Bern and the Waterpark

Last weekend, we decided to explore Bern, Switzerland's capital. Some friends of ours told us about an indoor waterpark that is attached to a mall just outside Bern. So, we figured this would serve all the wants/needs of all of us!



On Saturday, we drove 1.5 hours to the hotel. The kids wanted to go to the play area at the mall, which was good, because then Jason and I could shop. We bought our new laptop there, with it's German keyboard, so forgive me some typos if I don't catch them. Many of the keys are out of place and I have to relearn how to type. (Otherwise Iäll end up tzping like this+)



After a few hours at the mall, which by the way was a real by my standards, we had lunch then went into the city of Bern. Bern is another picturesque old town. They are famous for a few things:



1. The Zytglogge-a huge really old clock in the center of town. ...and they have all these cool fountains on the road near the Zytglogge.

2. Einstein discovered the Theory of Relativity while living in Bern. There is a mini-museum set up in the apartment he used to live in during the 1920's and 1930's.

3. The Bear Pits-According to legend, a duke who founded the town in the 1100's sent his hunters to find some game and promised to name the town after the first animal killed, which ended up being a bear (Bär). Since then, the town has been called Bärn, Bern. Another legend says that as long as there are bears living in Bern, the town will be safe from intruders and peaceful.

View of the bridge connecting the bear pits to the altstadt.

Aidan with Finn, the bear.

Finn, up close.

4. Bern is the capital of Switzerland. Here is a picture of the Swiss government building- like our White House or the Capitol. Bern is also home to all of the foreign embassies.

We spent Sunday at the waterpark. It was kind of like Great Wolf Lodge, minus the theme. It wasn't as loud either because it was separated into rooms, not one huge space. It had cool waterslides, a toddler splash area, and many pools. Some were salt water, others were really hot, one was even really cold! I visited the spa for a short massage in the morning, too.

The attached hotel was a Holiday Inn, the first in Switzerland, and was really nice. It's funny, because we stayed in a Crowne Plaza in Wiesbaden last month which is supposed to be the top line of Holdiay Inn brand hotels and it was a dump. This Holiday Inn was WAY nicer! Here are some photos of the exterior of the hotel/mall/waterpark.

It was a great way to spend an otherwise gray and rainy weekend!