Bern

Sarah and I purposely took it easy yesterday, where the highlight of the day was our joining our hosts for an evening at Zurich's Opernhaus (Opera House) for a ballet performance of Peer Gynt. Afterwards, we treked across the street for a very tasty bratwurst, served to each of us wrapped in a paper napkin.

Today's adventure took the two of us to the capital city of Bern. With a picturesque setting on the River Aare and finely crafted buildings lining the cobbled streets of its medieval Old Town, this is one of the most stunning of Switzerland's many historic towns. Even though we were nearly soaked by a downpour of rain, Sarah and I still managed to stroll through the town's Christmas Market before eventually taking refuge within the modern art filled Kunstmuseum. Despite an overabundance of items of dubious artistic merit within its collection, we also had the opportunity to view works by Monet, Klee, Kandinsky, and Piccaso. Venturing back out into the market after the the rain had let up some, we had a lunch of very authentic Mexican soft tacos, served to us from a booth by two young women who actually moved to Switzerland from Mexico.

As we approached the Munster St Vinzenz (Cathedral of St Vincent), we happened upon Santa Claus accompanied by a very friendly little donkey named "Speedy." Going nose to snout with him, Doctor D (as Sarah often refers to me) exchanged pleasantries with the pint-sized equine that ended with a farewell nuzzle before we had to finally continue on our way.

Tomorrow we shall be traveling to Shaffhausen and Stein am Rhein to see the spectacular waterfalls of the Rheinfall, along with the Bodensee (Lake Constance) which provides a natural border between Switzerland and Germany.