Bern with me baby

Proving its grit and growth through the test of time is Bern, the de facto capital city of Switzerland, famous for its well-preserved medieval Altstadt or Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Though the city’s most renowned landmark, the 13th-century astronomical clock tower Zytglogge, is pretty much a scam (it’s supposed to have moving puppets that perform every hour, but these did not move during our visit even if we waited and witnessed the clock chiming thrice), the city still has a lot to offer to keep tourists busy for a day or two.

For one, Albert Einstein had two houses in the city that are now museums. His former apartment in Kramgasse 49 is where he developed his Theory of Relativity. Below the apartment is his namesake café still owned and being operated by his estate. For more of his personal belongings, including his Nobel Prize medal, passports, handwritten notes and letters, photographs and blue and white porcelain toilet bowl, head to Bernisches Historisches Museum, which also dabbles as the Einstein Museum and the physicist’s former home.

At the city center is Bear Park, an enclosed riverside, open-air park for the city’s symbol, the bear (“Bern” comes from “bar,” German for “bear.”) If the bears are in hibernation, it is also great to visit the nearby Bern Animal Park, where one could see pink flamingos and other animals in the wild.

Although a city, Bern is less of a city and more of a haven for nature lovers who indulge in quiet and peaceful walks. Aare River, Switzerland’s longest inland river, flows through the city — with waters so clean you could bathe in it anytime or do as the locals do — jump and just go with the flow!