Birdbath in Bern

Everything is beautiful in Bern, the flowers, the fountains, the street noise, the buildings and the birdies!!!

Now that's a Unique Elevator

Always on the lookout for elevators-of-interest, we were told about this one in a men's clothing store in Bern.  Each car is wallpapered/decorated. We took a ride and it is unique. No doors, no buttons, you just step on to it as it passes by on its way up or down. No way would OSHA allow it in the U.S!!! It used to move faster but they had to slow it down after a kid broke his arm while riding in it.

Nice View!

Here is the view from the front door of the Bern Temple. Those are the Alps in the distance. In the foreground you can see the flower bed bordered by hedges and brown cocoa bean shells. Isn't it loverly?!

Answer to "Guess That Swiss Thing"

Did you guess that "McClean" is not a subsidiary of McDonalds but is a.....

...pay-to-use BATHROOM! Just insert 2 francs as you go through the turnstile and then enjoy your very clean restroom experience. An attendant is there at all times to keep things shining. Keep in mind, if you are a man, it will only cost 1 franc to gain access to the urinal side of the room. Stay tuned for the next installment of "Guess That Swiss Thing"!!

A 45 Degree Elevator Ride

 We promised grandson Remington that we would look for and send pictures of unusual elevators while we were in Switzerland.

This one we found in Bern. It "slides" up and down a hillside. Take a ride!!

More on the topic of Chocolate

Here in Switzerland they don't mess around with their chocolate...they invented it so they can super-size it if they choose to do so. We can find Ferrero Rocher in the U.S. but have you ever seen one the size of a softball?????!!!!!

Which chocolate bar would you choose?

In Italian grocery stores there are entire aisles of pasta. In Swiss grocery stores there are entire aisles of CHOCOLATE bars!!! Not to mention the end caps, the bins, and the special displays.

"Ba Da Ba Ba Bah, I'm Lovin' It...."

Here is another episode of  "Guess That Swiss Thing"! What is this? Answer coming soon.

Medieval Bern

 We live in a suburb of Bern, the capitol of Switzerland. It is only 10 minutes away by train.

Founded in 1191 and undamaged by the World Wars, it is full of old buildings, bridges, towers, clocks, fountains, and much more. We had fun exploring!

 My Knight-in-shining armor in a great knife shop with every kind of scissor, razor, knife, sword, etc.

A Walk Around the Temple Grounds at Twilight

Lovely buildings and perfect pine trees.

Zollikofen  Ward building

  Housing for temple patrons 

Fall flower beds with "cocoa bean mulch border". For a couple of weeks the temple smells like chocolate!!

Lakes, Mountains and Valleys

What beautiful scenery we saw out the window as we traveled to Ballenberg!!  The mountains you see are the Alps. It was a cloudy day which blocked some of the views but there was still plenty of beauty in every direction. 

Cutest little church we saw out the train window.

 One of many waterfalls in the area.

Say....Wow!!

A Visit to Ballenberg

We so badly want to share with you our trip to and from and visit to this amazing Swiss Open Air Museum! In order to share some video and pictures, we have created a few separate pages on the top right of the blog for you to visit if you want.

There are 100 buildings that have been moved from their original location and reconstructed and opened to visitors. There are cellars, barn stalls, hay lofts, sheds, kitchen, chambers. There are crafters spinning wool, carving wood, making bread as well as hands on displays. There are farm animals, cows wearing bells, pigs, chickens, rabbits and more. Enjoy some of the sights and sounds of Ballenberg! 

Riding the Rails

The train system in Switzerland is amazing! We have been riding the commuter trains and buses but on our P-day we went on a little outing and rode the long-distance train.  

 There is a kiddie car with a play area, bathroom with diaper changing facilities, and board games mounted at the seats.

 Remind you of McDonald's play land?

 This is a compartment with seats for six and door that closes.

 This is inside of the restaurant car...

...and here is the outside of it. What a cool, and reasonably priced way to travel.

Pretzels with Attitude

Have we mentioned how much we LOVE pretzels? There are cheesy ones, sweet ones, nutty ones, chocolate-sprinkled ones, plain ones, etc.  We are in Pretzel Heaven!  

Love the Name

This is the sweetest, friendliest name for a porta-potty.  Toi Toi.....isn't that cute!? We didn't open the door but if it is anything like the rest of this country it is probably spotless inside.

Serious Gardens

 The Swiss take their gardens very seriously! They are organized, weedless and bountiful!

 Loved this face/head modeled into the fence pillar.

Those large leaves belong to a happy rhubarb plant. They are about 18 inches across!

Familiar Stuff in a Foreign Land

 It is so refreshing to see anything written in English! This poster was hanging near the bus stop in a neighboring village. Are those rock formations pictured near the bottom of the poster from southern Utah?! Looks like western/country stuff has a following here.

It is also wonderful to taste things that are familiar. We found a Subway in the mall just two train stops away. We shared a 15 centimeter Italian B.M.T. Combo for lunch complete with a fountain drink with a straw (but alas, no ice) and it tasted, oh, so, yummy!

The Wanderweg (Hiking Trail)

Right behind the Temple and our apartment is a woods with a lovely hiking and biking trail.  We feel lucky to have such a great place to walk right in our back yard. It reminds us of the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York. It is so quiet and peaceful.  Check out those stacks of cut wood...they are so perfectly placed that a mouse wouldn't be able to find room to wiggle between pieces.  

Church Bells

Take a listen to the lovely church bells ringing while looking out our living room window. They ring and then chime the hour and dong the 1/2 hour throughout the day. On Sunday morning they play for a while to call their parishioners to meeting. We find the sound absolutely lovely. What do you think?

Take a stroll with us through the streets of Munchenbochsee

The homes in this town are absolutely picture-perfect.

 The Kirche (Keyr-kuh) is at the center of the town.

 This is the back of this house....

 ... and this is the front.

Gorgeous teal-colored shutters.

We are in trouble now.....

Look at these delectable dainties! Switzerland is not shy of temptation of the sugar and chocolate nature! Not shown are the lovely choices of croissants and soft pretzels! It is certainly hard to resist this kind of temptations!