Didn’t really know much about Bern, except that it is the capital of Switzerland but not their biggest city.
So it was a lovely surprise to walk and discover it, especially old Bern, which is the city centre. Wide open streets, not much traffic and people just ambling across roads. A great tram and bus network but mostly we walked. However we did catch a tram out to Wankdorf just for a photo opportunity! Ha! Ha!
Loved the fountains with their strange statues down the main street. And of course the famous clock tower was worth a visit to listen to the chimes and watch the bear chasing the king or is it the king chasing the bear! We got there at 11:00am to get a worthwhile amount of chiming.
The Bear park is a bit sad, with three brown bears in a very small area. But it is better than it was many years ago. The bear pit was a tiny round pit which would have sent the bears crazy.
Bears feature everywhere throughout the city. Statue after statue of bears on every corner and in every park.
The area around the railway station is a ‘happening’ place and we saw the drumming group “Red Sticks” playing on all sorts of pots and pans etc one evening. They drew a huge crowd and their busking hat was filling up with Swiss Francs very quickly.
