Bern, Switzerland

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Today I am in Bern, the capital of Switzerland. It was founded in the 1100s at an easy-to-defend bend in the river (see photo). It is the second largest city in Switzerland (after Zurich) and has a pleasant people-friendly center. There is an efficient tram system (see photo of tram running through medieval tower clock) and a largely pedestrianized old town with arcades and fountains (see photo). The city symbol is the bear (see photo of front of history museum) and its most famous resident was Albert Einstein who was working as a technical expert in the patent office here when he developed and published his famous theories (see photo of Einstein when he was in Bern). I've enjoyed my day in the city. I took the tram from my hotel into the old town and then followed Rick Steves's walk. My first stop was to have an espresso on the main square. It is remarkable how much more expensive such things are here compared to Italy or even France. The Swiss use their own currency, the Swiss franc, so I have had to adjust just as I had gotten used to the euro! Actually, at the moment, the dollar, euro, and franc are all pretty much equal, so it isn't too difficult. But food and drink and museum admissions are expensive here. Not that I mind. After all, I'm on vacation.

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