Bern

We're leaving Bern in three hours for Barcelona. It's been a great place to relax. If I had to choose one word to describe Bern, it would be "civilized." The pace is fairly slow, everything is centrally located, and people seem determined to enjoy life (in a orderly, Swiss way). A large river runs through the center of town in a canyon, with the city rising up both banks. In the summer, you can float down the river, or swim in the pools scattered around the banks. The Swiss appreciate that it's nice to walk everywhere (there are hundreds of miles of paths in the area), and believe that anywhere worth walking to is also a good place to stop for a drink. Who can argue with that? I find it pretty remarkable to walk through the woods for an hour and then find a bar.

In addition to bars, there is also an open air zoo next to the river, numerous parks, and gorgeous gardens. We've spent most of our time here outside--the one bit of culture was a visit to Parliment (Bern is the capital of Switzerland). I wouldn't say that Bern is a great place to party, but it's certainly a great place to live and raise a family. The quality of life is quite high.