Spring's come to Bern (about two weeks late)

At the north end of Kornhausbrücke in Bern a wild cherry tree wispy with blossoms.

Hello again

There are times when the beautiful Aare river that meanders about Bern betrays the fact that the Alps are only some one hundred kilometres away and its tributaries come from very hilly country indeed. We had some intense rain over the past weekend and into early this week. Here are two impressions of late Tuesday morning, April 22, 08. This here blogger wonders how many tons of silt were shifted downriver over those 36 hours or so... If you click on the photo, you might see the solid debris such as tree trunks and branches carried downstream, too.

Views of the very full Aare river taken from Kornhausbrücke.

And then the weather changed for the better and we've had two lovely, mild days with scarcely even a breeze. At 3PM today the temperature display near the railway station read +19°C.

This afternoon another one of my friends lent me her car (to get rid of yet more junk -- how much junk is there in the life of a not-very-affluent 56-year-old? Unbelievable! But with all this driving I am getting to be a really good driver, except when I forget I'm in Bern rather than in Oban and end up on the left side of the road, but that only happens every ten years or so...). So, to end up where I was going in the first place with this anecdote and intro to the photos here, I was able to reach areas of town that I don't usually go to. Like this beautifully tended parterre at the top of the hill as you drive northward from Kornhausbrücke. And no, I didn't photograph this location from the car but when I walked back to where I had left my bicycle...
Comments, anyone?
I want to end this post with this sumptuous, luscious handful of magnolia blossoms -- as seen day before yesterday on the tree just outside our office kitchen. I feared the cold and wet and snow and hail and sleet of recent weeks would destroy these glorious petals but they are hardier than I always give them credit. Each spring they burst from their pods, then it rains, then the sun comes out warm and they are splendiferous. Jolly good show, what?

Summer moan

Hiya

Need to have a quick moan about the heat. It's been tropical these days. Anyone in their right mind would go flop on the lawns by the river (aka Marzili) and enjoy the occasional dip in 18°C waters (or the 24°C pool, but I heartily dislike swimming pools). I dropped everything yesterday evening and joined a mate from one of my favourite NGOs for a chinwag and a good, long swim. Very refreshing, invigorating. So much so that I was wide awake after just two hours sleep. Woke in time to watch and listen to a massive thunderstorm. Huge bolts of lightning came out of the black sky, crashing thunder following almost immediately. Quite scary, actually, but also exciting. And the rain that followed had that sweet, sweet deep summer smell -- of hot asphalt, grass, leaves being tossed about. Mind you, there was very little wind, which is odd for a storm like that.

Woke much too late, to a hot sun in a relentlessly blue sky. Not so relentless: it's quite overcast now, but still very hot and extremely humid. As I said: anyone in their right mind...

But I'm not, and I'm busy, so I better crack back to jobs in hand. Ciao!

PS: Would give an arm and a leg (metaphorically speaking, of course, to be sailing, swimming, walking up and down the Scottish West Coast right now!). Next summer, hopefully. Anyone else interested?

Summer 07 -- what summer? -- in Bern

Hello again

It's cold out there! Over lunch at work we were talking of the hot days of April past when I even ventured into the river for a quick, refreshing swim. This morning -- and a late morning it was, too, more about that perhaps later -- I cycled to work wearing socks and warm shoes, long-sleeved t-shirt, scarf, woolly cardigan, coat. For the past hour or so I've been contemplating putting the scarf back on because I've felt chilly about my neck and throat. Mad, this!
A year ago we were sweltering in +30°C or thereabouts, and I was introducing a Scottish friend to the magic of our gorgeous river. We also ventured up to the Jungfraujoch (tomorrow a year ago exactly), where we chanced into friends of his from Inverness -- what a gas it was to be cavorting about in the cool snow under a perfect blue sky. Unbelievable, but true, as this photo proves:
Well, right now the view from Jungfraujoch must be of swirling cloud and white mist and in the river there's no swimming at all. These days, anyone who tries must be suicidal: the rivers in this area are all full to almost flood level, and so are the lakes. The river's waters are murky, carrying a lot of broken-off branches of trees and other debris, and hiding dislodged rocks. Only about a week ago, the police found the body of a young lad, about seventeen, who had suddenly vanished in the swiftly running river some ten days earlier, on one of the rare summery days this past June. Someone saw a body being carried down the "Schwellenmaetteli"-barrier in the "Matte". Search teams couldn't find the body until it washed up quite a bit further downstream, in one of the "combs" holding back debris and flotsam from the inlet to a small hydropower station.
Luckily, the forecast for the weekend is rather better, so, after all, I might not need to buy a rain cover for myself and my backpack for a day's walking in the Jura. In fact, they're calling for very hot weather.
This yo-yo system -- changes of over 10°C in less than a day, with the snow-line down to about 2000 m asl today, which at least might mean the glaciers aren't melting off quite so fast -- is taxing everyone: after a week of very chilly weather, we had a middling Friday and a very hot Saturday, followed by a day of rain and much cooler temperatures and doctors have noticed a lot of flu patients flocking to their surgeries.
Here, just to underpin memories of sunnier days, here are a few photos of last Saturday, when Berne saw the kick-off event to a petition drive to encourage our government to up funding of development projects in the third world to 0.7 per cent of GDP. I was helping out at the stand of one of my favourite NGOs, pbi-Peace Brigades International, far from the only one to do so:
Public attendance and interest was pretty good, and it wasn't only young people who were curious to see what was inside the boxes hanging from threads:
A helper at alliance sud's neighbouring stall:

