Fortunately there isn't much to tell about my afternoon alone in Bern. I say fortunately as one of my goals of the Swiss vacation was to have at least one day of taking it easy. This was just the opportunity I was looking for, although I didn't anticipate going it alone.
Seeing Holly off at the train station was a little sad as we usually enjoy doing everything together. Switzerland feels safe though and we were both very excited about our individual plans. After watching the train pull away, I set off towards the shopping district.
Instead of taking the familiar station exit I went a different route and popped out in a block that we hadn't seen before. As I was getting my bearings I noticed a large church just a block away and figured I better check it out and take some pictures for a proper report to Holly.
It turned out to be a newer more contemporary church with a warm and inviting feel. This was made all the better by a choir getting in some practice. I didn't take many pictures here but enjoyed the unusual and colorful interior.
From there it was an easy walk to the shopping district that I was intent to wander and window shop. We had walked through much of this area upon arrival to Bern but at that point we were carrying luggage and anxious to get to the hotel.
Before long I found myself at the main Christmas market and a little bit hungry. The hunger was remedied quickly with a delicious sausage dog and some gluhwein. The sun was out and I still didn't have anything that "had" to be done. Other than missing my travel partner, this was a great day! I probably could have sat there all day but thoughts of leisure time at our nice hotel got me up and moving again.
I did have one more thing to do before I could go back to the hotel and let the laziness kick into high gear. There is a must see church near the shopping area that neither Holly or I had been inside. I knew that if I didn't go in now we likely wouldn't get any photos before leaving town. And as usual I had a great time doing my best to get a shot or two that would get a "nice one" from Holly.
The church was also completely empty which was quite welcome after being out amongst all of the shoppers and market browsers. For much more information please be sure to read Holly's fine article here and more pictures here. After finishing up inside I took a couple of quick exterior pictures and made a beeline for the hotel. It was now time to enjoy one of the rarest events of our vacations; a wonderful afternoon nap! The room was perfect with just the right amount of sun shining on the bed.
It was actually amazing that I woke up in time to make my scheduled call to Holly. It was good to hear that she was also having a good time and would be back soon. It seemed like no time at all before I was on my way to the train station for an attempted rendezvous. Unfortunately, the train was so long that I missed her exit though. Argghh... I finally gave up trying to find her there and beat it to the restaurant. Turns out that a reunion over Roesti is not so bad either!