaten.

After lunch we did a little more sight-seeing before piling back into the car to head back to Randy and Tamara’s apartment.

{insert gratuitous Henry shot here}

Our last evening was pretty quiet. We packed and played card games and lamented how quickly the week had flown by.

Family photo on the balcony

Saturday morning we were up at 4 to drive to the airport and say our goodbyes. Twenty two hours later we were back in Fayetteville and back to reality.

Switzerland was more beautiful and amazing then we could have ever dreamed and our dear friends made it all possible.

Thanks again for everything Rand and Tam, we love you!

AND In case you missed any of the first six days of our trip:

Jessi & Jacob Go To Switzerland: Day 1

Switzerland Day 2: Lausanne & a Boat to France

Switzerland Day 3: Hiking in the Swiss Alps

Switzerland Day 4: Castles, Fondue & Freddie Mercury

Switzerland Day 5: Chocolate and Cheese

Switzerland Day 6: Life in Lausanne

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Switzerland Day 6: Life in Lausanne

by Jessi on May 31, 2013

On Thursday, our next-to-last day in Switzerland, we decided to spend the day in Lausanne. About thirty minutes west of Epesses, Lausanne is where both Randy and Tamara work.

But let’s back up, first. The weather was perfect, again, so we took advantage of the morning and went on a run. Our run took us along Lake Geneva and past more of the Lauvaux vineyards surrounding Randy and Tamara’s house.

Lavaux is internationally famous as a terraced wine-growing region on the shores of Lake Geneva in western Switzerland. It covers the territory roughly from Lausanne to Montreux, extending to an altitude of roughly 500 meters above lake level and including 6 lakeshore villages and the city of Vevey. Part of the Lavaux has been recognized since 2007 as a world heritage site by Unesco. I only wish we could have been there when the vineyards were in bloom for the harvest.

Later that morning, we took the train to Lausanne. We grabbed lunch (and real olive oil and pasta for my stash!) from a little Italian deli and ate our sandwiches in a park downtown.

See those strange, knobby trees? They are everywhere in Switzerland. Tamara told me they bloom with huge flowers, but while we were there they all just looked like they had giant curled knuckles.

Post-lunch it was time to get our shop on.

With a little sight-seeing thrown in. Pinte Besson is one of the oldest restaurants in Switzerland and the oldest in Lausanne. It has been serving wine and cheese to the locals since 1780. SWITZERLAND-00827