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Bern, Switzerland
January 2003
Switzerland 2003 We headed next to Bern, since Gabby my ski instructor has suggested that the stone buildings would be a good counter-balance to the wood of Gstaad.

Here a poster in the subway advertises "TeleMagie" at the Museum of Communication - a telephone pole glowing as a crucifix.

Switzerland 2003 On the streets of Bern, some graffiti etched into an old wall: "Fuck Israel - Fuck USA + Juden" The "Juden" looked like it had been written afterwards, and then it had been scratched out.
Switzerland 2003 The world's largest collection of Paul Klee artworks exist in Bern, Switzerland. I very much enjoy Paul Klee's work - it's accessible and practical and still ethereal and beautiful.

At the Bern Kunstmuseeum, Jane stands in front of one of her favourite Paul Klee paintings.

Switzerland 2003 I didn't know Paul Klee made puppets! The Klee exhibit program translation reads: "In the years between 1916 and 1925, Klee created approximately 50 hand puppets for his son Felix (born 1907)." Sadly, I didn't catch the names of these particular pieces. Here's a puppet outfitted with fur.
Switzerland 2003 Here's a Paul Klee puppet with a yellow face and green button eyes.
Switzerland 2003 Jane signed the Klee collection guestbook.
Switzerland 2003 The kind beret-wearing woman at the store das bauhaus bern shows us some art toys. Great colored wooden blocks you can rearrange in so many shapes. A bit expensive and heavy for the trip home though. Something to remember: Naef toys, by Peer Clahsen.
Switzerland 2003 Fabrique de Chocolat overlooks the icy pale clear blue waters of the town river. All the town rivers until we got to Geneva were translucent, beautiful, fast water.
Switzerland 2003 Jane pauses on a bridge, while a bit of Space Invader public art looks over.
Switzerland 2003 Thursday nights in Bern the shops are open late. Here, some wet snow drizzle falls on cobblestones as the last neon lights seep out from under the buildings. Bern boasts over 6 kilometers of covered markets - each of the buildings in old town is build so the second floor overhands the sidewalk. Nestled in these low-hanging stone first-floor people-ways are little stores and sometimes musicians.
Switzerland 2003 Sometimes, Switzerland looked like a fantasy vision of Europe. On a bridge back from the Bern bear pits, Jane paused with me to look over the city, remarking, "This looks very much like Final Fantasy."
2003 Switzerland: Gstaad | Thun | Bern | Geneva

trip | life

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