After posting about the X-omat we saw in Bern this September, I was reminded of how amazing the city was to visit. Brian is working with a lab there, so we were lucky enough to visit for 'work' on a Friday and spent the weekend in Grindelwald. It was probably my most favorite trip of all time.
A few of the locals took us to a swimming complex along the river Aare. The river is made up of glacial run-off, so the water was super cold and quickly moving. For a live vision of it check out this BBC link. It was an amazing experience to swim along the city. You even pass a wildlife exhibit at the zoo while you wade down the river! When you begin to swin toward the stairs to get out, you're literally staring out at the palatial parliament building (below) inaugurated in 1902. It's a trip.
The water is super clear and the current is surprisingly strong. To get to the entry point, you have to walk about a mile in just your bathing suit (I thought this might have been somewhat weird to do with co-workers, but no one else seemed to mind). We walked in via a rocky beach, but others, per the BBC video, jump in from a small bridge. It is pretty shallow most of the 'trip', so as a good swimmer the only worry you really have is for the people diving head first into the water.
Above is a picture of the lawn of the swimming complex were tons of people lay around and enjoy the good weather and spirit of Switzerland... it is an amazing country. I tried to capture as few people as possible because nudity isn't an issue there, (although I still feel a need to maintain their modesty) but it was certainly a popular locals destination.
Below are a few more pictures of the Aare taken from the city center. This portion of the river is a bit further down from the swimming areas, but you can see just how clean and blue the water looks.
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