You know when you can't tell if you are excited or nervous, or some odd combination of both? Yah well, welcome to my life today. I'm one of those people that if I get nervous or excited I get uncontrollably shaky... Well, I had one of those mornings. I went to Bern! It was basically one of my first days just wandering around on my own, so naturally, I was a shaky mess both out of excitement and possible fear.
Going to a strange city is always a bit nerve wracking. You always want to make sure you know what to do and how to get around.... Possibly look at a map? I wish I could say that I did, but knowing me, you also probably know I didn't. I only knew that I could get a train out of Pieterlen and end up in Bern... So, I did what any reasonable person would do, hopped on the train and hoped for the best! The first order of business once I got to Bern was trying to find a map. So after awhile of just walking through the streets having no idea what I was seeing, I found the tourist center, got a map and was on my way again! The only tourist center is at the FARTHEST point of the city where the bears of Bern are kept. It's been a tradition since the beginning of the 1200's to have bears in the city. The bear pit is under construction AGAIN, so the bears are spending their summer in the mountains, but since the city has managed to renovate the old bear pit, build a completely new bear pit and then give renovations to the new pit all in about 20 years, chances are the bears may never be in Bern when you go visit.
In other news, I managed to find Münsterplatz where there is a beautiful garden overlooking the river right next to a beautiful cathedral. The cathedral is undergoing renovations, but the tower is still open to go up! It's the tallest cathedral in Switzerland, and if I had known that before I climbed all those stairs, I may have paced myself better! The view up top is incredible! You can see the whole of Bern with the beautiful backdrop of the Swiss Alps. Just as I was heading up, there was a wedding happening inside the church and the bells started ringing. You could feel the tower move with the bells as they rang, which was terrifying, but amazing! If there is one thing I'm happy to have seen in Bern, it would definitely be that. There is something about the sights and sounds that makes you see just for a moment what life might have been like when the church was new and the city was just starting out... Kind of cool to think about....
Love, Alison
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