Day1

= = = = = = =DAY ONE =

I started my journey to this beautiful land from Geneva. I reached there by 17tthe July evening (almost night). At the SBB CFF FFS desk I collected my 8 day Swiss Pass. The Swiss Pass gives me to unlimited travel throughout on the rail, bus and boat Swiss Travel System network.

I spend the day walking around Geneva. I stumbled upon The St. Pierre Catheral. The guide book says… “There has been a cathedral on this site since the 12th century, but the building you see today date mainly from the 16th century – its austere interior reflects the style and philosophy of Calvinist times…” After the cathedral I needed a snack, so I went to a little café around the block. I tried the crepes, they were great. I also did a bit of window shopping. The evening soon set in. The sky was grey and it was beginning to rain. It was 7pm when I got back to the hotel.

I had decided to land Geneva before taking a train, the next morning, to Bern (which was my main destination) because the plane tickets are much cheaper, from Melbourne to Geneva, and the Geneva Airport is easy to access. =DAY TWO = Next morning I caught an early train from Geneva to Bern. I arrived at Bern by midday. Because the train station is situated near the hotels and sight I dumped my bags at the hotel and began wondering the streets of Bern.

Before the holiday, I had booked for a two-hour guide tour walk through the Old Town. The tour guide, Fanny, was really friendly and easy to get along with. The tour group was made up of about twelve people; most of them were pair off. Yeah, I felt lonely. There was a really friendly couple, in their early twenties who were on their honeymoon. I found out that they were from America, we chatted for a bit then I left them. After all, it was their honeymoon.

Walking really is the only way to explore Bern, especially since the Town consists of many aisles. The open-air malls, filled with boutiques and restaurants, are covered which make is suitable for rainy-day sales. Farmer’s markets can also be found in the square of mileages of arcades, as residents come to grab fresh produce, flowers, and meats. The residents, farmers and store owners were friendly and there English was understandable.

The roads were made out of smooth looking rock and the roads weren’t even.

The Zytglogge (also known as the Clock Tower) is about two stories high; the clock images are rather faded. The frieze are completes with the images of Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus and Mercury. The frieze is rather faded and according to a pamphlet: the painting of the entire clock area was refurbished in 1983.

Many of the aisles were crowded and the tour guide had to constantly wave her fluorescent orange flag as high as his arm could stretch so the group could see him. The shops were neatly aligned.

After the short tour she gave out a small tourist booklet for everyone and bid us goodbye.



=DAY THREE = I had woken up at around midday and had a beautiful breakfast at the hotel before going out to explore the rest of Bern.

So using my tourist booklet that I had received earlier on from the tour yesterday it was easy to locate the different landmarks.

House of Parliament: Construction work first began on the House of Parliament (the west wing of today's House of Parliament) as early as 1852. In 1884 the east wing, mirroring the west wing, was added. And in 1902 the whole thing was extended into a building complex consisting of three parts. All in all 38 artists from throughout Switzerland are responsible for the decorations featured on the House of Parliament. Parliament square: The new look Parliament Square was renovated on 31 July and 1 August 2004 (Swiss National Day). Since 3 August 2004 the square has hosted a number of traditional markets rather than providing parking spaces for cars as it used to. The new water display with a total of 26 fountains representing the cantons located right in front of the House of Parliament was proved quiet popular. Many events are held in the Parliament Square.

= DAY FOUR = = = Too bad I didn't get to stay at Switzerland for long because the next minute I landed in Austria in Vienna International Airport. Immediately after landing I rushed to the help desk to collect a Vienna Card/.

A Vienna card, like the Swiss card permits Vienna tourist benefits for transports, museums, guided tours, music and theatre, shopping and miscellaneous.

So thanks to the Vienna card the Grand Tour, along with the guide, costed around EUR 12,90.

**TIP FOR EUROPE TRAVELLERS. [Always thoroughly research the places that you want to visit. Most countries in Europe provide many tourist benefits.]