Bern, Bears, Beers

Hello all! Sorry for not updating early, I've just been busy with travelling and university. What's that? You stopped once you got to the word busy? Yeah, I don't blame you. The advantage of my current university timetable is I get to have a four day weekend, which makes travelling quite easy. Currently I've been trying to focus on going on day trips throughout Switzerland as most places are only a few hours away by train and the SBB CFF FFS (Schweizerische Bundesbahnen Chemins de Fer Fédéraux Suisses Ferrovie Federali Svizzere, for those of you playing at home) know how to run a super-dooper rail company. And I get free train travel after seven pm! Yay! I've been mainly travelling with these two lovely ladies:

Eloise, on the left, comes from the Sunshine Coast. Ji Nin, on the right, comes from Texas/Singapore. Here we're drinking prosecco at the Rhine Falls. I cannot recall if they were wearing sunglasses because it was bright, or if they were trying to be incognito after I may have taken a swan out with the cork of my prosecco. We still haven't found that cork.

Our first day trip was to the beautiful capital of Switzerland, Bern. Bern is similar to Canberra, as it is known for its quaint charm, beautiful history, collection of bears in the middle of town, and fresh produce market outside of parliament.

 See that tiny green emblem with an axe? That's Saint Gallen's official emblem!

 At least these swans don't move.

 Hehehe, it's a bear in armour!

 We would have visited Einstein's House, but he left the bath running :(

 BEAR!

 BEAR BEAR!

 MORE BEAR!

 BEAR WITH PIGGY BANK!

 BEAR ON TIGHTROPE!

 Views of Bern

 Official Cantonal Chess Pieces. Straight after getting this great angle of them, I fell over.

 Swiss Parliament House

 So while we were there, there was a union rally out the front of the parliament. It was kinda cool in a 'democracy in action!' way

 Before the rally, there was a fresh produce market out front. It says a lot about Swiss Politics.

 The Swiss National Bank

 Views out back of Parliament House

 There is a Swiss couple in this photo. If you can spot them, you win a car.

Luckily for us, our next day trip the next day to the Rhine Falls, the biggest waterfall in Europe, was blessed with good weather.

 Rainbow!

 Some stupidly wanky arty shots of me

 Obligatory nerdy stats

 This isn't the Rhine Falls but more photos of St Gallen. This is a view from my university.

 My little conifer garden. I love its quaintness.

 More shots of the Rhine Falls.

Our next day trip took us to the Swiss region of Appenzell; the most rural of all of Switzerland, blessed with rolling green hills, CHEESE, high rainfall, and being the last canton in Switzerland to give women the vote. In 1991. Due to pressure from the Swiss Federal Court. I imagine Alan Jones will be retiring there.

 Just near here, Eloise tried to take me out with a tree.

 Blessed are the cheesemakers!

 I want this room in my house

Hi Dad!

Around the end of September, a small German town holds a small get-together where people come and be merry. This event is referred to locals as 'Oktoberfest' and people there consume amber-coloured water. Here are some photos of me attending this event:

 Surprisingly, there were a lot more families here than I expected. There was even a family tuttering  every time someone was cheered on to skull. You're at a festival for beer, d'uh.

 Me drinking some amber coloured water

 Amber coloured water and some delicious pork suckling with dumplings

 Some merry German folk

 Actual things in Munich that aren't Oktoberfest

 Ji Nin (in red hat) bought herself a red hat. I, on the other hand, bought lederhosen. Yes, there are photos.

 Yet another church.