Switzerland: From Bern to Geneva and Everywhere In Between

Stephanie B.
Aug 22, 2017 · 5 min read

We were feelin’ the Bern — or, more accurately, we were feeling the sunburn! It was really hot in Bern over the two days we were there. We found cover in the city sidewalks which are built under the building archways. A novel architectural miracle that we wish more sweltering cities would construct!

Most days though we had to take refuge at our Airbnb and lucked out with another lovely Swiss host. Richard is a pastor who once lived in Southern California where he completed his theological studies. We got to talking about both of our beautiful states and had a lot more things in common.

It turns out that pastors in Switzerland (much like teachers or doctors in the states) pursue continuing education and he recently visited Ireland for a course. Since we had just visited Ireland we got to talking about our visit. Apparently, the Celts have deep roots spreading the gospel around the world even in Switzerland. And, as luck would have it he mentioned the pastoral tradition of mentoring — one of our favorite subjects! From Richard we learned about the differences between the Celtic and Roman Catholic mentorship models. Roman Catholic monastic mentoring is hierarchical in that the mentor is superior in his knowledge and insights bestowing information and advice to his protege. In contrast, the Irish pre-Catholic monks mentor on the same level as their proteges. This would be similar to present-day coaching where mentors watch from the sidelines while their proteges have the liberty to interpret experiences firsthand without mentor interference. I found this “new” model fascinating, and got to thinking about how each form of mentoring could be valuable. It further supports my theory that mentors and coaches are vital to personal and professional development. But I digress! I promise to write more on this in an upcoming Forbes article…Back to our stay in Bern!

The main attractions of the Old Town are a beautiful clock tower which sings and dances at specific hours, and Einstein Haus. You read that correctly: Einstein’s House. The man, the myth, the legend himself wrote some of his most groundbreaking theories in Bern! Just by walking the same steps as he did and standing in his house, we felt the same laws of space and time apply to us as it did to him — and to all other non-accelerating observers.

We also visited the Bundeshaus, or Swiss Parliament, because if anybody knows how to collaborate and agree on something, it’s got to be the Swiss. But, the most novel attraction of the city was the Bärengraben, or Bear Pits. There are brown bears lounging on one side of the river in a caged-off area that spectators could view from above. Luckily the bears had access to shade and water area to stay cool since they could easily overheat. And, we got a great view of the city in addition to the bears.

From Bern, we took the scenic route through Vevey and Lausanne. Vevey was simply breathtaking. The mountains stretched up from the water with a ferocity that we hadn’t seen anywhere else except for the Nā Pali Coast on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. It was a gorgeous sight to see. It really made us regret not staying in Vevey, and also missing out wine-country in that area. And, the drive up over to Lausanne was full of spectacular views of the lakeside mountains. In Lausanne, we walked a bit along the lakefront promenades at Port Ouch and drove past the Eole Sculpture and Olympic Park. We had to conserve our energy for Geneva before the midday heat scorched us.

In Geneva, we visited the Palace of Nations, which is the current home of the United Nations Office in Europe. The place was closed for the summer, so there went our plans to become U.S. ambassadors. Across the street from the palace sitting at 12 meters (39 feet) high, the three-legged chair serves as a reminder to politicians and others visiting Geneva of those millions of people handicapped by landmines. I felt it important to lend support to the cause.

Walking over the Pont du Mont-Blanc, we spotted the most famous landmark — the Jet d’Eau, a late 19th century fountain on Lake Geneva spraying water up in the air like a geyser. The tour of Geneva’s quays and Old Town felt like were were walking through any other moderately-sized European city. There was a weekend fair with outdoor vendors, games, and carnival rides on the main promenade skirting the lake. Unfortunately, it blocked popular attractions like in addition the Jardin Anglais so we missed out on experiencing the beauty of Geneva without all the hoopla. A plus was that the city was full of diversity. There was a Latino festival going on and at one turn we thought we wandered into the Muslim quarter because all the outdoor seating was filled with women in hijabs. The city itself was more modern than expected, which is not really our ideal type for European cities because it lacked the ancient feel. Anyway, that’s a wrap for our river and lakeside cities, and we were happy to be on to our final Swiss destination: the Matterhorn Mountain.

Via Vida

Life by way of travel.

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Stephanie B.

Written by

Interrupting daily life to travel the world.

Via Vida

Via Vida

Life by way of travel.

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