Me in front of the river in Bern.
Me in front of th clock in Bern.
Megan and I are scared of the bear in the bear pit. They have a bear pit because the bear is the mascot of Bern. I was surprised it was actually awake. 
Kacy, Jessica, and me in front of the fountain by the History and Natural Science Museum.
Today we went to Bern, the capital of Switzerland. It was a holiday(Pentecost) today so all of the shops were closed. The train was packed with people headed to a soccer cup game between Lucerne and Basal. They were quite rowdy, but we got to Bern safely.
We went on a walking tour with a sweet little old lady. Highlights from the tour:
*fountains--man eating baby; bear
*Albert Einstein's house
*St. Vincent's Cathedral--my favorite stained glass window
*Bear Pit
After the tour Jessica, Kendall, Kacy, and I went to eat lunch. We ended up eating at an American food restaurant called "Neal's Hamburgers" even though we were trying to find some place a little more authentic.
We caught a trolley to the Museum of History and Natural Sciences. Inside was also the first Albert Einstein Museum. We went through the history portion of the museum first and we learned lots of facts about Bern such as goldfish were invented in Switzerland. I never knew Swiss culture had so much influence on American culture. Then we went to the Albert Einstein museum. It was soooo cool.
Interesting Facts about Einstein:
*His ethnicity is Jewish, but he was not a practicing Jew.
*He wasn't really a poor student, but the grading system in Switzerland is opposite from the grading system in Germany so the Germans spread the idea that he was a poor student.
*All records of his first daughter disappeared.
*Einstein's first was was Mileva; they had two sons together.
*Mileva was the better mathematician of the two, and she helped him on some of his theories.
*He divorced Mileva to marry his cousin Elsa.
*He spoke out against Hitler because he did not trust the Nazi's.
*Einstein and Elsa move to the US because he does not feel safe in Switzerland as a Jew. He becomes a professor at Princeton.
*He wrote letters to FDR warning him about the dangers of the atomic bomb.
*He became an American citizen, but kept his Swiss citizenship also.
*Einstein died in 1955 of heart failure. His last words are unknown because the nurse on call that night did not know German.
I miss everyone, but I'm enjoying my last few days here. More to come.
We went on a walking tour with a sweet little old lady. Highlights from the tour:
*fountains--man eating baby; bear
*Albert Einstein's house
*St. Vincent's Cathedral--my favorite stained glass window
*Bear Pit
After the tour Jessica, Kendall, Kacy, and I went to eat lunch. We ended up eating at an American food restaurant called "Neal's Hamburgers" even though we were trying to find some place a little more authentic.
We caught a trolley to the Museum of History and Natural Sciences. Inside was also the first Albert Einstein Museum. We went through the history portion of the museum first and we learned lots of facts about Bern such as goldfish were invented in Switzerland. I never knew Swiss culture had so much influence on American culture. Then we went to the Albert Einstein museum. It was soooo cool.
Interesting Facts about Einstein:
*His ethnicity is Jewish, but he was not a practicing Jew.
*He wasn't really a poor student, but the grading system in Switzerland is opposite from the grading system in Germany so the Germans spread the idea that he was a poor student.
*All records of his first daughter disappeared.
*Einstein's first was was Mileva; they had two sons together.
*Mileva was the better mathematician of the two, and she helped him on some of his theories.
*He divorced Mileva to marry his cousin Elsa.
*He spoke out against Hitler because he did not trust the Nazi's.
*Einstein and Elsa move to the US because he does not feel safe in Switzerland as a Jew. He becomes a professor at Princeton.
*He wrote letters to FDR warning him about the dangers of the atomic bomb.
*He became an American citizen, but kept his Swiss citizenship also.
*Einstein died in 1955 of heart failure. His last words are unknown because the nurse on call that night did not know German.
I miss everyone, but I'm enjoying my last few days here. More to come.
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2 comments:
We look forward to your safe return.
Rachel,
It sounds like you got a start on a Master's Thesis. What is the biggest contrast between how school is taught in Europe and here in the US? What is most similar? What is the one thing that most touched your heart while travelling abroad?
Be safe.
Miss you & Love you,
Fritz
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