Bern

Today I headed up to Bern (capital of Switzerland), which is about hour from Lausanne by train. The city’s geography is very unique – its center (basically the city’s “Old Town”) sits high atop an effective peninsula that was carved by the u-shaped flow of the river Aare.

As the city developed, it spread out in all directions from the peninsula, but the primary points of interest for visitors are definitely within the Old Town area. (Disclaimer: I can't claim this aerial shot as my own -- complements of Google.)

The Old Town is lined with cobblestone streets and buildings dating back to the 15th century. There are a large number of fountains (all of which have different wooden carvings) as well as a few sizeable clocks that are nearly five hundred years old.

My favorite sights (aside from the views of the river) were the Bundeshaus (the seat of Swiss Federal Assembly) and Münster St. Vinzenz, a gothic cathedral whose construction began in 1421 and wasn’t “completed” until 1893 (they’re still working on it).

The banks of the Aare are very beautiful, with lots of greenery that complements the crystal blue color of the river itself very well. It turns out that a popular summer activity in Bern is jumping into the river from one side of the peninsula and taking the scenic (and lengthy) journey downstream to the opposite side.

With clear skies and temps in the high-seventies, it definitely would have been the perfect way to cool off and see the town at the same time. Unfortunately, I hadn't come prepared but I definitely want to go back before summer is over and try it out.