Recovery: Thun & Bern
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18 July 2021 - Grindelwald, Thun & Bern
Sitting in the courtyard here of my hotel here in Bern I'm feeling understandably exhausted by the day, not to mention that I've been recovering from yesterday's race as well. It's still hard to believe that I did that. It almost doesn't seem real. I was up early this morning as I always am, and had much difficulty getting out of bed and making it down to the hotel breakfast. Then I luxeriated in the bath a while - something I didn't do last night after my mishap in the shower. I still can't believe that my feet were fine after 51 km in the Alps, but I ripped my toenail up slipping and falling in the shower afterward. The bath helped the sore muscles, but I needed to move them so I went out for a walk. Just a short walk around Grindelwald was enough to start to make me feel whole again. Then it was time to pack up my mostly dry things and get on the train back to the more populated parts of the country. My plan was to spend the afternoon in Thun and then sleep in Bern, seeing that city tomorrow.
By the time I arrived in Thun I was hot and sweaty and gunning for a swim. I threw my bags in a locker at the station and made my way up the flooded Aare to Schadaupark on the Thunersee. Along the way there were lots of "Baden verboten" signs, but I remained undeterred. Worst case scenerio the polizei come and I have to play the dumb American card. It's really the ace in the deck of any traveler, but I rarely need it. Sure enough I saw a woman in a bathing cap out in the water on the edge of the park. She was French, so a nearby young lady translated for me. It seems that they also do not care about the "danger" from the Hochwasser. I changed into my swimtrunks under a towel and was quickly out into the water. The Thunersee is colder than the Zürichsee to be sure, but the glacial meltwater here has also had quite a bit of time to warm up. I wish I could have swum the length of the lake it felt so good. And the jealousy of every soul sitting on the water's edge watching me was palpable, and having that audience made the swim even better. People say young people are fearless, but it seems like this generation of twenty-somethings is just stuck behind rules: the rules of society and the rules they make for themselves.
After drying the sun and wolfing down some cherries I headed back into town to find a proper lunch and found it in the form of local veal on the banks of the Aare between the old wooden covered bridges. Then it was up to the Schloss to see how the rulers and prisoners of medieval Thun lived. Climbing the steps to the top of the tower was a struggle, too. Sadly I didn't find anywhere to grab a souvenir shotglass for Thun so my streak there is a bust. The town was amazingly calm though, considering the flooding. The water level was up to the bridges and flowing along the riverwalk. There were sandbags in front of many businesses as a precaution and a plastic floodwall set up as well. A block away from the river the buildings had hoses coming out of them as they pumped water out of their basements into the street. I picked up my bags at the station and got on the train to Bern. It's interesting to see how mask usage becomes more militant as one approaches the capitol. The train police even asked me to put mine all the way on, despite the drink in my hand. The one index Norway ranks freer than Switzerland I suppose.
