October 7, 2018 – Bern

October 6, 2018 – Florence to Bern
After breakfast and checking out of the hotel, I headed to the train station. I got there at 8am for a 9am train. At 8:30am, my train showed up on the departure board but didn’t get a track number until 8:55am. I had a 1st class ticket. My car was at the far end of the train so I had to hurry to get on. The rest of the trip was uneventful. In Milan I easily found my train to Bern. The ride was beautiful. The first stop was Stresa on Lake Maggiore. I was there 2 years ago so it was nice to go by. The train went through a mountain tunnel to pass into Switzerland. After that the scenery was lakes, mountains, and towns. I got to Bern at 3pm and quickly found my hotel. In Bern all hotels give you a transit pass so you can ride the buses and trams for free during your stay. Very nice.
Around the corner from the hotel is a large square with restaurants and cafes. Saturday seems to be shopping day in Bern. The square was filled with people with bags sitting to have coffee or beer before heading home. I selected a restaurant and had a nice dinner.

October 7, 2018 – Bern
The hotel has a great breakfast buffet. At breakfast I read the Rick Steves pages on Bern. When i set out to see the town, i started with Rick’s city walk. It was overcast but didn’t rain. I went by the government buildings and across a bridge over the Aare River. When I got to the famous clock tower, I realized that since museums are closed on Monday and I have until 2pm to wander tomorrow, I should go to a museum. I hoped on the #12 bus and headed to the Paul Klee Museum. This museum has the majority of Klee’s art. It is a great museum if you are ever here. I spent 2 1/2 hours here. Heading back to town I hopped off the bus at the Bear Park. This is an area above the river walk where bears have a large area to roam. The sun came out briefly when I got here. After I walked back to the city center and stopped by the train station to get my ticket for getting to Lucerne tomorrow. I picked up a baguette sandwich for lunch. Switzerland is very expensive so I’m going to try and do take-away for lunches.