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Published: July 12th 2014
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Switzerland 4 - Bern and Stein am Rhein, July 11-12, 2014
The last portion of our Swiss vacation began with the train from Wengen to Bern where we spent a few hours in the middle of the day. The old city is very beautiful and pedestrian-friendly. We had read that one should see the chiming of the Clock Tower, with little figurines that come marching out at five before the hour. So, we got to the clock with time to spare, took a few photos, and waited until well past the hour without seeing anything. Were we on the wrong side? Was it broken? No, we were not at the Clock Tower; we were one block away at a tower with a clock, but it was not the famous one. There were a couple other puzzled-looking tourists with cameras at the ready, too. I'm sure the locals get a big kick out of this every day - tourists waiting for something to happen at the boring old clock.
Anyway, we got a nice salad lunch to go from Migros take-away and then went a short distance across a bridge to the Bernisches Historisches Museum Einstein exhibit. That was very
well done and occupied us for at least an hour. There was even a comprehensible, animated explanation of the theory of relativity.
Back to the train station for the trip to Stein am Rhein, one of the most picturesque villages in Europe. Our B&B, Anni's, was actually across the river in Eschenz, and more of a walk from the train station than we had anticipated (at least 20 minutes). Fortunately, it was not raining, and we got pretty hot dragging our luggage past the typical German/Swiss homes and shops. Finally we got to Anni's just as my other suitcases wheel broke (ref. previous blogs). Anni and her big Swiss Mountain dog were very welcoming, and Wayne had the chance to use his German language skills to communicate. We noticed that in this part of Switzerland there is often not an English translation on signs, etc. I think we have gotten off the major tourist path here. Our room looked out across the Rhein toward the village of Stein am Rhein and its castle, Burg Hohenklingen on the bluff high above.
After a quick snack and orientation from Anni we were anxious to take advantage of the good weather
and walk to the castle. Passing through the main plaza of Stein am Rhein, about a half-hour scenic walk from Anni's, we admired the colorful murals on all the central buildings and the medieval feel of the cobblestone streets. It was getting pretty late now (7:30?), so we hurried on up the wanderweg to the castle, passing through a very dark woods. The path gains about 200m very quickly with a series of steps, so it was pretty hard work, but we reached the top in about another half-hour. We were able to go inside the castle, which houses a restaurant, and the view from the top covers the whole village and a good stretch of the Rhein. We had brought a picnic supper and weren't sure where we'd be allowed to eat it. Also, worrying about going back down through that dark woods so late in the evening, we decided to save our picnic for a spot halfway down in the vineyard overlooking the village. This was one of the prettiest spots of our whole vacation, and the sun came out just as we reached it. Wish we could take this view and cool weather home!
We took
a little side trip across a footbridge to Insel Werd, admiring some huge fish in the shallow Rhein below. On the little island there is a church/monastery and a meditation labyrinth, but we did not stay long because it was getting dark now, finally, at about 9:45!
Anni gave us a great variety of homemade jams and goodies in the morning, along with muesli, bakery breads, fresh apricots and cheeses. Fueled up, we made one last excursion to Stein am Rhein for a chance to sit in the plaza at a little cafe and enjoy cappuccino and a pastry, not that we needed them! Finally it was time to go home by train to Zurich and flights to Frankfurt and Boston, alas!
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