Part IV: Central Europe in Visual Studio .NET

Making Code 128C in Visual Studio .NET Part IV: Central Europe

baggies of fruit to feed them these hairy fellows ham it up to get you to drop them a piece of apple or carrot Remember: They re strict vegetarians To the Bear Pits left, a long path leads up the hillside to a ridge planted with Bern s fragrant Rosengarten (Rose Garden), with killer views over medieval Bern Observing how a federal government can operate on just $5 per citizen per year: Switzerland began as a confederation of three forest cantons (states) in 1291 Today s 23 cantons retain a remarkable degree of autonomy and governmental powers, making this one of the West s least centralized democracies The federal chambers meet only four times a year for three-week sessions to debate legislative issues and foreign treaties If you d like a glimpse into such a lean federal machine, you can tour the 1902 Bundeshaus (Parliament), Bundesplatz (% 031-322-8522; wwwparliament ch), the dome of which was modeled loosely on that of Florence s cathedral Free tours are given Monday through Saturday at 9 am, 10 am, 11 am, 2 pm, 3 pm, and 4 pm (except when Parliament is in session, at which time you can observe from the galleries) Shopping till you drop (chocolates, watches, and Swiss army knives): Bern has almost 4 miles of virtually continuous shopping arcade running down its three parallel main streets, with even more shops crowding the alleys and corridors connecting them Switzerland is home to Nestl , Lindt, and those triangular Toblerone chocolates You can get these famous factory-made chockies at Merkur, Spitalgasse 2 (% 031-311-0425; wwwmerkur ch) If you want handmade sweets from a traditional confectioner, head to Confiserie Abegglen, Spitalgasse 36 (% 031-311-2111; wwwconfiserie-abegglench), or Confiserie Tschirren, Kramgasse 73 (% 031-311-1717; wwwswiss-chocolatech) and in the Markthalle at Bubenbergplatz 9 If you re in the market for a fine watch, the shop with the most reasonable prices is Columna, Spitalgasse 4 (% 031-311-0975) If you re using this guide mainly to save enough to afford that 3,750SF ($2,963) Rolex (that s the cheapest model), put on your best and head to the burnished wood shrine of Bucherer, Marktgasse 38 (% 031-3289090; wwwbuchererch) The Hullinger Swiss Knife Shop, Aarbergergasse 11 (% 031- 3111992), carries cutlery in addition to Swiss Army knives, but you find the best prices from the locksmith s shop Schl ssel Bern, Neuengasse 5 (% 031-312-1315) You can also find knives, watches, cuckoo clocks, and a little bit of everything Swiss (or imagined to be Swiss) at general souvenir shops like Swiss Plaza, Kramgasse 75 (% 031-311-5616); Edelweiss, Gerechtigkeitgasse 21 (no phone); or Boutique Regina, Gerechtigkeitgasse 75 (% 031-311-5616)

Bern s only truly great museum is the Kunstmuseum, although the Bernisches Historisches Museum is also worth a visit (You find listings for both of these museums under Bern s top sights, earlier in this chapter) The best of the rest is the Schweizerisches Alpines Museum (Swiss Alpine Museum), Helvetiaplatz 4 (% 031-350-0440; wwwalpinesmuseumch), explaining all you ever wanted to know about the Alps via maps, do-it-yourself slide shows, and a whole collection of scale relief models of Alpine regions, some dating from 1800 Admission is 11SF ($870) adults, 7SF ($555) students/seniors; hours are Monday from 2 to 5 pm and Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm (mid-Oct through May closed from noon to 2 pm) Others that may pique your interest are the Naturhistoriches Museum (Natural History Museum), Bernastrasse 15 (% 031-350-7111; wwwnmbeunibech), not the best of its kind, but you can pay your respects to Barry (1800 1814), the most famous of the old rescue Saint Bernards (he saved more than 40 people before retiring to Bern at age 12), and the Museum fur Kommunikation (Museum of Communication), Helvetiastrasse 16 (% 031-357-5555; wwwmfkch), covering everything from stamps to cellphones The admission for the Communication Museum is 9SF ($710) for all comers; the Natural History Museum charges 7SF ($555) adults and 5SF ($395) students Both keep hours roughly Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm (the Natural History Museum opens 9 am weekdays, and is also open Mon 2 5 pm)