Before heading out to Berlin, I arrived to Bern, Switzerland to spend Christmas here with my family. And holy cow is this the place to be during Christmas time!
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| Hiking in Grindelwald during my Eurotrip earlier this year |
Firstly, let me say a few words about the weather; the Finnish summer is not always this nice. I don't even remember when was the last time that I saw the sun! We took a long walk in the morning by the river and I discovered something very unexpected about the Swiss people. As you probably know, Finnish people are widely considered as, oh well... different? There's a saying in German; "Die spinnen, die Finnen", which loosely translates to "the crazy, the Finnish". Mostly because of our peculiar habits such as ice swimming, which is basically going down to a frozen lake, drilling a hole in the ice and taking a dip. But what I discovered today made me question whether the saying is rightfully earned. Because as we were walking by the river which, from what I hear is not even warm in the summer, I noticed a woman stripping down to her bikini. A bikini. In the middle of December. And going in the river. And she just sat there at least for five minutes, in the freezing river?! I guess now I know why some Finns really take a liking to Switzerland, feels like home, huh?
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Walk by the Aare river
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| The city of Bern |
Besides the weather and the people who make us Finns feel like home, there are the Christmas markets that make Switzerland a desirable destination this time a year. The markets are so adorable with handmade clothing, soaps and crafts of all kind. As it got a bit chillier, sipping on some Glühwein (mulled wine) was the obvious solution. Which also made me feel close to home as it tasted somewhat similar to the Finnish glögi traditionally drunk at Christmas time.
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| Christmas decorations in Old Town |
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| Berner Weihnachtsmarkt in the center |
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| The weather called for some Glühwein. |
Also, as the land of so many cows, the cheese and the chocolate you might ask? Oh so good and OH so many options. Can't wait until Christmas Eve! ;)
Bis bald!
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