The summer has begun...

Hi again

Those of you who know me also know that I loooooove swimming in the Aare river in Bern. It's simply the greatest feeling to be carried downstream by the sometimes gentle, sometimes quite fierce current.

Well, I launched my personal summer season yesterday evening. The air was very warm, I'd say at least 25°C at just after 5 PM. Water temperature ca. 14.5°C. Now, you might call this cold or at least chilly but I can assure you, after lying in the hot afternoon sun for half an hour, this cool water was more than welcome. I swam only about 200 m, of course, but could have gone further if necessary. And I warmed up really quickly afterwards. I don't remember a time when the Aare river was this warm this early in the season (1982 or 83 was the only time I went down there on an Easter Sunday, but only dipped my toes in 10°C water -- I do draw a limit). And I certainly have never swum past an apple tree in full bloom, as far as my memory serves. Glorious! The only drawback was the many fluffy balls of dandelion seeds floating on the water surface -- you have to breathe carefully... :)

The Marzili is not officially open yet, so the pools are still empty. But everything else is in place: the old wooden sunning planks – polished from thousands of towels and bodies – located along the river and in other strategic places, the changing rooms and amenities, and even the restaurant is open, albeit with a limited schedule and range of food and beverages for sale. But still: isn't it great that the Swiss capital city should have this kind of leisure facility -- free of charge? I also heard that the Weyermannshaus -- another park-like open-air pool with great lawns -- is open to the public. They also have an indoor pool, so the less hardy may prefer to go there.

Sorry, no pix for a change -- I didn't take my camera along yesterday evening. Perhaps on the weekend.

Till soon!

Bern in Spring (2007)

Hello again

This spring has been particularly beautiful -- very dry and sunny. Trees became greener by the day. Some photos to show you what I mean.

The trees south of the Münster were still bare on Easter Monday, April 9.The river glints silver at the foot of this hill dotted with houses and pink-leafed trees. This hillside is called Rabbental, meaning vale of vines. It was at one point in the past overgrown with vineyards, before the desire for sun-exposed housing encroached.
The river Aare, flanked by trees almost in full leaf only ten days later, runs sea-green below the peninsula on which the Medieval part of the city is located, including the so-called French church to the left and the Münster. Its spire is lopsided due to repair work on the soft and rapidly-eroding green sandstone.

These photos were taken from Kornhausbrücke, one of the two wide arches that span the river on either side of the peninsula. Turn round 180° and this is what you can see:
The whitish buildings in the middle contain my office. Below, a train is just running into Bern train station, which would be beyond the trees on the left. As I type I can't actually see the bridge any longer, due to the now fully-leaved trees just outside my windows.
Berne's Medieval landmark, perhaps its most famous, is the Zytglogge. Here you can see its verdigris spire beyond some buildings. The lantern below the spire holds a large gilded bell and "Hans von Tann", a golden man with a hammer he uses to ring that bell on the full hour. If you click on the photo you should be able to see an enlarged version.

Not far from Zytglogge, in the very heart of the city, is Waisenhausplatz. The city's police headquarters are whimsically embellished by pink-flowering trees and a mauve Easter egg. Perhaps this is a sign that the police force in the Swiss capital doesn't always take everything so seriously. Perhaps it's a symbol of the watered-down liberal socialist politics here... ;)
Opposite the Waisenhaus is one of Berne's more controversial landmarks:
If the Münster -- the cathedral -- is one of Berne's oldest landmarks, the Meret Oppenheim fountain is one of its most recent and most controversial sights. According to M.O.'s sketches, the ground around the fountain should be brick-red and traffic should have been diverted well away from it.

