It was a short week for us after I got home from Nice on Tuesday! It’s still summer vacation for everyone, and it’s still hot, so not much new to report!
By Saturday, we were bored with being in the house, and the forecast called for sun and heat, so we decided to cross another hot-weather activity off of our bucket list: floating down the Aare River in Bern, Switzerland!
Bern is the capital of Switzerland and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is located at a sharp bend in the turquoise-blue Aare River, which is fed by glacial melt. The river is extremely cold and has a powerful current. On hot days, crowds of people hike upstream from the city and float back down to town.
We left around seven and made it to Bern slightly after 10. We were all hungry, so we had “brunch” at McDonald’s and then did a short walk around the Old Town. We saw the city’s münster, astronomical clock, and farmers market. We crossed several of the bridges over the Aare to take in the views of the city.
By about 1 p.m., we were all hot and felt ready to try the float. We drove to the Marzilli public pool and got lucky with an up-close parking spot despite thousands of people taking advantage of the free pools and park.
We changed into bathing suits and water shoes and locked our bags in lockers. We had no trouble finding the jump-in point, as we only had to follow the massive crowd of people making their way upstream. The path was paved and flat, making walking the mile upstream to the Eichhold campground, where we planned to jump in at the beach, quick and easy.
We read and then witnessed in person that the traditional way of entering the water is to ‘step, step, shriek’ because the water is shockingly cold! We definitely did our own screaming and then leaped off into the river.
I must be honest; it was much harder than it looks! TV and social media make it look like a water park lazy river, but it is much more than that! The water is about 6-8 feet deep but punctuated by several large, sharp boulders. While trying to tread water, you will frequently kick one of the big rocks- ouch! Since the current is so fast, it creates a sideways tumble, and your feet constantly get swept up behind you. It was hard not to drown! We had to stop twice at the handrails to catch our breath! When we finally made it back to the pool, we decided once was enough, and then we warmed up on the lawn, with most of us actually needing a nap after the exertion.
We stayed at the pool for a few hours, then packed up and headed to the Altestramdepot Biergarten. We chose the dinner spot for the picturesque views over Bern and the cheap (by Switzerland standards) food. Then, it was time to make the 3-hour drive back to Stuttgart. It was a wonderful day, and even though the drive was pretty long, it was so lovely to sleep in our own beds that night!
Sunday, we slept in. When we got up, it was sunny and hot, so we headed to the pool. The kids brought friends, and we hung out all day. I even took a two-hour nap—there’s just something really relaxing about an outdoor nap!
We are feeling refreshed and ready for the week ahead!
Gilcrests Abroad 