Training it through Switzerland – Bern

 Bern, Switzerland
May 112022
 

May 2022

Bern, Switzerland

 

The flag of Bern

Bern is the de facto capital of Switzerland, referred to as the “federal city”.  It has a population 144,000 (as of 2020) and is the fifth-most populous city in Switzerland. And according to legend it got its name from the actual animal the bear.

For that reason you will see bears everywhere.

The top of a fountain in town.

The real live bears of Bern in Bear Park

Bern is also sometimes known as the ‘city of fountains’ — it has more than 100 of them. This child eating ogre dates back to the medieval times.  Sadly no one knows its history.   The most probable of all the tales told is that the Kindlifresser represents a fabled character. Mothers would tell their children to behave and come inside and be quiet or else Kinderfresser, or child eater, would come and eat you.

The Child Eater Fountain

 

 

The Child Eater

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rathaus

The Rathaus is the government building of Bern and is still used today. The current building, in the late gothic style, was begun in 1406-07 by Heinrich von Gengenbach on the site of a townhouse owned by the Burgistein family and was completed around 1415 to 1417. Between 1430 and 1450 the grand external staircase was built and two chambers for the great and small councils were added to the upper story. Between 1526 and 1540 the cantonal council building was added near the hall. Beginning in the 16th century other government entities moved into the building including the cantonal archives, the treasury, the mint and the cantonal printing office. The building and the old town of Bern comprise a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Bern’s first high-level bridge was built between 1840 and 1844 to ease the traffic flow within the city. Designed by Architect Joseph Ferry for many years the bridge boasted the largest stone arch in Europe.

The Zytglogge clock tower and the city’s medieval covered shopping promenades

Along the promenade you will find these underground shops, bars and cafes. They sit inside caves and are accessed from wooden slat doors on the ground level.

The River Aare running through Bern

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One of the wonderful statues found in Bern

 

Three Great Restaurants.

Tapas: Ô Capitaine,  at Herzogstrasse 12

Fabulous high end food for little $:  Darling in the hotel Alpenblick

Great Italian Grotto Ticino – Breitenrainplatz 26

Bernini Train of Switzerland

 Bernina Train
May 112022
 

May 2022

The Bernina Express or Red Train has been on my list for a while, thanks to my friend Bruce M.  It is touted as the most beautiful train ride in the world.  I have taken many a train ride, and I would not go so far as to say this is the most beautiful, but it is absolutely worth any effort one would have to take to hitch a ride.

The train has a few different routes, and this is the route from St. Moritz to Tirano.

St. Moritz is world famous thanks to two Olympics, the first in 1928 and the second in 1948.  During April, however, there is no one around and nothing open with the exception of a very few hotels and even fewer restaurants.

Located inside the old school building dominating the Plazza da Scoula is the St. Moritz Library which possesses over 7000 books written in a number of languages including German, Italian, French and English.

The leaning tower is a landmark dating back to the 12th century. It was part of the old Church of St. Mauritius, which was destroyed in 1893.

I do not believe this photo needs any explanation, although it was suggested by our waiter who is a native of St. Moritz

The train is part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites.  It runs approximately 240 miles and is a narrow-gauge rail.  It is the only Swiss railway to cross the Alps and links Italy with Switzerland.

Construction began in 1908 and the railway opened in sections until its completion in 1910. There were two specific needs that drove the building of the rail line. The need for access to hydro-electric plants on the south side of the Bernina pass, and to provide access for tourists to the high mountain area.

There are several glaciers along the route

The weather was better than our attempt at visiting Zermatt, but not that great.  You can watch the changing weather in the photos by watching the sky.

The higher lakes were still frozen over. This is Lago Blanco

Lake Poschiavo was low enough to have thawed

Entering into the Brusio spiral viaduct

A key structure of the Bernina railway is the Brusio spiral viaduct.  It was built to limit the railway’s gradient within its specified maximum of 7%. It is one of the architectural highlights of the Railway.

Crossing the viaduct

Passing under the viaduct and continuing on

An overall look at the Brusio loop and aqueduct

Fun shots from along the ride

The stone mounds are for storing food such as cheese

The trees were just beginning to leaf out

Looking down upon the towns as the train went through the mountains made for the perfect postcard

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Not all the stations were this quaint

Coming out of one of the many tunnels

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A bunker left over from WWII

It is believed that there are over 8000 bunkers spread out across Switzerland. They are a holdover from WWII and the nuclear scare of the Cold War.  Today they are used for a variety of purposes such as hotels, cheese cellars, data centers, museums and even a mushroom factory.

Anti-tank rock placement

Despite never having entered the war, Switzerland is prepared for one. Bunkers began to show up in the 1940s to buttress the Alps against  foreign invasion of a country surrounded by the Axis powers. There are also  360,000 bomb shelters (mainly to protect the Swiss people),  which have been a required feature of any new building since the Cold War.

A hotel on the Lake in St. Moritz

Tools ready for work along the tracks