On the Röstigraben

Being soaked randomly after having a bucket of water thrown on you from a window above is perhaps not the best way to be welcomed into a town. Nevertheless, I was quite content in Fribourg – besides, the heat soon dried me. Fribourg is situated right on the Röstigraben – where French and German speaking Switzerland meet. The town is bilingual (predominantly French) and somehow seems to work just fine.

The view over Fribourg from the bar.

I went there with a flat mate in order to visit another friend and we had a tightly packed programme. This first involved getting up a 3.30am to witness the sunrise on a mountain summit. We enjoyed our well earned breakfast - continental buffet style – right on the summit, watching the sun rise, albeit behind clouds. Watching a sunrise can feel magical, but so can lying in on a morning!

The sunrise from the summit of Kaiseregg.

We also wanted to take out a boat and head from Thunersee to Bern, but the water was still pretty cold. We settled instead for having a chilled out barbeque. We did reach Bern in the end anyway, taking the lazier option of the train. It was nice to be back in Bern, but I still find it hard to believe that it's a capital city, or a city at all. Despite there being quite a big demonstration in front of the parliament building, the place still felt quiet and relaxed.