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We arrived in Berlin Wednesday evening after a long 8 hour plus train ride. Before we talk about our activity here however, there is a little to catch up with from our last two days in Switzerland.
The day after we hiked in the Alps and up the Matterhorn, we were pretty exhausted, so we laid low until about 2, when we decided that we were bored and needed to do something. So, we made up our minds to just walk to the train station and take the next train to Lucerne. We intended to see a few sights, have dinner, and take a train home relatively early, which is exactly what we did. Lucerne is famous for its covered wood bridge that spans the lake that sits in the middle of the city. However, the original medieval bridge burned in the 1990s, so the current version is a restoration, which is definitely not as cool. What was cool was a famous statue called "The Dying Lion" which was commissioned in memory of the Swiss guards who were assigned to protect Louis XVI were killed by French mobs during the French Revolution. The Lion itself is pierced by a broken spear and has its paws over a French shield. When we arrived at the small pond in front of the very large sculpture, it was very quiet which added to the effect of the monument. It was a fitting tribute to those Swiss soldiers. Very impressive as the forthcoming pictures will show.
The next day, and our last day before we left Switzerland, we took a train through Switzerland´s Golden Pass, which runs south of Bern between Spiez and Montreux. The route runs through the gorgeous scenery of the Alps, which was slightly obscured by clouds, through the alpine area to the east, and finally down towards Lake Geneva. The dreariness around the Alps reminded us how lucky we were to have great weather for our first two days on the lake and hiking, but the views were still spectacular through the train´s panoramic windows. The alpine area was something we had not really seen yet. The train wound through the woods in the foothills of the Alps, including a few areas carved out as resorts as well as a few towns sprinkled throughout the east. The view as we descended to Lake Geneva was spectacular. The clouds scattered, and the sun was blinding off of the lake, which backs up to hills, and further back the mountains, as well as a massively wide valley on one end. When we got into Montreux, we walked right down to the water to get in a boat to the Chateau de Chillon, a huge medieval castle. On the way, we stopped in a train station bathroom area where one of us was horrified to learn that females and handicapped people were charged 1 swiss franc to use the restroom while males could use their restrooms (urinals only) for free. Quite a lot of outrage over this. But NOT unwarranted I might add while Bethany reads this over my shoulder.
Anyhow, we boarded a boat to Chillon, where we visited a medieval castle. We initially were not too excited, probably because we were tired, but the castle turned out to be really interesting. Once inside, one could really feel that this was an area where knights and maidens and whatnot lived, with a constant fear of attack and conquer by expanding Cantons in medieval times. Some of the castle was in its original (really old) condition, and those were our favorite parts. Such as the dungeon, and the little escape route out into the lake from the basement for when the castle was inevitably stormed. After we got back from Chillon to Montreux, we took a much quicker and less scenic train back to Bern, where one of the conductors took it upon himself to give us a history of Bern and an idea of what to do "when we have more time." It is obvious that people from Bern (Bernese?) are proud of their city´s history.
So that wraps up our time in Switerland.
Our hotel in Berlin is phenomenal. When we arrived downstairs, we were greated by a live DJ playing good music, free finger food, and good beer. The hotel staff is knowledgeable and helpful. The location is great too, right in the middle of Berlin Mitte, which is the most lively part of the city. Anyway, right now we are in Berlin preparing for an all day tour of Berlin, which might leave us pretty wiped out (it is a walking tour). Our original plan was to do a half day tour yesterday, our first day. However, a member of the hotel staff convinced us that we needed the full day. So yesterday we went to a modern art display at an apparently famous museum. No offense to any modern art buffs out there, but modern art is really, really stupid. It was something to do though. In the evening, we went out to dinner and had a drink at a bar where the theme was essentially one of sitting in a terribly ugly, mismatched, and dingy living room. Berlin is known for this type of bar. However, the bartender fit in with the decor, which was a bit of a downer. In any case, we stayed for our drink and wound up the night.
Three things are readily apparent about Berlin. First, it is far less expensive than Switzerland. Second, night life, which the city is really renowned for, starts at 1 am and lasts through sunrise. Third, the fact that nightlife goes on that long probably means Berlin will actually wind up being more expensive than Switzerland. We plan on going out to Club Moskau, which is apparently a real spectacle. Should be interesting.
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Aunt Mimi What a trip! Knew you would find Berlin progressive and a party city. Enjoy!