Friday, May 15, 2009

A DAY IN BERN PART I - UN JOUR À BERNE N°1

The week after we went to Sion (see post 1 & post 2), we once again took the train on a journey to Bern, the Capital city of Switzerland. There we had a wonderful time cruising through the old streets and admiring the beautiful architecture...

Bern is the fifth most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich, Geneva, Basel and Lausanne) and is situated in the Swiss German speaking part of our country. It was founded on the River Aare in 1191 by Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen who allegedly named it after a bear (Bär in German) he had killed.

Luckily most of this town's medieval center has remained largely preserved and is classified as UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since the 16th century, the city has had a bear's pit (the Bärengraben) which used to be off the far end of the Nydereggbrücke (bridge). It no longer contains any bears, the last having been put down in 2009 and the remaining bears being kept in a zoo until they can enjoy their new place (no concrete jail this time, but a green park on the side of the river) which is currently under construction.

49 comments:

  1. oh quelle superbe photo tu est vraiment très douer pour les faire à chaque fois tu me fait voyager grâce à elle !! bisous sandra

    ReplyDelete
  2. ça a l'air superbe, Berne ! Je ne connais pas mais il faudrait un jour que j'aille un peu mieux explorer la Suisse, que je ne connais que par ses stations de ski ! ;o))
    Bises
    Hélène

    ReplyDelete
  3. so beautiful pic.s now it's a dream to reach ther for me so beautiful

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tu fais vraiment de très belles photos !
    Bisous, Doria

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have always wanted to visit Bern. I studied about this city when I was little - and your pictures really show the beauty.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Bern looks like a beautiful place to visit.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Simply beautiful! Thank you for sharing the pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bern looks like such a wonderful place to visit! I would love to go some day soon! Thank you for sharing the pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a beautiful city. I've been to several places in Switzerland, but never Bern. I've been missing out on a great place!

    ReplyDelete
  10. .. j'aimerais vraiment avoir la chance de voyager avec toi ma chère Rosa;)

    ..tes images sont magiques..

    ~nancy xx

    ReplyDelete
  11. Such gorgeous photos! I was only in Bern once when I was twelve and remmber the famous clock, the beautiful buildings and of course, the bear pit. Hopefully, I can make it back there sometime soon.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have never been to Bern. Other places in Switzerland, yes, but not Bern. So thank you for sharing your lovely photos. I am a keen travelling and being so far away from practically EVERYTHING I often seek gratification from other people's travel experiences! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Merci pour ce magnifique voyage, tes photos sont tout simplement superbes !!! bisous

    ReplyDelete
  14. Je ne connais pas Berne, mais ces vues ravissantes donnent envie de partir à la découverte !
    Très belle photo de ton flan libanais !

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow, what great architecture. Your pictures are always so beautiful, what kind of lens are you using for these pics?

    ReplyDelete
  16. SARA: Thanks! I use Nikkor 18-55mm lenses (those went together with the Nikon D40 camera)... I'm planning on buying another set soon, well that is when I have enough money to do so.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow, you are on vacation a lot this days. This is what great about most country in Europe, you can just hop on the train, and viola... it takes you anywhere you want.

    So, if this city is the German speaking part city, do you also speak German? what happen then if you don't? Silly question eh? I suppose they all speak English? Just curious.

    Nice photos as always.
    Have a wonderful week end.
    Hug,
    elra

    ReplyDelete
  18. ELRA:Thanks!

    Well, in fact we only went there for a day as a friend of mine gave us 2 sets of day tickets (the other set, we used to go to Sion)... Yes, it is quite easy to hop in the train to travel, but it is far better with the aeroplane (if you want to travel through Europe) as it is a lot cheaper and quicker! Unfortunately, travelling by train costs a little fortune, here in Switzerland... It is a lot cheaper to travel to England than to go to Zürich from Geneva!

    Yes, I also speak a little German and understand the Swiss-German dialect (my boyfriend is Swiss-German). If you don't speak German, then you might be able to communicate in English (nowadays, everybody knows a little English) or in French.

    Have a great weekend too!

    Cheers,

    Rosa xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  19. What beautiful pictures Rosa.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Beautiful photos, Rosa! The city is absolutely gorgeous, and I love the red roofs!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Rosa, what stunning photos. Viewing and reading this wonderful post I feel like I am there with you - Bravo!

