A Day in Bern

Still no news about outreach but I had plenty to distract me yesterday. The whole school went into Bern for the day and first thing we went to the top of Mount Gurten. Gurten overlooks the city of Bern, however it was so foggy we could hardly see a thing - disappointing cause it was meant to have a great view of the Alps also :( We spent the time on the mountain in prayer for the city (although I think a little less praying and a little more giggling, throwing snow and complaining about the cold actually happened!) and then walked back down the mountain. Yep, everyday I'm being reminded of how unfit I am! We then split up - some of the school went straight back, others stayed for some sightseeing. I, along with some others, decided to stay in town for a traditional Swiss meal...but more on that later :)

The Swiss Alps are behind us...if you look closely :)

You can tell it was cold! Me, Lisa (Germany), Samantha and Krista (U.S)

This is best photo I got of the Alps...despite the fog they were truly amazing

Our little exploring-Bern group consisted of Joey, Krista and Whitney from the U.S and Tabea, a native Swiss. We were so glad to have her along, we would have been so lost otherwise! We went to all the local hot spots and checked out all the cafes. The Swiss LOVE their cafes! Picture this: walking down a cobblestone alley, giant snowflakes falling and warm, candlelit cafes lining the street...mmhmm, Switzerland is everything you picture romantic Europe to be!

We went to a beautiful cathedral called Munster (don't worry, I laughed too)...I have never seen anything so majestic! It was absolutely enormous and was so intricate inside. Unfortunately we couldn't take photos :( Inside there were enormous stained glass windows that told the story from Jesus' birth to His ascent to heaven and there were carvings everywhere...on the pews, the ceiling, the walls. As you can tell, I was blown away! I'm collecting souvenir pins for my bag and bought my first pin here :)

The Munster church

Tabea, Joey, Me, Krista and Whitney

We checked out Switzerland's supermarket, Migros, which is like Coles and Target and Office Works combined! It has absolutely everything there! I was able to find a lot of GF food, which was fantastic as I am fast running out! By the time we got to Migros, several of us were busting for the toilet (another Australian phrase - Krista had never heard the term 'busting'!) so we had to pay 1 frank for the bathroom there, and then they give you a voucher for 1 frank to use in the store! This was at least better than most public toilets here...you have to pay just to use the toilet!! Dinner was next, and we went to a Swiss restaurant (the name of which as escaped me...cause I couldn't even pronounce it!) and had a traditional dish...rosti. Rosti is like a Swiss has brown - they cut the potatoes like mini french fries and fry them in a special way. I had mine with ham and egg, but the more popular option was with Swiss cheese. Yummm!! Downside was...I had to pay 4.90 for a bottle of water!! So I took the cheap option and filled my bottle in the toilets : / At home I would have been grossed out by that but somehow priorities change when you're away!

Yummy Rosti!!

After dinner we stepped back out into the snow, into the magical lit-up city. So beautiful! (sorry, forgot to take photos!) Managed to find the right bus and got back to Wiler...only thanks to Tabea, otherwise we would probably still be stuck in the city! After a lengthy discussion about Barak Obama and Julia Gillard, we stumbled into bed....and had the best nights sleep!