Bern

Bern is the capital of Switzerland and is located in the German region of Switzerland.  The train ride was about two hours long but there were some beautiful views along the way.  This day was by far our worst weather day, it was gray and rainy the whole time we were in Bern.  Despite the weather the town is lovely.  There are fountains every few blocks and a beautiful clock tower in the heart of the city.  The city is well designed because most of the walkways are covered so we were able to stay out of the rain for most our time walking around the city.  The streets are lined with shops and restaurants that ranged from tourist shops to high end shopping and everything in between. 

We made our way to the Bern bear exhibit but the bears weren’t keen on the rain especially after recently awaking from hibernation so unfortunately we didn’t get to see them but it was neat to see their exhibit.  The overlook also gave us a great view of the water that runs around the whole town as a modern day moat.  The view was very idyllic even in the rain.  Our next stop was the Natural History Museum.  The museum was showcasing an exhibit for the Terra Cotta Army called Qin.  It was a well laid out exhibit and brought back very fond memories of my 2006 visit to China.  They did not allow pictures but we did purchase a terra cotta army figurine to display on our bookshelves at home.  He is a very nice keepsake and reminder for me of both trips.  After the Qin exhibit we moved to the second floor Einstein museum.  We both enjoyed the Einstein museum more than we expected.  The exhibit focused on his life and scientific accomplishments but also wove in his political involvement.  This was particularly fascinating as he was heavily involved in the politics around the Nazi movement in Germany and the US nuclear weapon development.  We spent about two hours weaving our way through the exhibit and thoroughly enjoyed it.

After the museum we grabbed a quick lunch and headed back to Lausanne.  While on the train ride the skies miraculously cleared and offered some beautiful views of Lac Leman.  As soon as we got off the train we rushed down to the lake to take in the views that had been obscured since our arrival by the clouds and fog in the basin of the lake.  Kim and Anthony assured us the lake offered beautiful views of the Alps but until the clouds cleared after the storm we hadn’t been able to see it for ourselves. 

Kyle’s Update:
So I couldn't help myself anymore; I had to add some photos. The one of Dale and I is from today out by Lac Leman with the French Alps in the background. Today is the first day that they've been really well visible. Another is from yesterday from the highest tower of the chateau as I promised yesterday. And finally the last photo is from today in Bern; it is the top of one of the many fountains in the city. It was a rainy day, but we made the most of it seeing the Qin Dynasty (Terracotta Army) exhibit and the museum dedicated to Einstein. Now those were cool! I promised Dale I wouldn't steal her thunder so she'll have many, many more pics when we get back on Sunday!