Walking the city

When I’m traveling, I find that the best way to get to know a city is to walk it. And I love to walk.

So this morning I struck out in Berne (or Bern) while Ron did preparations with his team.

I decided to follow the path we went our first night, when we walked to a restaurant on the Aare River, and then took a bus into the downtown and a tram home. I opted to walk the entire route.

The city is certainly a beautiful one in which to walk. The path down to the river was cobblestone, with big, old trees lining the path. There is a bike lane on the road, so the city definitely encourages being outside and exercising.

Once I reached the river (Berne is built on a curve of the Aare River), I crossed a bridge into the old downtown. This is full of cobblestone streets, with cafes, shops and historical statues throughout.

In fact, in 1983 the historic old town in the centre of Berne became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I left the hotel thinking I would take a short walk for some exercise, and once I was into the old town, I immediately regretted not having my camera. This is a good excuse to make the trek again.

I passed tourists taking pictures, people having pastries and coffee in cafes (as expected, the coffee is amazing here), and children on bikes and scooters. I also walked through a sidewalk market with a wonderful array of vegetables, including an entire table with a huge variety of mushrooms. I passed several clock towers and churches, museums and statues.

It turned into a one-hour walk, and a great start to my day. The rest of the day will be spent cheering team Canada at the first ever world mixed curling championship. Guten tag, bonjour, good day to everyone at home!