The pillar has two spirals, one a trough full of soil and plants, another has steps down which trickles water. A few more weeks and what now looks brown will be green again. Minerals in the water have left grey-brown-rust tracks everywhere that is not covered with plants. One year, a small tree had taken hold, and a geranium. Last winter, some large chunks of tuff had to be removed that had developed on the pillar's north side and were threatening to fall off.

Berne in (late) Summer - Aare river, Marzili, views...

View of Bernese Alps from Bundeshaus/Bundesterrasse, September 4th, 2006.


View of Bern and Bernese Alps from Bierhübeli, Friday evening, September 1st, 2006. The building on the right, all wrapped up, is the Bundeshaus, currently being restored and renovated.


A PS on the open-air play about Dällebach Kari (see below): performances are now over for the season. However, the play has been so successful the director and management have decided to do a rerun next summer, very largely with the same cast (almost all of them lay actors and actresses) -- what an achievement! So those of you who have not yet had a chance will be able to try again next summer. :)


Dear friends

It's not every day that one has the above kind of views, nor is it every year that August is a miserable, wet and cold as it was this year. Glad it's behind us! It went out with a couple of lovely days, if nippy, but September has been fabulous so far.

Last Friday (Sept 1st), we sat out on a rooftop in our t-shirts until almost 10pm! And yesterday afternoon (Sept 4th) the Aare river was once again 18°C, flowing slow and clear and simply deliciously refreshing. Air temperature at around 8pm was still 27°C!
Why do I have all these data? because the Marzili has two large displays giving the water temperatures of the river and of the swimming pools and the city has several displays indicating air temperature and time -- very Swiss, I think...


Not many people enjoying the perfect sun and warmth, but those who are there really appreciate the tranquil atmosphere.

Take care, enjoy life as much as you can -- you never know how long it'll last... :)






Blog entry dated August 25, 2006:

Last time I wrote, mid-August 06, we were freezing! Since then, things have been a little less wintry but temperatures have not returned to the summer highs of July (just as well) and there's a decided early-autumn nip in the air.





However, just a week ago, it was warm enough for me and a friend to be sitting in an open-air theatre to watch a biographical play about a famous Bernese man. Dällebach Kari was a barber who lived in the early 20th century. He had his shop in downtown Bern. At the time, everyone knew everyone else -- Berne was a little city. Dällebach was a very special man. Life was hard: he was born with a cleft palate into a large family whose father died when Kari was just three years old. At school he was the butt of cruel jokes. But rather than give in he decided people should laugh at his jokes rather than at his odd mouth. His barber shop was almost always full and he could have enjoyed a modestly comfortable life if only -- he hadn't fallen in love with the wrong girl. Very sad, moving story, exquisitely played.

Here are some photos, not of the play, but of the view from the place where it is still being presented, the Gurten mountain above Bern. As you can see, the weather could have been better. But it WAS better than on these photos, taken more than an hour before the play began. We actually ended up sitting under a canopy of perfectly sparkly stars. I even saw a shooting star just before my friend and I returned to the cablecar that was to take us back down into town. I know that wish will come true! :)

Enjoy!






And this is the stage where Dällebach Kari's life will soon unfold. The round wooden structure in the background has nothing to do with the play but is a viewing tower. Once you've climbed the spiral staircase -- easy steps but still quite a breathtaking exercise -- you can see across Bern and northern Switzerland. On a clear day only the Jura range stops your eye from roaming all over Germany... ;)





Since then, we've seen some downpours of rain but also some spectacularly beautiful weather -- crisp, clear mornings, lovely Indian summery days, colourful evenings and starry nights –– yes, another shooting star, just the other night, but I wasn't fast enough with my camera to catch it... :)




(Entry dated mid-August)
If you scroll down you will see that in mid-June 06 things were rather different than they are now. That's life, I suppose. After the hottest month of July on record we seem to be in the middle of the coldest month of August on record: for the third or fourth day in a row I woke to temperatures of around 10°C and there's snow capping the pre-Alpine peaks (photo further down).

At least it has stopped raining. Yesterday I was worried the river might flood the lower-lying areas of Bern again. But because the cold has put a halt to snowmelt in the Alps, things are not that serious just now. Still, a lot of water is coming down the Aare river -- not safe for swimming (and much too cold to boot)!



The central heating came on at my office a week ago and I have asked the caretaker at home to please switch on the system so that my neighbours and I might be at least moderately comfortable in the evenings! It's mad to be using fuel at a time when oil prices are skyrocketing, but we have no alternative. Our flats have no fireplaces, the buildings are not very well insulated. Ultimately, I'm sure it's more efficient if the central heating system is on rather than if everyone is using ineffectual little heaters, hairdryers or even their kitchen ovens to warm their flats.





