Monday 8th August: Weather: 12°C to 27°C: Sunny and warm and lmost hot
Bern: 7k walk along the River Aare for 3 hours
Ascent/Descent: A Flat walk along River Are
Accommodation: Am Pavillon Bern
Bern Train Station
Our BnB Am Pavillon
Swimmers floating down the Aare
After arriving in Geneva at 8am, we take the 10am Inter City to Bern, where our BnB Am Pavillon is only a 300 metre walk from Bern Train Station. But of course we take a the wrong exit from the tation and it’s a little further than we planned but eventually we arrive and find the key to the front door and our room in the secure box.
Our room overlooks teh train lines, but the windows are sound proofed, so it’s very quiet. Quickly unpacking, we sort a few things and head out for a walk down town. It’s warm, almost hot, as we head down through Marketgasse past all teh old shops, to the Bear Park where we watch two huge bears wandering around. There's a walk along the River Aare which we follow for several kilometres watching the hundreds of bodies floating by. It’s a custom for people to jump in the freezing River Aare which is swiftly flowing through the town, and float down the river for many kilometres using a wet/dry pack filled with dry clothes and shoes as a floatuing device. But it’s a dangerous passtime and about 15 to 20 people go missing in teh River every year. We’re amazed at how many people actually take that chance and spend an hour or more in the freezing 16°C water having fun. The surface temperature is a bit warmer than this at the moment as there has been several heat waves in Europe.
After a bit of shopping in Bern to buy dinner, we return to Am Pavillon and arrange with Luca to meet up in the morning to join him in a hike in Kanderste. Dinner in the garden overlooking the train tracks is fresh bread, tomato ham and cheese washed down with a german beer. It’s a warm evening as we go to bed about 9pm.