Tag Archives: no air conditioning

C.G. Jung, Ten Things I Learned

Ten things I learned in Bern and Küsnacht…

Featured photo is of the train as we left Bern…

Now that I’ve finished writing my exhaustive and detailed blow by blow of our trip to Switzerland, it’s time to write my usual ten things I learned post. I like to make these posts for those who just want a quick summary of our trips. They’re also kind of fun to write, and a nice way to sum up our travels. So, here goes…

10. If there is a heat wave threatening, reconsider traveling by train!

We got home last Saturday by the grace of God! A week ago, temperatures were north of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Fortunately, our train was only about 12 or 13 minutes delayed. Other travelers were not as lucky. We’ve heard stories of people in East Germany and outside of Paris who were stranded for hours. Extreme heat affects train travel, and can turn your ride home into a nightmare. It turned out fine for us this time, but it could have been a real disaster. It’s best to leave in the coolness of the morning hours, if you must travel by train when it’s very hot.

9. Bern has an astronomical clock that was influenced by Prague’s astronomical clock!

Bern’s astronomical clock, located on the Zytglogge, is a centerpiece in the city. Prague’s clock, Orloj, is a bit older, as it dates from 1410. However, the clock in Bern has a mechanical system that still functions as it did in 1530.

Zytglogge
Orloj

8. You can easily go swimming in Swiss lakes and rivers!

Switzerland is very friendly to those who like taking a dip. We visited Lake Zürich and the Aare River, and we noticed both bodies of water hosted eager swimmers who sought to cool off from the blazing sun. I waded into the Aare River, wishing I had a swimsuit on. When we went to Lake Zürich, I enjoyed the lake every day! There are some areas that are privately owned and offer facilities, but I also noticed plenty of public areas, especially at the lake! You don’t have to pay at the public areas, but there also aren’t any facilities like changing rooms or lockers.

Me, after a swim in Lake Zürich.
Standing in the wonderful Aare River! Don’t know what’s on my nose.

7. Tina Turner was a big fan of Rico’s cosi, and was a regular patron there, when she was still alive.

Bill and I dined at Rico’s cosi when we visited Küsnacht. The next day, I heard a woman covering Tina Turner, and remembered that Tina lived in Küsnacht for years. I ran across an article in People Magazine, and the owner of Rico’s was quoted. He said she was a friend, lived about 100 yards from the restaurant, and used to dine there all the time!

6. This cool Parmesan grinder is apparently only available in Switzerland… bummer. 🙁

I hope to buy one on a future trip to Die Schweiz.

5. Bern has a special relationship with bears. They even have cute little almond flavored cakes shaped like them!

This one was a parting gift from our hotel, when we checked out.

4. The Sonne Seehotel is NOT air conditioned. In fact, air conditioning is very rare in Switzerland.

This is actually not something I necessarily learned on this trip. I knew air conditioning was rare there before we went to Switzerland. However, air conditioning is especially uncommon in Switzerland, even though it is not outright banned. You can read about why by clicking this link to an article about the politics of air conditioning in Switzerland. Personally, I think they are soon going to have to change their ways. The hot weather is getting more severe every summer. Fortunately, the lakes and rivers are nice and cold.

Aare River
Lake Zürich

3. I really like fregola sarda. I also like Risoni.

When we visited Zimmermania for my birthday, I chose a fish dish that offered fregola sarda as a side. I didn’t know what fregola sarda was until two weeks ago. I now know it’s a type of semolina pasta from Sardinia. It looks like large, pearl-like couscous, although I enjoyed it a lot more than couscous. The pasta has a nutty flavor that marries well with fish!

I also tried Risoni with my perlhühn dish at the Pavilion Restaurant at the Sonne Seehotel. Risoni is the Italian name for orzo pasta. It looks like grains of rice. In the United States, the pasta is called “orzo”, but in Italy, it’s called Risoni, which means barley.

I’m going to have to see if I can buy some of both of these pastas. I really loved them… especially the fregola sarda.

The little round balls are fregola sarda.
The rice like pasta is called Risoni… or orzo.

2. Sometimes less expensive restaurants offer much better dining experiences…

Dining at moderately priced Falken, and then dining at expensive Rico’s cosi, makes me realize that one doesn’t have to spend a lot of money for great service and good food. While Falken isn’t a cheap restaurant at all, we’ve been there twice and, both times, left there very satisfied. And it was significantly cheaper than Rico’s cosi, which is much vaunted, and priced accordingly. I didn’t necessarily learn this truism just on this trip… but it was definitely driven home by our different experiences at these two restaurants.

And finally, 1. It pays to double check a city’s event schedule when you decide to visit.

In Bern, there was a city party going on over the weekend of my birthday. I love a good party, but the city fest kept us awake at night. If I had known that event was going on, I think I would have chosen to go somewhere else and saved Bern for a different time.

Of course, this isn’t the first time something like that has happened to us. In 2019, Bill and I decided to go to Inverness, Scotland to meet a cruise. We stopped in Edinburgh, on the way… completely unaware that we booked during their annual Fringe celebration. The city was a total madhouse. The Fringe made our hotel very expensive and uncomfortable. I would definitely not want to do that again, even though the Fringe was interesting. Moral of the story– ALWAYS check to see what’s “on” in a city you’re visiting. I like a good party as much as anyone does, but I also like to sleep at night.

So that about does it for our latest visit to Switzerland. I will be writing another post later about last night’s wine stand!

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adventure, C.G. Jung, Celebrations

Older and wiser in Die Schweiz… (part six)

The featured photo is just one of many majestic sunset pictures I took on this trip to Switzerland.