It's not all dreich and dreary, though. Late yesterday afternoon, a beautiful rainbow lit up the sky.



The rainbow stayed for quite some time, followed by a spectacular moment when a brilliant sun hit the rooftops of the buildings downtown (my paternal Grandmother would have said it brings more bad weather: 'Sun at six, weather-hex').



Today the sun is bright on the newly snow-capped pre-Alps. No wonder we need the heating on...




With this, I wish you a peaceful, productive day and week.
Take care.
M


******


The following was written on June 16, 2006:

Hi, folks, I'm back.

Summer has truly arrived in Berne (and in much of northern Europe), so I thought I'd share some photos and impressions of what must rank among my very favourite places -- anywhere! It's the river Aare which embraces the oldest parts of the city of Berne. Indeed, the loops it has cut into the fluvial bedrocks are the reason why Berne ever came to be built: it's a natural fortress. (At the end of this entry, I'll give you a few URLs to websites with photos and more information about this city.) And down by the river is a delightful open air pool and public park, the Marzili, which takes its name from the surrounding neighbourhood. (For the linguists out there: the debate re the origins of the word «Marzili» is still ongoing.)

Here's a look back at a few previous summers, in particular the summer of summers, in July/August 2003. Enjoy!

When you reach what is locally known as «z Marzili» [pronounced ts martsEElee], this is what you see: a huge lawn and lots of bathtowels and half-naked people having a good time below the Swiss Houses of Parliament. They tower above the place of pleasure. At least our politicians and hard-working civil servants don't have to go far to cool off! And no-one pays admission -- that's what I don't mind paying taxes for...

(There's even a very convenient funicular railway connecting the centre of the city with the lower-lying Marzili. The ride lasts less than two minutes, people say hello to each other when they get on, and good-bye when they get off -- at least during off-peak times.)





Good swimmers enjoy the privilege of privileges, a swim in the sometimes swiftly-flowing, cool river Aare with its very clean water. Early in the season it runs fast, with lots of meltwater from the Alps and is often a milky turquoise. That's when only the most experienced and hard people go in. As the summer wears on, the water grows clearer until it reaches the clear, dark bottle green of late August/early September. I remember a very long, very hot summer back in the 1980s when I enjoyed my last swim on October 3 or 4 -- bliss! Had to watch my knees, though, because the river had dwindled to a stream.





Local kids soon learn to cope with the river's tricks, and there are a few spots where getting out is made easier.



It can still be tricky on a busy day, when there are about ten thousand people crowding the lawns, and the river is chock-full of swimmers -- and rubber dinghies. I've learnt to avoid the place on those days. Too risky, too rowdy, too. But on a good day, the «Geranium Stop» is the best place to regain dry land.





Last August (2005, that is), the whole area was devastated by the «flood of the century» -- only six years after the previous «flood of the century»! Climate warming is having disastrous effects already... The Marzili had to close for the rest of the season. Other people were much harder hit, having basements and ground floors filled with stinking water and mud that grew as hard as concrete as it dried. Many small craftspeople, artists and freelancers lost their livelihoods. Some of the victims are still not back to normal as I write some ten months later.

When the waters had subsided, I went down there, not to gawp but to see what had happened to all my belongings. I have a cubicle in the compound which I rent for the season. It's very handy as it saves me lugging my swimsuit, towels etc. up and down. I couldn't get in that day (August 25), but when I returned about a week later I found my bag still intact. Mind you, everything was sodden and rather smelly -- an odd, seaweedy kind of smell, and of drying mud -- but not as bad as I had expected. Only my friend's bikini top was lost; we managed to salvage everything else. Lucky us!




This is what the same site looks like on a normal day, like today, Sunday, June 18, about an hour before a pretty strong gale powered through, scattering everything out on the lawn and sending people running for shelter:




Two more from last year, a few hundred yards from the river, taken after the worst of the flood was over:





Well, here's hoping this kind of disaster won't repeat itself. Have a great summer, everyone, and a safe and happy one!
Thank you for your visit.



The URLs I promised, for whose contents I am not responsible:
• the official website of Bern Tourism (in English): http://www.berninfo.com/en/welcome.cfm -- details about the Marzili in the Sports & Leisure page.
• an informative site about Marzili, including water temperatures, weather etc. (in German): http://www.aaremarzili.info
• a website featuring the Marzili (in English) and lots more travel information provided by a travelling couple turned guides: http://europeforvisitors.com/switzaustria/articles/marzili_bern.htm