SWISS NATIONAL DAY & LIGERZ

You know how you get those days that you'll always remember? Well Monday was one of those days.  The day started with a visit to the Bundeshaus (the Swiss Parliament Building) that was open for visitors on 1st August as this is Swiss National Day. The skyline in Bern is dominated by the gold and green dome of the Parliament and the steeple of the cathedral which is at present wrapped in scaffolding.

Anna in the Chamber of the National Council. The fresco is by Gyron

Parliament across the Aare taken from the Rose Garden 

Anna and I set off to the Bundeshaus early to be there as the doors opened. We walked up the imposing steps to find long tables covered with of slabs of Swiss chocolate from 14 different companies - and here I was under the misapprehension that I was doing well with Lindt and Sprungli. We were invited to chose a slab each by women in Swiss National dress. What a way to start the day!

The building was built in 1902 and has recently been remodelled. We loved the way the renovations blend - beautiful modern black leather and steel chairs in the meeting rooms and elegant embossed wall paper - and an inviting restaurant.

From Parliament we walked to the station to meet up with the rest of the family for an outing to Ligerz,   a small village hugging the coast of the Bielersee. At last we're experiencing summer and the clear, warm day was a joy. We took a cable car from Ligerz up the mountain and then wandered down through the vineyards to a terraced restaurant to have lunch under stunted plane trees overlooking the lake. On a really clear day one can see the amphitheatre of Alps - but the day was hazy and so we had to believe that they were there.

Ligertz on the Lake

Louisa of the wheaten hair 

On our return it was as if we'd entered a war zone with the continual noise of fire crackers and we sat on the balcony - front row seats - watching the thirty minute official fireworks display. A perfect end to a perfect day. 

The good weather continued yesterday and Anna and I finally felt brave enough to tackle the float down the Aare river. It took us a while to get used to the temperature that was icy but it was worth it - what an exhilarating experience. It was rather like jumping into champagne. 

We leave for our next adventure tomorrow and so we've hauled out our suitcases - fortunately the decision of what to take is limited by the size of our wardrobe.