In the third part of my Switzerland Sightseeing series it's getting tropical and animalistic =) Originally we wanted to escape the cold and to really warm up in the tropics. No one could have known that it would be a good 30° C hot this week, and in April at that!
Frutigen, Tropical House
Since the tropics were a bit too far for a short trip, we headed to Frutigen, in the beautiful Bernese Oberland. That's where the Tropical house. Here you'll find an interactive exhibition, an integrated fish farm, and a tropical garden. The naturally warm water that flows from the Lötschberg is used here to grow tropical plants like papaya and avocado, as well as to raise sturgeon. This allows the tropical house to produce a true luxury food item: sturgeon caviar. We certainly stocked up accordingly here 😉
An absolute highlight is a meal in the restaurant located in the middle of the tropical house. Here, delicious, tropical-inspired dishes are served under palm trees. It really evokes a holiday feeling. It's sure to be even better when there's snow outside and you can truly escape the cold.
We spent about 4 hours in the tropical house. You should plan for this amount of time so that you can view everything at a relaxed pace.
Bern Zoo and Lake Thun
We stayed in Kandergrund, a cozy little community about 45 minutes from Bern. That's where we're heading today. The Bern Zoo is our destination. It's located more or less in the middle of the city and houses typical zoo animals 🙂 Since we're there on a Friday and outside of the holiday season, we have many enclosures to ourselves and can enjoy the peace and quiet. As the zoo is well-wooded, the heat doesn't bother us much. There are many shady spots that invite you to have a picnic.
Since we didn't bring anything for a picnic, we decided to go to a restaurant, which was located outside the zoo. There, we encountered the unfriendliest waitress in the world and were served greasy fries and standard cafeteria food. Anyway, we were full, even if it was far from Swiss standard cuisine culinarily. But more on that later.
Having learned from our mistakes, we'll head straight to a supermarket after the zoo to stock up on fresh fruit and some bread. Off we go to Lake Thun, more precisely to Gwatt in the Bonstetten Park. There are many beautiful and shady picnic areas and plenty of green space to relax. The park is located right on the lake, and swimming is also possible in these spots. We stayed dry, though =) and had our healthy picnic with grapes, blackberries, and strawberries. Yum yum... just the right thing after the theme park food from the zoo.
We ended the evening by the lake and drove back home to Kandergrund. There, utterly exhausted, we fell into bed around 9 p.m. With one last glance at the mountains, the romantic stars of the Bernese Oberland appeared before us.
Solothurn
On day 3 of our short trip and the Switzerland Sightseeing series, we check out of Kandergrund and make our way to Solothurn. The city has 17,000 inhabitants, making it about half the size of Chur, but at least as beautiful. It is located at 430 m above sea level and is divided into a northern and southern part by the Aare river. The average annual temperature is... blah blah blah, you can find the details at Wikipedia Read more 🙂 In any case, we want to have a nice morning in the city and we're lucky. It's a weekly market! We won't get to relax at first, but we get a huge selection of fresh produce from local farmers. We get to know one or two delicacies, e.g. mussels with french fries LOL
Here it would be again...typical Swiss cuisine that isn't so typical. We gratefully decline the offer and decide on a second breakfast at a good bakery located right in the center of the old town. From there, we can comfortably watch the hustle and bustle from the outside. After a delicious and fresh orange juice, we go shopping. I stock up on new shirts since there's a sale in town. We notice that there's always a sale going on in Switzerland lately :) Convenient!
We'll make a detour to Vitaminstation. Besides delicious homemade ice cream flavors, there are also freshly squeezed juices and smoothies. Finally, a real energy boost for the day (#powerfortheday). Cucumber and grapefruit juice mixed with mango and papaya, yummy.
Next stop: Omega Museum in Biel.
Omega Museum in Biel/Bienne
A real highlight for watch fanatics. Anyone who knows me knows that I enjoy wearing a good Swiss watch now and then. Therefore, we're heading to Biel, Switzerland's watchmaking mecca. The watch museum is located a bit outside the city, right at the new location of the Omega SA Werke in Biel. Ring the bell once, and they'll let us up to the first floor, where the museum is located. We get an audio guide and start in Room 1. The journey into the past is very interesting. Anyone visiting the museum should definitely listen to the audio guide. It provides a lot of good background information, not just about Omega, but about the watch industry in Switzerland in general.
Many 19th-century exhibits, as well as the first wristwatches, are on display. In addition, there are approximately 150 movements, so-called calibers, from Omega. But it's not just tech fans who get their money's worth. Many current models are also on display, which will make women's hearts beat faster. Film fans won't be left out either. The original models worn by James Bond or Tom Cruise, for example, are exhibited. All in all, the trip to Biel is worthwhile.
Switzerland Sightseeing
We then start our journey home again, looking back on three great vacation days in Switzerland.
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On my travel blog Wandernotizen I'll take you along on our family trips around the globe. Between wanderlust and everyday chaos, you'll find honest travel reports, tips, and plenty of material to ignite your wanderlust. 🧭 ❤️ 🏝️