As I write, we’re sitting in the shade on the terrace of a rented flat in Bern. We travelled yesterday, flying from London City to Zürich. That was the easy bit, well, more or less. Our friend Richard gamely agreed to take us to Tonbridge station, where we sat in the sun until our off-peak train tickets came to life. London Bridge to Canning Town on the incredibly noisy Jubilee line, then on to the airport on the Toytown railway. This train was filthy, threadbare and shabby, but it got us there in bags of time. As the flight was full, they put out a call for people willing to put their bags in the hold, in exchange for priority boarding, to which we gladly agreed. Glad we did, since it was a long, long trek to baggage reclaim. It then took us a full half hour to get through passport control - while the EU, EEA and Switzerland desks were practically empty. Another Brexit benefit. But at least we didn’t have to hang around at the baggage carousel.
We flew in one of BA’s excellent Embraers. They aren’t exactly roomy, but I’d plenty of legroom, even with my little back pack under the seat. The flight would have been OK had it not been for a couple of screaming sprogs - we get them every time - and a rather garrulous Sikh party who were getting well stuck into the free Heineken. Travelling in cattle class, we were pleasantly surprised to get a packet of crisps and a glass of wine: our last British Airways trip, to the Algarve in Club Europe, included some catering, which was close to inedible.
The Swiss end of the journey was pleasant and comfortable: our train ran non-stop from Zürich Hauptbahnhof to Bern, where we shopped for essentials at the station and then got the rather busy tram out to the flat. The flat is adequate: a bedroom with a big double and an office with a reasonably comfortable sofa bed. The living room is spacious but spartan: it has a dining table for eight, and an L-shaped sofa which is seriously uncomfortable.
It was lovely to see Pam again: we last saw her two years ago when we had lunch with her, Geoff, Lesley and Carlo: we were staying in Bellinzona at the time, so it was quite a day trip. Geoff, alas, is no longer with us: though physically as fit as a butcher’s dog that day, he was clearly losing the place. Very sad. Just before he was due to go into residential care, his physical health took a turn for the worse, and he spent his last few days in hospital.
Pam is coping well, and is travelling to Lisbon next week. She had prepared a delicious supper for us, and I’m just sorry I wasn’t better company. I was dog tired and very uncomfortable in the 30° heat, and later had trouble getting to sleep. Our neighbours, perhaps used to our flat standing empty for periods, were making no effort to keep their voices down. About 11:30 I banged on the wall, whereupon immediate silence. That’s Berne for you.
Today we went into town to buy stuff for lunch, but came straight back to the flat for lunch and a rest. As I write, Martyn has retired for a siesta, and I’ll be going back indoors when the sun comes round. I too am content to treat today as a recovery day. I have given myself a daily step count target of 3000, and have been achieving that without much difficulty. Yesterday I did closer to 7000, so I guess I’m entitled to feel every so slightly cream-crackered.
We’ll maybe get a bit more ambitious tomorrow. Pam recommends a visit to Solothurn, which I know only from passing through on the train on the way to Biel/Bienne. I read that the river cruise from Biel to Solothurn is very pretty, so we’ll maybe do that. More helveticana anon.
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