心情不倒翁

I never would have guessed it’s a capital,” says almost everyone when they visit Bern for the first time. Indeed, Switzerland’s capital seems like almost anything but — and that’s the charm. Built on top of a steep-sided peninsula on a small bend of the beautiful Aare River, Bern feels like a movie set, not the administrative heart of a country. With only 133,600 inhabitants and a medieval center that’s also a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site, it’s pretty darned quietCG210.

But even an adventurous soul sometimes longs for a safe haven — a place that imparts a warm, fuzzy, “nothing bad can happen here” feeling. That’s Bern. Like Disneyland without the lines and the wild-eyed, sugar-fueled kids. A city that makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time and into an era when the world was safe and peacefulreenex
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Among the city’s must-sees are the Zytglogge clock tower — the epitome of Swiss watchmaking skill — and the stunning Federal Assembly building, which, in addition to its being the center of Swiss democracy, is flanked by 26 fountains. Down the cobbled streets, tourists can explore miles of gray sandstone arcades, browse through cellar shops and visit subterranean bars. “It’s really small and walkable,” says tourist Manan Vohra, who grew up in New Delhi and now runs a user-experience design company in London. For its size, Bern offers a lot to seereenex.