Day 11: On to Bern via Ancient Rome
Avenches (Ancient Aventicum)
After breakfast, we loaded the bus and hit the road. Our first stop was Ancient Aventicum, the original capital (now the village of Avenches). Marlena, a local secretary and history enthusiast, was our guide. She even dressed in costume as a middle income resident! What a great touch! Marlena gave us a history lesson and explained that the locals had burned the city to the ground in an attempt to move south. However, the Romans forced the locals to return and then built an amphitheater to keep them happy. The amphitheater has some original stones, but it has been largely rebuilt. It was once twice as high as the current form. After the amphitheater, we went to what is left of the forum. Only one of 8 pillars remains standing. The Romans and Helvetii lived together for 400 years, and they worshiped the Roman emperor in this temple as their main god. During excavations, they found a gold statue of the emperor in the ground below the ruins. Although the emperor was the main god they worshipped, the ancient Helvetii had many gods. Our last stop in this ancient town was site of the excavated spa. The Helvetii had a sauna, a cool pool and in-floor heating! They were quite ahead of their time! |
Our Tour Ends in Bern
After visiting Aventicum and learning how it highlighted Roman influence, we boarded our bus and headed for Bern. We walked to the train station, so Martin could give us a traveling lesson in how to use the trains if we needed them to get to the airport tomorrow. We really love how Rick Steves' tours are about educating their travelers and empowering them to travel independently. Fittingly, we met our guide Diccon at the statue of St. Christopher, the patron saint of travel. Diccon is a well known writer and Swiss historian, and we felt lucky to have him giving us our tour of Bern. He was rich with history and insight. He spoke of Bern burning down and then forbidding the use of wood in construction of new buildings. Everything now needs to be sandstone to prevent future fires. There are only a few original buildings remaining. He also explained how Bern was named after the first animal the settlers saw—a bear. Bern was at first confined between the shores of the river, but once they had the technology to build bridges, they expanded beyond the walls of the city. The clock tower is 500 years old, and we got to watch the original working glockenspiel play on the hour. It was interesting to hear of the political system and how people have absolute power. They can contest any law or put any proposal on a public ballot if it doesn’t interfere with human rights and if they get the required number of signatures. |
The sidewalk areas are all covered (areas called Arcades) to allow the town to add another room to each level of building while keeping the streets open for needed space. We also learned that the water drainage system runs down the middle of the streets under the lines of fountains that decorate Bern.
Highlights of our walking tour included the parliament building (which is the capital, but not officially the capital) and the Swiss bank. Of course, the Bern bear is always a highlight for visitors, and we enjoyed seeing it. At the end of the walk, we went to a beer garden where we could ask Diccon questions over beer. The conversation and information was very interesting.
Highlights of our walking tour included the parliament building (which is the capital, but not officially the capital) and the Swiss bank. Of course, the Bern bear is always a highlight for visitors, and we enjoyed seeing it. At the end of the walk, we went to a beer garden where we could ask Diccon questions over beer. The conversation and information was very interesting.
Farewells and a Final Group Dinner
Since this was the last evening of the tour, it was a time of farewells. Our first farewell went to Marion, our bus driver. She was awesome, and we wished her well with a small gift from the group. Before heading from the hotel to the restaurant as a group, we presented Martin with several small thank you gifts, the most notable of which was a "pink unicorn." The running joke all trip was Martin's comments that we were welcome to use our free time to shop for "pink unicorns or whatever." Martin has been a great guide, and it was fun to laugh together and say thank you. |
Most of the farewells came during our final group dinner which was held in a grand room that felt like it belonged on the Titanic. The evening included a three course meal and great conversations with our new friends. This was yet another outstanding Rick Steves' group, and we knew that this evening was likely the last time we'd see some of our new friends. We spent a good deal of time sharing final stories and saying goodbye with hopes that we might one day cross paths again, even if only on social media. We had shared emails on the bus, so hopefully will help us keep in touch as well. We've been able to keep in touch with some other past tour members, so we're hopeful we can do the same with this group. Thanks, everyone, for a great two weeks!
All in all, this has been a fantastic trip. We are so glad we returned for another helping of Switzerland.
All in all, this has been a fantastic trip. We are so glad we returned for another helping of Switzerland.
Wow Moments!Overlooking Bern and the Riverside
Bern was a fun town with a lot of character, but we loved any view that included the river the most. Martin shared that locals will jump in the river on one side of town and float all the way around to the other side. We saw several people doing this--sort of like tubing on a Minnesota river. It's a great way to cool down during this heatwave. |
Our Tour Members and Memories
We loved this group of travelers, and they have been part of many great memories. Fittingly, one of our final wows includes the people. Thank you for sharing this experience with us and for helping to make it an unbelievable 12 days. May all your future travels be blessed, safe and filled with happiness, and may we one day cross paths again. |