DAY 7-DAY 8

We passed through the town of St. Louis, France (no kidding) before encountering our one and only "official" border crossing at Basel, Switzerland. When we left Belgium, there wasn't even a "Welcome to France" road sign, but upon entering Switzerland, the government hits you with a fee of 40 Swiss Francs (about $25 US) for a car sticker that gives you permission to drive on Swiss highways. Think of it as a one-time toll. That was our first sign that Switzerland isn't cheap, but we aren't complaining.

We proceeded on to Bern, the Swiss capital, where we visited with our good friends (and former Atlantans) Beat and Susanna Witschi. The next day, a Saturday, we set out to explore the old center city of Bern.

What a beautiful city! Saturday is market day, and the city center is punctuated with many squares, each featuring a different kind of market--flower market, meat market, cheese market, flea market and the like. Bern is also filled with lush garden areas, and a great city to explore on foot.

The scene on the left is a 3-D fresco of religious icons above the main entrance to Bern's cathedral. We've seen a lot of ornate cathedrals on this and other trips, but none quite like this, with the figures painted in such vivid detail. To the right, a view of the Aare river, which surrounds much of the center city. Glacial runoff gives it that unique green tint.

No trip to Bern would be complete without a visit to the bear pits in the middle of town. The word 'Bern' is Swiss-German for bear, hence the mascot, which you see depicted on the flag, statues, and other artwork. These have to be some of the best fed, laziest mascots in the world!