Day 10: Bears in Bern

Food of the Day

Omelettes

Practicalities

Cities: Lauterbrunnen

Bern

Chamonix

Weather: Rainy off and on

Hotel: Gourmets et Italy

Sights: Bern

On the Road

I have not talked much about the bus rides, but they were a big part of the trip, and very enjoyable. The bus was big and comfortable. Hilde was a great driver – very skillful. We were all impressed. And the scenery was wonderful throughout the trip.

On this day we drove past Lake Geneva and got a view of Château de Chillon (it’s on the “we’ll have to go back” list). There were vineyards up the mountain sides. Another day we saw Lichtenstein, although we didn’t actually drive through. And I was particularly impressed by the Europa Bridge over the Brenner Pass.

We would stop and have a break every couple of hours. I found the rest stops on the Austrian and German highways particularly interesting. The toilets are pay toilets. You pay, and you get a little voucher, which you can then use to purchase snacks or drinks at the store.

It was also really interesting seeing the border crossings and which countries have tolls and which don’t. I find it fascinating what cars are popular in different countries. We were impressed by the number of SUVs in Switzerland. It’s not usually a common vehicle type in Europe, although I can see how it would be useful to have an SUV if you lived in Switzerland.

One word of warning: if you are prone to motion sickness, the mountain roads through the Alps are nausea-inducing. Bring your favorite remedy. I like the wristbands with a pressure point.

Can you spot the bear in this photo?

This morning we actually get to enjoy Hotel Oberland's breakfast before heading back to the bus. By 8:30 we are on the road again. The weather is pretty iffy again today, and Rick announces a stop in Bern instead of an early arrival in Chamonix. We arrive in Bern about 9:30, and take copies of the Bern City Walk printed out from the Switzerland guide book and maps of Bern. We have three hours to enjoy Bern, pick up lunch, and meet at the bear pit by the river. We start off on the walk and are quickly amusing ourselves with bear spotting, the ubiquitous bear being the symbol of Bern.

Map

Bear tarts in a shop window

Bears on a fountain

Bear flag

I never associate Switzerland with cities, but Bern is actually a really pleasant place to while away an overcast day. There are lots of fountains, including a famous one of an ogre eating children, pretty gardens, and an attractive river front (with a bear statue naturally). If you're looking for the bear in the river photo at the top look at the dam on the river in the center of the photo.

Finally we arrive at the bear pit on the river and purchase sandwiches for lunch before observing the bears cavorting in the rain.

A glimpse of Château de Chillon from the road

Pay facilities

Hilde picks us up at the bear pit with the bus, and we continue on to Chamonix, passing beautiful Lake Geneva and hills covered in vineyards. On arrival in Chamonix we say goodbye to Hilde, check into Hotel Gourmets et Italy and then meet for an orientation walk. We take a second goofy group photo of all of us pointing to Mont Blanc in the rain.

View from Hotel Gourmets et Italy

Group photo by Trish Feaster

Next Trish walks us up to the ticket booth to buy Aiguille du Midi tickets for tomorrow, but the ticket sellers will not sell us the tickets. The weather forecast is not good for tomorrow; come back in the morning and see. Bill and I hit a brasserie for dinner omelettes and return to the hotel.

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