Swimming in the Emme

My last day in Lützelflüh, we decided to go for a swim in the nearby Emme. Fun was had by all.

Full album here.


That's me inside the waterfall

Selected photos from The Emmental

Full albums: Bern, Burgdorf, Lützelflüh


Lady Justice depicted on a fountain in Burgdorf.


The imposing castle wall of Castle Burgdorf


The Emme and the Emmental


Waiting for noon at the Zytglogge


The famous clock


Let your mind wander on the irony of this scene.


View from the top of the Münster. If you look really hard, you can see the snow-capped Alps in the distance.


Stained glass from inside the Münster.


Sculpture of Mary over the body of Jesus


Random building in Bern


NydeggKirch was build on the foundation of the original Keep.


Aare river forms the outer border of the original town of Bern


Sculpture outside the train station in Lützelflüh


Cheese Factory

I ate a piece of parsley

I'm pretty sure it was just supposed to be garnish for my 3 pieces Nürnburger sausages and sauerkraut, but since I hadn't eaten anything green since arriving 3 days before, I thought it might be prudent. It's amazing how much the body can crave veggies when it's not getting any.

Yesterday, i went with my grandfather and two cousins to Bern, the capitol of Switzerland. One of my favorite things about the city is the many beatiful fountains that adorn its streets

Unfortunately, my favorite one of all, the kindlifresserbrunnen (Eater of small children-fountain) was boarded up, probably to do some restoration.


We also got to swing by the Zytglogge, a Medieval clock tower built in the 13th century. It's pretty neat just to look at, but at noon there's a fancy bit of clock-work action and the gold man on the top bangs the bell. This sight always brings a hoard of tourists, but I was able to sit up on an electrical transformer box or something and take a couple of grainy, jerky videos using my camera.

After that, we headed over to the Münster church, a gorgeous Gothic structure, with an amazing piece of artwork at the entrance that depicts the last judgment. We payed 5 francs for the privilege of walking up 343 steps (each about 6 inches high) to the top ramparts, but from the top we were rewarded with an exquisite view of the town and surrounding country side.


Question: for the 4 of you that are actually reading this thing, do you like that I add all these links? Do you actually click on them?

I loves me my castles

Today took me to the old town and castle of Burgdorf. My Grandfather was my tour guide and told me all kinds of interesting facts. The original castle was built in the 11th century, and was continually modified and added onto until the late 16th century.

Apparently, it's one of the earliest castles in the country, and the same family that built it is also responsible for founding many other cities in Switzerland (including the capital city, Bern, where I'm going tomorrow).

I learned plenty of other interesting trivia, took lots of pictures, and generally reveled in the fact that I was wandering through what was essentially a Medieval town. I also got to drop by a bank and pulled out my 1700 swiss francs which, thanks to the depressed dollar, is basically $1700 (shh, don't tell any gypsies). I'm hoping that will last me at least through Budapest... provided I don't get robbed or swindled.