2011 - Switzerland, Austria - Day 12 - Bern and Lucerne, Switzerland

We left France this morning and drove back into Switzerland, yay! I love Switzerland. I would love to come back with Dave on a road cruiser bike and just drive all over the alps and through the cities and villages. The scenery on our drive was wonderful again. Our first stop was in Bern, the capital. We had an hour of free time. We saw the bears they keep in the city. It was called Bern (bear) because that was the first animal they saw when they founded the city. Now they keep bears by the river for people to see. We started to walk into the city, but we didn’t have a lot of time and wanted to be close to the bus pickup area So we walked back and mom went into a shop while Amber and I walked down by the river. After Bern, we drove to Interlaken for our lunch break. We saw the mountain peak of Jungfrau. The lakes nearby were so beautiful. The water is a gorgeous turquoise color. We sat on a bench in the park and ate our lunch. We also bought some delicious chocolates at a chocolate shop, and Amber said it was the best chocolate she had ever tasted. After we left, she wished she had bought some to take home. Then we drove to Lucerne. It is another gorgeous city. I’ve loved all the cities in Austria and Switzerland. Susie showed us the lion monument. It is a sculpture of a lion that is dying, in the side of a rock face. It is a memorial to the Swiss Guard in a battle that took place between the Swiss and the French. It was beautiful. Then we were given 2.5 hours of free time in the city. The first thing we did was go to the supermarket and buy chocolate to take home. Then we walked across the chapel bridge and went into the Jesuit church. It was very pretty inside. We then went into some shops. Everything is so expensive here! We were disappointed. Amber was hoping for a T-shirt, and I wanted a Swiss watch, but we weren’t willing to pay the high prices. But we were VERY happy with our chocolate purchases!