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Published: November 14th 2005
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Bern
A city nearly surrounded by a river. Hello Reader.
After checking into my hostel in Interlaken, I headed up to see my bed. I was one of ten guys staying in the room. One of them was in the room, Caj, (pronounced Ki). He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and tight clothes. He was, of course, Sweedish. We talked for a bit then went to the kitchen for dinner. We took full advantage of 'happy hour' at the bar where drinks were two for one. We had a couple beers while watching the New Zealand vs. Ireland rugby game. Those rugby guys don't mess around. No pads, no helmets, just a bunch of barbarians tackling each other trying to get an egg from one side of the field to the other without breaking it... i don't know the rules, really... can you tell?
I noticed they were showing Pirates of the Carribian in the movie room. I had a front row seat, fo sho. After the movie, I went up to lay down for a bit, around nine thirty or so. Caj asked if I was going to the club at all. I told him yes after a short nap.
Cut to the next morning...
Bear in Bern
This lazy bear is the symbol of Bern. Well, maybe not THIS one. I was so mad at myself. Slept right through, the whole night, twelve hours. It didn't help hearing all the stories the Australians were telling about what a great time they had. Crap with a capital C. Oh, well, saved money and caught up on some sleep... i guess that doesn't make it better. I went down for the modest breakfast offered free of charge by the hostel. Modest being the key word here. Two slices of bread, pad of butter, pad of cheese, and coffee. Everything else cost money. I shaved, packed, and headed to Bern by train.
Thanks to Trudy, Zero Seven relaxed my pace as I walked out of the Bern train station. I thought I would be walking around by myself for a while so I first headed to a hostel to drop off my stuff and call my host, Anja. She wasn't busy and said I could come over now. I got directions to her bus stop then hiked the steep hill back up to the train station, from whence I had just come. She met me at her stop with a smile and strawberry blonde hair. She just finished up university and is
enjoying not having to worry about studying or exams. She took me to her flat, and I met her roommate, Daniela (not the same one from Luzern, i think) who was German and the three of us headed out for a day of city walking and picture taking. Perfect.
Bern is located at a river bend. It is really remarkable how nice it looks considering how old the city is. We went to the bear pits located at the river. Tourists come here often to watch the majestic animal, the symbol of Bern, sleep. Though it has been tradition to have the bears there for almost one hundred and fifty years, it is sad to seen them confined to such a drab concrete shelter. We walked on. Some old bridges, an old cathedral, a cup of coffee (best in town, I was told). We went to a photo exhibit at a nearby art gallery. It turned out to be three large dark separate rooms showing three short (about ten minutes) bizare films about people coping with living in a city, then cursing at abnormal hell parts in damn their sentances. The films were in English and I was still
My wonderful dinner
Pasta, fresh off the grill. perplexed. In Bern, four francs can buy a head full of confusion.
We came home, they cooked pasta with tomatos, onions, garlic, what tasted like spinach, and basil. We had sparkling wine and I then met Dennis, their third (and final) roommate. Anja and I headed to the movie store to rent Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind. The rental place was closed, but they had an automated system that allowed rentals after hours. I had never seen one. I giddily followed her in and rented Layer Cake instead, (the other was sold out). Layer Cake is from the makers of Snatch, we had never heard of this one. It was severly good, though. They watched a German show about detectives and I made up my own dialogue, it was funnier that way. I watched a couple more movies and fell asleep.
Today, the weather isn't so nice. Actually, it is one of only maybe two or three days that isn't beautiful. I have had excellent luck with weather, considering it is the middle of November. I want to go take pictures, and tour the parliment building. I also have to put my pictures on to cd and send them home. I'm up to about nine hundred now. Tomorrow I leave for Montreux (maybe), then to Geneve.
Did you know Bern was where Einstein was living when he came up with E=MC(squared)? They say you can sometimes see his ghost on a night with a full moon after you have had to much to drink and your vision is cloudy from swimming in a pool with too much chlorine and your friend laughingly points to a female maniquin in a store window and tells you that it's Einstein for real this time.
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Tiffany
non-member comment
you should have given the bear a pillow!