Bern and Murten
Monday,
May 14, 2018
Our
chalet, and the entire town of Beatenburg was still enveloped in fog as we set
out this morning; it was eerie to see the shapes of people, buildings and cars
appear out of the mist as we drove down the mountain. We still had no idea what view – if any – we have
from our balcony; we can barely make out the cows on the hillside across the
road!
Bern
is about an hour’s drive from our digs and it was pretty chilly when we arrived
there this morning. It is a lovely city,
small for a country’s capital, but then Switzerland is a small country, so I
guess all is proportional. The old town
center is easily covered on foot and we followed a walking route provided by
the local TI to cover the most important landmarks.
Unfortunately
for us, the old town’s focal point, its clock tower, was sheathed and
scaffolded for renovation. It stands at
the head of the main street, which is lined with the banners of the 26 Swiss
cantons, leads downhill to the swiftly moving Aare River. That street is lined with arcaded sandstone
buildings, as are most of the other streets in the old center; they run for a
length of 6 km. After a 15th-century
fire that destroyed the wooden structures of Bern, the city was rebuilt of
local sandstone, creating a harmonious whole.
The arcades are full of shops, offices, and restaurants, and on the
street side of the arcades are hatches that open onto subterranean restaurants
and clubs. Bern is known for its series
of fountains, dating from the mid-16th century. They are dotted
throughout the old center, most often in the middle of the cobblestoned streets,
and are notable for their sculpted and painted figures. Beneath the main street, a (mostly) covered stream
runs to the river, connecting the “dots” that are the fountains.
Bern
was first settled along the banks of the Aare, and grew uphill. The old tile roofs of the city’s oldest
neighborhoods were at our feet as we took in the views from a couple of bridges
and the panoramic terraces that formed the “backyards” of the Munster
(cathedral), Casino, and Parliament Building.
The hillsides on either side of the cathedral were terraced with
well-maintained garden plots.
Until
the Reformation, the Gothic Munster had been a Catholic church; it was then
stripped of most of its decoration, except for the series of sculptures
representing the Last Supper above the central portal. The spire is the tallest
in Switzerland and the bell is the largest.
Speaking of bells, we have really enjoyed hearing the hours tolled
throughout this trip. Today at noon, the
Munster’s bells sounded for an extended period; it was lovely to stop and
listen.
Bern
may be a small capital city, but the Parliament Building can certainly hold its
own against other such edifices. The
Federal Assembly, topped by a gilded copper dome, is flanked by two wings
housing government offices and a library, sits on a terrace above the Aare,
with a large, fountain-filled public square facing the city.
After
leaving Bern, we stopped a short distance away in Murten, a medieval town on Murten
(Morat in French) Lake. Murten is sometimes referred to as a mini-Bern, as its
old center is dotted with fountains and its main street lined with arcades. We especially enjoyed walking atop the old
city walls and climbing up to a couple of their towers. While on the walls, the bells of the town’s churches began to ring out
the three o’clock hour. Once again, we
stopped, listened, and enjoyed the surround sound. Murten holds an important place in Swiss
history; in 1476, a small band of Swiss Confederates successfully attacked a
large invading force led by the Duke of Burgundy. The battle ensured Switzerland’s autonomy for
decades afterwards.
Before
we left Murten, we had a chat with a local school bus driver awaiting his
charges as dismissal was under way. He
was interested in our travels and told us that Beatenburg, our current base, is
the longest town in Switzerland. (Who
knew they kept measurements?!?!)
We
were able to get some sense of that when we returned to our apartment. The fog had lifted and we could clearly see
Beatenburg strung out along the side of the mountain as we switchbacked upward. We also had a chance to see the views from
our apartment. Lake Thun and Interlaken
are below us, there are snow-capped peaks in several directions, and homes
surrounded by fields on the hillside above and below us. By the time we finished dinner, fog began to
billow up filter down, leaving us with just patchy “windows” through which to
see our surroundings.
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