Berne, capital of Switzerland

Bear Pit at Bern
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After Rheinfall we transfered to Bern, capital of Switzerland for lunch. Before lunch, we ventured around the central area, wow, nice view. Bern is a tiny city of barely 130,000 people and retains a small town’s easy approach to life. The attraction of the place is its ambience; traffic is kept out of the Old Town and you could spend days just wandering the streets and alleys, café-hopping and – if it’s warm – joining the locals for a plunge into the river.

Bear Pit at Bern
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The Clock Tower (Zeitglockenturm) was the city's main clock and therefore had an authoritative function in Bern. It was Bern's first western city gate (1191 - 1256) and formed the boundary of the first city extension. Today it is one of Bern's most important sights. The ornate astronomical calendar clock was created in 1530.

We also saw the Catheral of St. Vincent church, Switzerland's largest ecclesiastical building. Besides, there is also Parliament house, splendid fountains etc.

Bear Pit at Bern
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After Lunch, we visited Bear Pits. According to legend, the founder of Bern, Berthold V Zhringen, named the city after the first animal he killed in the then-teaming with wildlife Alpine forests, namely an unsuspecting bear in 1191. This momentous Bern hunting trip is idealized in a sunken concrete pit in east Bern, where large brown bears hulk back and forth while onlooking visitors toss treats, grateful for the distance.

After Bear Pits, we stopped by the Rosengarten (Rose Garden), a large park with a wonderful view of the old town and river Aare loop. After that, we continued the bus ride to Lucerne.