From Thursday, July 17th to Friday, July 25th, I took a 9-day, 7-night trip using Swiss trains to visit four places: St. Gallen, Engelberg, Interlaken, and Bern. I also took a trip using Swiss trains in August 2023 (A Swiss train journey in August 2023. – 旅好き爺の旅行記 ), so this is the second installment.

On this trip, I traveled from Zurich Airport to St. Gallen and took tourist trains such as the Voralpen Express, Lucerne-Engelberg Express, and Lucerne- Interlaken Express to enjoy the magnificent scenery of the World Heritage sites of St. Gallen, the old town of Bern, and the Swiss Alps, including Mount Titlis and the Jungfraujoch.

This time, I’d like to introduce Bern, the final destination of this trip. The beautiful Old Town of Bern, which still retains the appearance of a medieval European town, was registered as a World Heritage Site in 1983, and I had been hoping to visit it again in 2023 when I passed through it on my way back from Lucerne.

July 23rd (Wed)
When I woke up in the morning, the beautiful Jungfrau, illuminated by the morning sun, gently saw me off from the balcony.

After having breakfast at the hotel, I boarded the InterCityExpress (ICE) bound for Berlin Ostbahnhof, departing from Interlaken Ostbahnhof at 9:59. The ICE is Germany’s proud train, boasting a top speed of 300 km/h, and runs all the way to Switzerland. Although it was a different train from the one I took, I took a photo of an ICE crossing a railroad crossing yesterday on my way to the Harder Kulm observation deck.

My train journey companion this time was a Swiss white wine I bought at the convenience store in the station. It was fruity and easy to drink.

The train runs along the shore of Lake Thun for a while.

I arrived at Bern Station at 10:56 and my accommodation for the night was the Kreuz Bern Modern City Hotel, about a 7-8 minute walk from the station. Naturally, my room wasn’t ready yet, so I left my suitcase there and immediately set off for a stroll around Bern’s Old Town. After a short walk, I arrived at the clock tower, a landmark of the Old Town.
Bern developed around a fortress built on a small hill surrounded by the Aare River by Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen in 1191. This clock tower (Zytglogge) was built in the 13th century as the western gate of the outer wall surrounding the city, and a spring-driven clock was added in 1530. As the city grew, it is now located in the center of the city.

After walking for a while, the spire of Bern Minster came into view. Bern Minster is a cathedral whose construction began in the 15th century on the basis of a 12th/13th century church, and is the largest late Gothic masterpiece in Switzerland.

The relief of “The Last Judgment” on the main gate door is a beautiful piece of work.

The stained glass is also worth seeing.

Next, I went to the nearby Einstein House. Einstein was a German-born Jew, but lived in this room with his family for three years from 1903 to 1905. After going up the stairs and purchasing a ticket, you can see the furniture and documents used by the Einstein family at the time. He published his theory of Special Relativity in 1905, so it’s possible that he wrote his paper in this room.

It was lunchtime, so I went to a nearby restaurant called Harmony and enjoyed a large sausage with a local beer. The spicy flavor went perfectly with the beer.

When you walk around the old town, you can see drinking fountains with colorfully decorated pillars here and there. There are 11 of them, but I will introduce five of them. The photo below shows a Ogre fountain cannibal eating a child.

Markesman fountain, Marktgasse, there’s a bear cub with a gun at his crotch.

Samson’s Fountain, the scene from the Old Testament where Samson slays the lion. Some people are filling up plastic bottles with water, so it must be drinkable.

Anna Seiler Fountain, the woman who founded the first hospital in Bern in 1354

Zähringen fountain, a bear, the symbol of the Duke of Zähringen, wearing armor

Since Bern is the capital of Switzerland, the Federal Council is located in the center of the city.

On the left side, there was a Ferris wheel. The view from up high was amazing.

A view of the west side of town.

You can see the spire of Bern Cathedral on the east side. I thought it would be the end of the ride, but passengers kept getting on and off along the way, so it took four turns before I reached the drop-off point. It was my first time on a Ferris wheel that didn’t finish in one turn.

Children are having fun playing in the fountain in front of the Federal Building despite the heat.

Tram running under the prison tower

Bern is surrounded on three sides by the Aare River, which meanders in a U-shape, and from the Röhrleinebrücke I could see a train crossing the Aare River bridge. The Aare River originates from the Aare Glacier in the Bernese Alps, passes through Interlaken, where I was staying until recently, and flows into Bern and then into the Rhine.

The streets are decorated with Swiss flags, Bernese flags, etc. The buildings are connected by arcades, making it a unique structure that makes it safe to walk even on rainy days.

For my last dinner in Switzerland, I went to Volkshavs 1914 in the Best Western Plus Hotel Bern, which was close to our hotel.

I ordered the Swiss red wine Syrah du Valais AOC Bonvin, Valais, Schweiz, which was fragrant and had a powerful flavor.

I ordered a small portion of beef tartare with toast and olive butter, and it came with 12 slices of half-sized toast on a circular serving of beef tartare. It was so much food that it was impossible to eat without sharing. As with other places, the small portion was only slightly larger than a single serving in Japan.

The original Zurich-style veal slices with mushrooms, buttered “Swiss Ruste” and sauce were very tasty and flavorful.

Juky 24th (Thr)
I took the IC8 train departing Bern Station at 07:02, so I couldn’t have breakfast at the hotel because it was so early in the morning. However, when I mentioned that I would be checking out early in the morning and couldn’t have breakfast, the hotel prepared a breakfast pack for me with sandwiches, fruit, etc. I was very grateful.
I arrived at Zurich Airport Station at 08:14. Zurich Airport is easily accessible by train. After checking in at the airport counter, I boarded flight JL6844, a codeshare flight with Finnair, departing at 10:50, arriving in Helsinki at 14:35. Water and blueberry juice were complimentary on board, but everything else was charged. Apparently the blueberry juice was Finnair’s.
I changed to flight JL048, departing Helsinki at 18:25, and arrived safely at Haneda at 14:20 the next day, earlier than scheduled. Since European flights do not fly over Siberia, the return flight takes a southern route, but I was surprised to find that the return flight took a northern route, possibly due to the wind direction.

Although the trip took place when the Swiss franc was at its highest value against the yen, overall, the cost was roughly the same as when I traveled two years ago. Switzerland doesn’t have any particularly outstanding cuisine, but the wine, cheese, and other dairy products were delicious. The views of the Swiss Alps were also spectacular. It was also a fantastic trip, as I had the opportunity to experience history, including towns that retained a medieval atmosphere. I plan to continue traveling as long as I have the energy.