On Sunday morning, June 21st, we went back down to Jack’s Brasserie for breakfast. Philippe, the cool waiter, served us a hearty meal. I decided to have Belgian waffles that day, and a side of bacon. I don’t remember what Bill had… I think it might have been scrambled eggs. If it had been something interesting, I would have taken a photo!

The waffle was a rare treat!

After breakfast, we bid farewell to Philippe, picked up our luggage in our room, and headed down to the front desk to check out. As we were leaving the Schweizerhof, the receptionist gave us Bern Bears, little cakes that taste like almond and vanilla, which I guess is a thing in Bern.

The bears came in handy during the week, because I don’t like eating in restaurants alone. The breakfasts at the newly renovated restaurant the Sonne Seehotel were so huge that I really didn’t need to eat lunch. But small snacks were handy for tiding me over until dinner.

Cute and yummy!

Then, Bill and I headed the short way to the Bern train station. We didn’t know it when we arrived in the rain on Friday, but the train station is literally just across the street from the hotel. We had read it was that close, but came out of the wrong side of the station to see it for ourselves.

We had first class tickets for a brief journey from Bern to Zürich Hauptbahnhof. I think it took about an hour. The train was a bit older than the Deutsche Bahn train we took on the way down to Switzerland and back to Germany. I amused myself by taking pictures, especially of the really chill Labrador Retriever in the front row. And I also took a few other photos, reminding me of how pretty Switzerland is.

We arrived in Zürich at a little after 1:00 PM. Then we got on a regional train that would take us to Küsnacht. I think that train ride lasted maybe twenty minutes or so. It was pretty painless.

The Romantik Sonne Seehotel is also VERY close to the train station, although maybe not as close as the Schweizerhof is. To get to it, you have to walk down a hill and under a bridge, once you get off the train platform. Thankfully, there was an elevator there. I don’t even think the Bern station had an elevator for our platform. We had to walk up a ramp.

The lady who checked us in at the Sonne Hotel informed us that our room, which turned out to be 410, was not ready for us when we arrived. Since it was lunch time, we decided to try out the hotel’s brand new restaurant, Pavilion. We were told it just opened last week. As of this week, they were just starting to serve breakfast. It was interesting to see how the service evolved over the course of the week.

The gentleman who served us lunch bore a striking resemblance to Prince William, Britain’s Prince of Wales. We later found out that he’s from Mannheim, though, and he’s likely a bit younger than William is. We decided to go all out for lunch and then, maybe, have some snacks at dinner time if we were hungry.

Below are some photos from that delightful first meal. I had a wonderful starter called “Scampi” (shrimp, lobster, roe, avocado, and a delightful sauce, surrounded by endive. Bill had melon and prosciutto. For our main courses, I went for the Perlhühn (Guinea fowl), while Bill had “crispy fish”— hake. Naturally, there was also Swiss wine, sparkling water, and fresh bread.

The “Scampi” was absolutely delightful!
I really liked the Perlhühn, too, which came with paella broth, Rosini pasta, rocket, and stuffed pointed peppers.

For dessert, I decided to stick with the cooling theme. I had a scoop of lemon sorbet with champagne, candied lemons, and verbena. Bill had a blackberry tart with sour cream ice cream. I really enjoyed the sorbet, on such a HOT day! But it wasn’t even the hottest day of the week.

When we were finished with lunch (about 300 Swiss Francs! 🫪), we went up to our room. I booked and prepaid for a junior suite, which is the class of room we stayed in last fall. This time, we got the room above the one we were in last time.

It was a very “cool” room… but it was also a very hot room. Like most buildings in Switzerland, the Sonne Hotel does not have air conditioning, and rudimentary science knowledge will remind you that heat rises. The room also doesn’t have the large windows that room 310 has. They did provide a fan, though, and the views were still awesome, in spite of the heat.

The stairs you see above lead into the room. The other suites are also located halfway between floors. To get to room 310 or 210, you have to up or go down half a flight of stairs. To get to the bedroom part of 410, you have to navigate these stylish glass steps. Thankfully, neither of us fell down the steps, although I did hit my head on the ceiling/floor as I was going down one time. Obviously, that room would not be a good choice for anyone with mobility issues.

This room has a closet, a mini bar, a desk, TV, phone, and high ceilings that remind you that the hotel is OLD. We were in the top of the tower that overlooks the lake. The bathroom is open, but it has a stall for the toilet and an enclosed, walk in shower, as well as a bath tub. The bed was comfortable, except for the heat.

Lunch and travel left us tired and needing to digest. We laid down on the bed, and soon I fell asleep. I woke myself up snoring a couple of times! But I was probably out for an hour or two before lunch was properly dealt with by my digestive system.

After I woke up from my nap, we immediately decided to strip down and put on our bathing suits. After being in Bern and longing to swim in the river, I was more than ready to brave the lake. It was awesome! The water was cold, but not freezing. The only difficulty we had was entering the lake without slipping on the rocks or stepping on something sharp. I soon got good at that… I think the direct lakeside access is one of the things I loved most about the Sonne Seehotel.

I think Bill found the water chillier than I did. He complained of “shrinkage”… 🤣 He only managed one swim, but I spent many hours by the lake. For that reason, the rest of this series will probably be briefer, because sitting by the lake, swimming, reading, and writing, was pretty much all I did all week!

Oh… and I did a lot of eating and drinking… We did stop by the hotel’s newly renovated Biergarten, too. We enjoyed some fries and beer, along with guitar music by a very talented guy who came by every night, playing for spare change. I did also get a few enchanting sunset photos.

So… that about does it for June 21st. I’ll be back tomorrow to continue this series about how I got older, and Bill got wiser, in dear old Switzerland. Watch this space!

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