Where's the shrapnel?

In Switzerland they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.
-Orson Welles

So. I'm in the middle of my April travels across Germania, i.e. Central Europe, and just finished a three-day stint in the heart of Switzerland: Bern.

Here's what you need to know about Bern:
-It's language is German, but it's used in a crazy sing-songy way that makes all speakers sound like Medieval toddlers.
-The city is obsessed with brown bears, and houses two in a city zoo/monument called the Bärengraben.
-Movies shown here are are shown in OV (original version) but subtitled in both French and German... and in the middle of all movies there is an intermission! And not a nice paused intermission; just a regular slash job in the center reel.
- They have gourmet samples at their grocery stores on Saturday. We're talking silver ware, porcelain cups, etc., a far cry from a Dixie cup of Shasta and a toothpick skewered piece of cheddar cheese.

...And that's about it. Because Switzerland has so proudly been a peacefully state for over 600 years, there isn't a ton of passion, strife, or turmoil in its history, and cities like Bern show this permanent calm. None of the gorgeous middle ages sandstone was pockmarked with shrapnel and there were no monuments marking deportations, annexations, or general aggravations. It was nice.

But like most things that are nice and clean, Bern was a little boring. On Friday Erik and I celebrated his birthday with a tradition Swiss meal of Roesti (a pot of hashbrowns, vegetables, etc, baked with cheese on top) and then walked along the river Aar. On Saturday, we window shopped among the Brunnen (public fountains) of Bern, and found my new all-time favorite grocery chain: Vatter's (father's). See picture for sample info. Then we saw two films "Lars and the Real Girl" and "Once." I love capitalizing on OV movies.

On Sunday we went to the art museum of Bern and then to the famous bar pits. The weather was a balmy 65 degrees and it was the first time in months that we could eat outside. From there we caught one of the hourly shows of the Zytglogge, the famous cuckoo clock in the town center, before catching our train back north. We got back into the 'Furt on Sunday night and I looked at the ugly parts of my city with a new appreciation. At least we got some character.