I narrowly escaped a terrific hangover, my head is fairly clear and ready for the next stage. I stroll through the hotel hallways, smelling ancient wood, worn carpets, and dust. It feels like diving into the past. But I like these old masonry houses, I'm sure they would have a lot to tell.
I would have liked to stay a little longer, in my tiny room, surrounded by so much history. But whether this inn still has a future ahead of it, I dare to doubt.
But I have to move on, towards Bern.
Last greetings
There are always some towers or churches or castles sending me their last greetings. I barely notice them, because I am already on the way to the next tower, the next church, the next castle. And today the journey is long.
So what does the travelguide think of today's stage?
The route follows the Sense River, then winds to scenic heights with views of the peaks of the Alps. Proud farms in Mengestorf contrast with the suburban housing estates of Bern; its old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Length 22 km; rise | descent 400 m | 360m; Hiking time 5 hours
A bit long, but flat and above all along the Sense. The path along a river is always more than a pleasure, it is a meditation.
After the sounds of the little town have died away, there is suddenly complete silence, except for the soft gurgling of the Sense. And yes, a couple of birds also think they have to contribute their songs. The trees are swaying in the morning breeze, whispering of tree stories, dedicated only to them.
It seems as if nature is still intact here, an illusion helping me to focus on beauty. Perhaps in a few years or decades this river will have dried up, the fish dead, as will all the other creatures still cavorting in it today.
"Alarmism is appropriate, but end-of-the-world narratives are useless"
Perhaps I can seek comfort from the famous writer and philosopher Fernando Pessoa. His imaginations are dark and pitiless.
"There is no calm, and I have, woe is me!, not even the need to find it."
Well, after so many bad vibes, the beauty, the existing beauty, must get the upper hand again. It's not difficult. What's going on around me, is full of wonders, sometimes man-made like the old wooden bridge, sometimes provided for free by nature.
It is a stroll, a good three hours long, including extended picnic breaks. It can't be that one misses to enjoy such beautiful parts. But then, at Sensematt, the path finally branches away from the riverbank.
A narrow path leads leisurely up the slope, sheep stretch their butts towards me. Is there something they do not like about me?
At Sensenmatt one leaves the course of the river and follows the Scherlibach. Then follows a short ascent to the Mängistorfberg. With a bit of luck you can see the alpine peaks from here.
A short descent and you are already in the agglomeration of Bern. Past residential areas, the path follows the edge of the Chünziberg forest to Liebefeld and the Fischermätteli near Bern Bümpliz.
The hike ends in the capital of Switzerland.
Bern in the pouring rain
For once, the dark clouds have not deceived me. No sooner have I reached the city limits than the first drops splash heavily on the heated ground. An elderly lady shows me the way to the next bus stop, and there I am, surrounded by chattering children (once again with a look that tells everything) and waiting for the bus.
The difference could not be bigger. I've been thrown back into civilization, so to speak. But it also has its advantages, taking me in no time at all to the city center of BernThere is noise and people and cars and lights, I'm trapped but quite happy.
The old town of Bern is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and, with 6 kilometers of arcades, the so-called Lauben, has one of the longest weather-protected shopping promenades in Europe.
So I follow the arcades leading me down to the center of the old town. Shortly before my destination, barely 200 meters away, a stately downpour bursts from the sky. Like countless other tourists or pedestrians or employees on their way home, I stay in the shelter of the arcades and hope for an imminent end of the weather caprices.
It takes quite a while before people dare leaving the shelter. They swarm across the street like a startled flock of sheep towards their respective destinations, me to the Backpackers Hotel Glocke located on Rathausgasse. After a short time I feel like I was in South America or Asia, surrounded by young backpackers from all over the world.
Almost a bit like home.
A special city
Every citizen of Switzerland knows the city. It possesses something special, a mixture of old tradition and discreet modernity. One feels strangely at home in the homely dialect, which does not correspond at all to the frenetic rhythm of today's world.
The Bernese are considered to be slow, this may also be related to the slow melodic singsong of their dialect, but not just that. Here, it is frowned upon, occasionally even viewed with envious eyes, how their contrast, Zurich, functions full of dynamism. Bern is more of a civil service town, laws are made here or they are not. Time seems to have stood still, but that may also be a misconception.
Matching song: Mick Jagger- Strange Game (from "Slow Horses")
And here the trail continues ... to Worb
