Bern

On Saturday, we took a trip to Bern. Bern is the capital of Switzerland and is on the UNESCO list of world treasures. The city is known for it's fountains over 40 of them. We only got to see a couple of them. The river Aare runs through the city, and this is where Einstein wrote many of his famous papers. We had the opportunity to see the Muenster church which was built over a hundred year period and was finished in 1588. At least from my perception, I had the feeling that Bern was much more relaxed than for example Zurich. We met up with friends of mine Martin and Susanne, and strolled through the farmers market where we picked up the makings for a picnic lunch. Fresh ButterZoph bread, salami, Emmentaler cheese, green olives marinated in garlic, Ham, purple cherry tomatoes, and apples. Yummy! Then we headed over to the park by the Muenster. The children enjoyed the festival that was taking place there. They had the opportunity to paint their faces, play games, and walk through the labyrinth. We wished that we had a longer stay because not only didn't we get enough time with our friends, but we only got to see a small portion of the city. I guess we are just going to have to go back. We also had the opportunity to visit with our friends Sylvia, Renee, and their children who use to live down the street from us. We use to car pull with them. Sylvia made us a really yummy dinner while the children played outside. Not that I would want to live full time in Switzerland because the winters are too long, but they just built a new house with the most amazing view of the Bernese Oberland (a mountain range here in Switzerland).