Bern, Switzerland

It's official.  My cousin Terry and her husband have arrived to live and work in Bern, Switzerland.

Knowing you have family only a few hours away is such a comfort.

Terry and I grew up in Maine not far from each other and Rich and I attended high school together.

We drove down to welcome them to their new home and were reminded what it was like when we moved to Germany. An empty house just waiting to be filled with furniture.

Our Jaxson (tan dog) and their Mikey (white dog) learning to co-exsist

together.

We hopped a train into the "old city"

and had a wander around the market.

We stopped to hear some of the street performers.

This guy had an amazing balancing act where he rolled

the ball all over his body.

It sounds silly but, it was very good.

Bern is the capital of Switzerland.

The "old city" is a medieval city which, is surrounded on three sides by the Aare River.

Bern was founded in 1191 by Berchthold V, Duke of Zähringen.

It is also designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There are eleven 16th century fountains running through the center of the "old city".  They are landmarks and each of them has a special "theme" with a colorful figure mounted on top.

Here's the piper fountain.

We admired the incredible architecture throughout the city.

We stopped to have a look at the very old

astronomical clock.  It seems it was first mentioned in the city accounts of 1444 as being repainted.

We enjoyed watching the clock when it went off.

This is lovely city and well worth a visit.

So far Mac gives Bern 2 thumbs up and says to tell you,

"Mimi will blog about something unique to Bern, the 'Bear Pit'

tomorrow."