What a weekend

We didn’t leave the country (like two weeks ago) or go up to the mountains (that’s next weekend), but we squeezed a lot into the last couple of days. It started on Friday afternoon when I took the kids to Europe’s “World of Dinosaurs.”  It’s a collection of life-sized dinosaurs in an outdoor setting that happens to be one town over from us right now.  We biked there and enjoyed getting up close and personal with dinosaurs, and even being paleontologists for a while.

On Saturday we spent the day in Bern.  Grandma and Grandpa Brezinski are on a 15-day tour of Switzerland.  Saturday was their day in Bern, so we met up with them and their group for a tour of the city and a nice lunch outside the Bundeshaus (the Swiss capitol building).  Unbeknownst to me, there are several outdoor markets in Bern on Saturdays, and there was also a large political rally going on right on the Bundesplatz.  So, the visit was a bit chaotic and too short, but it was wonderful to see my parents here in Bern.  (We will welcome them to our home in 9 days after their tour.)

It was a hot day, so after lunch we parted ways and I took Emily and James to the Marzilibad, the outdoor public pool complex in Bern.  It is a beautiful setting, and we had a great time splashing in the pools to cool down.  I’m not sure why, but it seems like none of the pools in Switzerland are heated. The weather here isn’t exactly tropical, so the water is FREEZING!  I can understand the Aare river being cold since it flows from a glacier, but the kiddie pool should be warmer than 70 degrees!  But we had fun alternately chattering in the pool and laying in the sun.

Sunday, we stayed in Münsingen for a family day.  It was a clear morning, so we hopped on our bikes and went on another family bike ride.  We rode on the bike path between Münsingen and Thun with a gorgeous view of the mountains ahead of us.  All together we rode about 5 miles and got passed by many more serious bikers than ourselves.  But it was beautiful and, for us, quite an accomplishment.

In the afternoon, we went to see the Dampfbahn Aaretal, the local mini train run by a club of train enthusiasts.  There are a couple of small-scale authentic steam engines, and the kids got to ride the trains around the fairly extensive track.  Henry, our biggest train fan, loved it!  The rest of us thought it was pretty cool too.

I’m a little sore, pretty tan, and very tired!  Also grateful to have new and exciting things to experience with our family.  Check out more pictures from the weekend in our gallery.