Thursday, June 21, 2012

Switzerland Day One : Geneva to Bern


As many of you know, we just went to Switzerland and Italy for a bit of a break before diving into another year of school and work.  We were able to make the trip on the cheap (mostly) thanks to frequent flyer miles!  First we went to Switzerland and spent several days on the edge of the Alps.  It was the most peaceful and relaxing part of the trip.  Here are some pictures of our arrival and first day in Switzerland.

Due to a plane delay, we were unable to go directly to Interlaken as planned.  Instead, we stopped in Bern, the capital of Switzerland.  The train ride from Geneva to Bern was gorgeous.  For the first hour or so we skirted around Lake Geneva and then we headed off through farmlands and cow pastures, passing by small villages and towns.  It was my first "real" train ride and I enjoyed every minute of it!






Once we arrived in Bern, we proceeded to go through the process of something we later came to refer to as "Mary and Josephing".  We went from hostel to hostel, hoping to find a room.  What we came to find out was that there was a major soccer game happening that evening and all the hotels were packed with Koreans supporting their team.  Thanks to the generosity of one hostel secretary who called another place (that wasn't in our book) and secured the last room available, we were able to find a place to sleep that night.  God really worked it out because apparently that room had already been rented out but it was closing time and the people who were supposed to stay there had not shown up so they gave the room to us.  It sure is nice to have a place to lay your head!

For a capital city, Bern is a delightful town!  It still feels small and charming.  And thanks to the big soccer game, everyone was watching the soccer game instead of roaming the streets so we had a nice quiet evening walk to ourselves.  Here are some pictures of our walk around Bern looking for a place to stay.







The next morning we got up early and caught a trip to Interlaken, pictures coming soon!



9 comments:

The View from Great Island said...

Christy,
The pictures are gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing them : )

Emily said...

Switzerland could very much possibly be one of the top countries that I want to visit. Thanks for the pictures!

Kelsey said...

Beautiful! I love how the architecture takes you back in time. Me too, Emily!

Glenda said...

that takes me back to when we visited there a few times. such a beautiful place in the world.
what lovely photos.

Christy Joy said...

Emily, I would HIGHLY recommend it! It was so beautiful and relaxing. And to top it off, we went at a time when there was a wonderful combination: it was the height of spring and there were very few tourists. It couldn't have been better!

healthycells said...

What a fun way to travel, by train! You really get a feel for the countryside w/o having to drive. It looks incredibly beautiful and I love the flowers :)

Ali said...

Ahhh, so many awesome things about this post! First, hilarious that so many Koreans were there. They sure love their soccer! But too bad it made it hard for you guys to find a place to stay. Second, wow, so lovely there! I only spent a few days in Switzerland, but they were some of my favourite days in all of Europe. Interlaken, where we were based, is so beautiful, but the Lake Geneva area and Bern both look wonderful, too! Can't wait to see your pictures of Interlaken and so I can reminisce about it!!

Heather said...

Lovely!

Elissa Lombard said...

I LOVE TRAINS! My brother and I both think they should be the primary mode of transportation in the US, but silly politics back in the day.... :( I've been on a few trains, but I went on a cross-country trip once with my grandparents, and I'll never, ever forget that. I'm so happy you had such a great time!

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