    Rosie x

    ReplyDelete
  22. I'd love to visit right now these beautiful places!! but, by the moment, I enjoy seeing the wonderful photos of Bern :)

    Have a great weekend!
    Gera

    ReplyDelete
  23. Un bien belle ville qu'hélas je ne connais pas mais grâce à toi, on en découvre une petite partie...c'est magnifique!Bises

    ReplyDelete
  24. J'aime beaucoup Berne et tes photos sont bien représentatives de l'ambiance qui y règne...
    Merci !

    ReplyDelete
  25. De magnifiques photos...J'aime ces endroits au charme désuet "Moyen Âgeux"...
    En plus tu as eu beau temps, donc de superbes ciels!!!

    Merci de partager tes visites avec nous!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Moi non plus je ne connais pas Berne, mais j'ai très envie de m'y rendre maintenant que j'ai vu tes photos. Quel charme!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Rosa,
    Thank you so much for visiting my site, I really appreciate the support. Thank you again for sharing your trip and the pretty pictures, make me want to see it in person. Very nice.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Rosa your photographs of all the places you visit are wonderful I feel as if I have been there. They make my day :)

    ReplyDelete
  29. Beautiful photos. One day I need to visit.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Lovely light!

    ReplyDelete
  31. That has to be one of the prettiest towns I have ever seen. It is now on the list to visit one day. That last shot is amazing. xo

    ReplyDelete
  32. Merci pour ce beau voyage ...biz

    ReplyDelete
  33. So nice to these all beautitul pictures :)

    I think Switzerland is one of the best countries in the world to live in.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Cette ville semble magnifique. Nous ne sommes encore jamais allés en Suisse mais c'est un de nos projets. Tes photos sont, comme toujours, splendides!

    ReplyDelete
  35. A beautiful day, a beautiful city, great photos. Makes one want to go ... even if I do dislike air travel!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Très jolie promenade :) ça me rappelle la première fois où j'y suis allé; la vielle ville est vraiment très jolie! Tes photos aussi :)

    Bises

    ReplyDelete
  37. I always dream to travel to Switzerland. How lucky you are!
    BTW, thanks for your reply on the University of Zurich. When you plan to come to Malaysia, do let me know, I would take you aroud and taste our Malaysian food!!!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Visiting cities is one of my very favorite kinds of posts - thanks for taking us along. I just finished a French series and I miss doing it already.

    I've never been to Bern, only Zurich. It's a lovely city. Great photos too.
    Sam

    ReplyDelete
  39. Tes photos, sont une invitation au voyage ! Bernes semble en effet une très jolie ville.
    Bises et bon week-end
    Paola

    ReplyDelete
  40. WOW, Can't believe that travel with aeroplane is cheaper! But then, you probably won't get to enjoy the beautiful scenery...

    Wonderful that you can speak so many languages, it's a treasure for life! One can learn, but to speak it is a different matter. I learn French, and still can't speak it! LOL. Especially now that my brain is getting rustier, double LOL!
    hug,
    elra

    ReplyDelete
  41. I've never had the pleasure of seeing Switzerland yet. But your lovely photos sure make me want to go there. The architecture is just incredible.

    ReplyDelete
  42. très sympathique, une idée de voyage! bisous

    ReplyDelete
  43. These photos are glorious Rosa! I want to go there! You're so lucky to have access to all this beauty. But I'm glad you appreciate it :)

    ReplyDelete
  44. c'est une ville que je ne connais que de nom mais elle a l'air très belle et j'aime ce cour d'eau qui la traverse , on a l'impression d'être près de la campagne

    ReplyDelete
  45. Visiting your blog is like the travel channel sometimes! I try to picture these colorful towns covered in snow - it's all so different from our spread out concrete pre-fabricated world. Interesting about the bears...

    ReplyDelete
  46. Tes photos me donnent très envie de connaître la Suisse!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Rosa,
    Love your blog...I found you through my friend Kevin at www.seriouslygood.kdweeks.com. My husband lived in Bern as a child and I so loved looking through your pictures. I have not yet been and I know he will love explaining to me where all these lovely places are. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  48. ERIKA: Thanks ever so much for your kind words and for passing by! I'm glad you like my pictures! Is your husband Swiss?

    ReplyDelete