David's Diary: Saturday, October 6, 2001

Bern Countryside

As soon as Allen saw the tram cars in Bern he has been begging to go on them. He really enjoyed the ones in Amsterdam and can hardly wait for another ride. We decided to satisfy Allen's wish by taking the tram to Gurten a park on the edge of southern Bern.

We packed a picnic lunch and after our tram ride rode the funicular railway up the hill (our second funicular railway ride in three days). At the top we were greeted by a large park with vistas of the countryside and back to the center of Bern. We stopped for lunch, then wandered around.

A children's playground kept Allen and Kevin entertained for some time, as did the miniature railway that Allen and I decided to try. There was even a Rube Goldberg type of display designed for the children to pass balls through. It was crowded with children, but Kevin and Allen each got a chance to try the strange machines that moved their ball up, down, and all around.

Fall In Bern

Before we left for the day, Kevin and Allen found a huge pile of leaves to have fun with. Leaf fights and bury the person kept us all amused. We then climbed the tower at the top of the hill for a 360 degree view of the entire area around Bern. The fall leaves reminded us that soon our boat will be ready and tomorrow we drive to the south of France where not only will the weather be warmer, but there should be a brand new sailboat waiting for us.