Bern

I spent some time walking around Bern while my Aunt Catherine was at the hairdresser. I must say I was already a bit shocked at being in such a large town--although Bern is small compared to most large cities. Just being in a small village for just a few days has made me accustomed to its quietness and the fact that I only see a few people each day. Nonetheless, I could put aside the discomforting catcalls from strange men to enjoy a short walk through the grounds of the Parliament building, see some older men enjoying a game of chess, and watch the dark clouds passing behind the bright gold of the Parliamentary building.

Viele Schloessen

The little park around the Schloess Huenegg

I love the lettering for all the signs--it is common in all the little villages.

There are the Alps in the background, though covered by some clouds. When it is clear, you can see their peaks.

The castle of Thun again--I find it so beautiful.

Sorry these are all a bit mixed up. They take a long time to load so I have not done much to re-organize them. I will load all my pictures onto my Picassa when I return so there will be much more to come later. This is just a sampling.

Schoessen

I have visited many castles with my aunt and uncle. They are much quainter than the sometimes frightening facades of the Palais Royale or Versailles. And much less crowded inside, which is lovely not having to battle crowds while trying to get a sense of a certain history.
The water near the castles, whether just a river or the Thunersee are so clear you can see right to the bottom. I don't know if I have seen clearer water anywhere else. And Lake Thun is a glorious greenish-blue--very cold as it is run-off from the mountains but very clean and fresh.



The Turkish smoking salon at the top of the Schloessen Oberenhof

The colors of the Canton Bern are gold and that beautiful Swiss red--just like the House of Gryffindor! I knew there was a reason I liked Harry Potter so much.

On seeing

I feel as though I could have been here four days or four weeks. Each day is calm and passes with just the perfect pace, and yet so quickly I find again that it is dinner time and then I pass quietly into sleep. I have never felt so comfortable with routine. I wake usually an hour or two after Catherine and Werner; Catherine leaves out some bread and butter and jam for me, as well as the tea pot with an earl grey tea bag--all I must do is heat the water, she reminds me as I come down the stairs from my room.

Time is so quaint and habitual here that I think I should feel the same on my last day here as my first--not that I will have gained nothing from beginning to end but that my affections for this place should always remain constant. It is strange perhaps that I find such comfort in traveling, yet traveling for me has never been about seeing all. In fact, I find that it is largely about halting 'seeing', the desire to see all and thereby know all, that is the essence of traveling for me. I find that such a desire inevitably just hinders seeing. Why are we always so intent on seeing? Our old phrase 'seeing is believing' evinces that it is through sight that we come to know. But what of our other senses? I am perhaps the worst offender of this tired phrase, for I am always reaching for my glasses even in the moments that I could pass by more on feeling or another sense. It is not that I romanticize blindness but rather I like to think how it may be that to truly 'see' is to relinquish any desire to see at all.

But of course, photographs are still a joy to have, so long as we first see and look and feel before the camera comes in the way. Here are a few from a trip to Thun, where my grandfather and his family spent much of their time.





A home where my grandfather's family lived...the rightmost window I believe.
And the castle of Thun--beautifully perched up on the hill.

My uncle Werner has quite a brilliant sense of humor, much like his brother my own Papa. Catherine tells me how a friend of theirs came to visit and on the way received a traffic ticket. The friend left it at their house, expecting Werner to pay it. Werner jokingly only paid 2 francs out of the 50 which were due, resulting in another ticket for his friend and court date. Werner loyally accompanied his friend to court to explain what happened--suffice it to say, the judge was not amused.

Werner also has strong political involvement as he writes letter to the government to ask questions and make complaints, particularly those concerning injustices against animals. Although he enjoys normal servings of meat, he is one of those who believes that the animals must not suffer in the process of their raising. Switzerland has high standards for the handling of animals and Werner is intent upon buying only Swiss meat, rather than American, although I imagine that even with transportation costs it may be cheaper to purchase US meat. A half a kilo of chicken cutlets costs 20 francs, which with the ailing US dollar amounts to about 22 dollars. I am of the mind though that we should spend a larger percentage of our earnings on food, and I think we have it very much backwards in the states.

Huebeli

This country is beautiful. I do love the city of Paris but I must say I enjoy the tranquility of Switzerland. It began to rain as I rode the train from Paris to Bern, which was just perfect. Catherine picked me up from the Bahnhof in Bern and Werner and their dog Molino greeted me at home. Werner, with his sweater tied around his shoulders, reminds me so much of my own Papa. They look very much alike and share much of the same humor. I was in awe when I walked into my room at Catherine. A little wooden writing desk is perched up on a small platform and it has the most spectacular view. All I can see is green and the snow-capped Alps in the distance. Catherine made us dinner of salad, potatoes, meat and Zopfe, a bread common in the canton of Bern. She rolled it out to to Werner and me on the little trolley cart and they showed me the popular European song contest, similar to American Idol but with one competitor from each European country. Apparently, it preceded American by about 40 years and Celine Dion got her start on the show singing for Switzerland. The UK boy group performed, each wearing open leather jackets with one just wearing a leather vest--Werner joked that he forgot to finish his costume.

I woke this morning at dawn to the sounds of the birds singing outside my wind and the fresh air after the rain floating through my window. We took a drive to Thun, where my grandfather grew up, and had an amazing Italian meal there of grilled beef and vegetables cooked to perfection with some white wine and semifreddo for desert. Then we watched the horseraces live from Paris...an Englishman with a funny hat smoking a huge cigar was in the background during the interviews with the winners. 'Sehr komisch', Werner laughed.

Catherine showed me some family photos and her and Werner's wedding video. On 5. Juni they will celebrate their 44th wedding anniversary.

I must go as dinner will be prepared soon. I really wish you could see the view from the windows here where I sit.

x x

Justine

Here we are as the Eiffel Tower twinkles behind us. And Conrad wrapped in his sister's sweater as he forgot his own.

Now that I have settled in Switzerland, I will be able to dedicate more time to writing and hopefully write some more eloquent posts.

Much love to you all. Wishing you could be here with me.

Paris II

The tea caddy and jars above from from the famous Mariage Frere tea museum above their store. They have very old pieces, dating back to the Silk Road.