The protagonist of this report is the capital of almighty Switzerland. We are talking about the beautiful Bern, a small city, whose discretion allows you to connect with its medieval essence.
The first thing to do when arriving in Bern is to immerse yourself in the old part of the city. It’s a delight. The personality and coherence of its architecture has remained firm for centuries and thanks to that it was recognized by Unesco in 1983 as a World Heritage Site.
The canton of Bern is home to the cradle of Emmental cheese and incredible places such as Lake Thun, or the medieval city of Biel.
And talking about Switzerland is talking about skiing. Lovers of this sport find absolute paradise in its more than 200 stations. Some of the best in the world are found here.
ISURI RIVAS
Isuri is from Eskoriatza, she is 35 years old and has lived in Bern for 9 years, where she has raised a family. She is a computer engineer and lives in Busswil bei Büren, it is a small town of about 2000 inhabitants in the canton of Bern, Switzerland.
With her, we are going to do what cannot be missed on a trip to Switzerland: we will go skiing as a family, with her husband Sebastian, with his parents, and with their two little ones, a 3 and a half year old girl, Elene, and Ekhi, a 7 month old baby. They both have dual Spanish and Swiss nationality.
We will spend the day in the snow, getting to know the best landscapes in the area and then visit the spectacular Lake of Thun.
We will go to her small town, of just 2000 inhabitants, but with a special charm, where we will see a traditional dairy, where the milk is sold freshly milked.
LEIBA QUARRY
Leiba Cantera is 41 years old, from Amurrio and has been working as a computer engineer in Switzerland since 2013, although she has lived in Bern for a year. She has a 4-year-old daughter named Lea with her wife, Blanca, an architect from Madrid.
Leiba is going to show us Marzili, her neighborhood, and a very important part of Bern. This neighborhood is located on the banks of the river Aare, with houses with rear facades that overlook this river, with great views. In this place we can see cafes and shops in addition to the Marzili pools, which makes it one of the most interesting neighborhoods. We will ride a bicycle along the bank of the river.
We will arrive at your house, to change clothes, have breakfast and continue touring the city. There we will meet his wife, Blanca, and his daughter, Lea, and they will show us how they live in the attic of a building that was once a textile company. Then we will go to visit the beautiful town of Emmental. As a good mountain fan, we will finish with Leiba from Mount Gurten, admiring the views that the Canton of Bern offers to the visitor.
IRENE AICUA
Irene is 33 years old, she is from Caparroso and, despite her youth, she is a renowned neurologist at the Biel hospital. She came to Switzerland to study for a doctorate in Lausanne, but she met her partner, a Portuguese boy, also a doctor, and they settled in the Canton of Bern.
With Irene we will start in the Swiss Parliament, from where all the decisions that affect the country are made, and we will get to know the country’s political system.
Then, we will visit the house where Einstein lived for 7 years, and then visit one of the best chocolate shops in Bern, the “Laderach” chocolate shop.
Afterwards, we will move to Biel, the largest bilingual city in Switzerland, where 40% of its inhabitants speak French and 60% German. We will see the old town, which is another medieval wonder, and we will finish with Irene in the traditional winter market of the town.
JOSE MARTINEZ
Jose Martínez is 58 years old, he was born in EIbar, but he lived in Ermua until he was 26 years old. He came to Bern for love; 32 years ago he went on vacation with a group of friends and there he met Caroline, his wife and with whom he has two daughters. He is responsible for the quality department of an engineering company.
Jose is going to show us the medieval old town of the city of Bern, a world heritage site, and he is going to tell us the fascinating story of it.
We will start at the Nydeggbrücke bridge, the place where the city originated. We will continue in the Saturday market, where we can enjoy the coming and going of merchants, where we can see how to buy in Switzerland and where we will learn about the importance of “agriculture 0” in the country.
Afterwards, we will visit the Clock Tower or “Zytgloggeturm”, a fantastic astronomical clock from 1530, which is not lacking in details, which was built between 1191 and 1256. In addition, Jose is an amateur actor and he will invite us to visit a beautiful doll theater , built inside an old winery. And is that Bern is full of old wine cellars. Jose will take us to eat at one of the most famous restaurants in the city, where we will taste the traditional raclette and some typical Swiss dishes.
Finally, we will say goodbye to Jose from the highest tower in Bern, the Cathedral tower, the tallest religious building in Switzerland with a 100.6 meter tower, from where you can admire the best views of the city.
