Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Bern ~ part two

Before we continue our tour through Switzerland I wanted to share with you a few more sights. Bern is truly an amazing city and there is so much to see. I could spend an entire week taking in the sights in this single location. Let's take another day and stroll through Bern before heading to the Swiss Alps.



One of my very favorite things to do while visiting in Europe is to SHOP!!! They have so many wonderful little shops that carry really unique things that I can't always find in the states. That's what makes the shopping so special.

One of the popular areas to shop in Bern is called Gerechtigkeitsgasse (aka: Justice Alley). It's located in the Old City of Bern. The Old City is where the medieval city center is located and also considered the heart of the inner city. Located in Gerechtigkeitsgasse is a famous fountain called, Lady of Justice.



The Gerechtigkeitsgasse cannot be reached by car without a special permit. It is accessible by foot or bike or by bus line. Both sides of the street are covered with Lauben, stone arcades that protect pedestrians from inclement weather.


Another famous attraction is the Pfeiferbrunnen. It was built in 1545 by the Swiss Renaissance sculptor Hans Gieng. The lovely woodcut Bagpiper originally stood in front of the Gasthaus hotel. The Bagpiper's fingers were damaged during a renovation but thankfully were repaired in 1874. The fountain was relocated from its original spot between Ryffli-and Storchengässchen and can be found in its current location in front of Spitalgasse.


Bern is home to several museums. There are two that I would love to tour, Naturhistorisches, Historisches Museum Bern, and Kunstmuseum Bern. They even have a Swiss Alps Museum. How cool is that?!!!





Barry is a famous Alpine Rescue Dog. A group of monks in St. Bernard's monestary in the alps used bi dogs to help them. These dogs were various big dogs who bred for many many years, resulting in today's St. Bernard. It is named for St. Bernard's Monestary. You can find Barry at the Naturhistorisches Museum.



Remember, Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen, founded the city and named it after a bear he had killed. The Bear is a symbol of the city.



Look at this fabulous Bear park. It's called Bären Park and it's huge!!! The new park opened in 2009 and was specially designed for the bears. It has caves and all. The bears are very well taken care of. You can become a fan by following them on facebook. They post current pictures of the bears.

Look at that adorable face.



You know how much I love to read about historical places. I read that this is a tiny cafe where Albert Einstein use to frequent while living in Bern (between 1902 to 1909).

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2 comments:

Michelle said...

Beautiful, as usual. You feed my wanderlust just terribly! LOL

Jacqueline said...

How beautiful. We didn't make it to Bern. What a lovely mix of old and modern. You are having so much fun, thanks for sharing. It really is hard to share it all isn't it?