Monday, February 25, 2013

Biel/Bienne (2/25/2013)

Monday, February 25, 2013
Kent has meetings today, so I am taking a field trip to one of my old hangouts. Took the commuter train to the Zürich main train station, bought a round-trip ticket and boarded an inter-city train to Biel/Bienne, an official bilingual city in Switzerland. Place names will be interchangeably in German and French.
The trip was about an hour and 15 minutes. Arrived at the Biel/Bienne Hauptbahnhof:
A block farther along the Bahnhofstrasse, you see the Volkshaus/People's House (1932) on one corner:
And the Hotel Elite (1930) on the other corner:
Bahnhofstrasse/Train Station Street is limited to pedestrians and public transit vehicles:
Place Centrale fountain:
Jordi-Kocher building (1895):
The Old Town:
Stadttheater/City Theater:
It's twin, the Rathaus/City Hall (1534):
A residential building in Rathausplatz:
Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen/Fountain of Justice (1714):
Restaurant Bourg sign:
Typical building in Biel/Bienne:
Notice board:
Shortcut to the Old Town:
Restaurant Pfauen/Peacock:
Three towers:
From the left: the Alte Krone/Old Crown (1582), Waldleute Zunft/Guild of Foresters (1561), and Stadtkirche/City Church (tower 1551).
Vennerbrunnen/Banner Bearer Fountain:
Waldleute Zunft/Guild of Foresters:
The same toy shop?
Old Town windowsill:
Engelsbrunnen/Angel Fountain:
Zur Krone/Crown Inn:
Goethe stayed here in 1779.
Climbing the hill behind the Old Town, a glassworks shop:
View from Hohegasse/High Lane:
Former Rolex production site:
Beginning of Kloosweg:
View of the shortcut stairs:
Swiss chalet:
Former Kinderspital Wildermeth/Wildermeth Children's Hospital:
Tamiko worked here 1981-1983.
The animal puzzle statues are still here:
The former nurses' dorm where Tamiko lived:
The original hospital:
View of the city from the hospital:
Heading back down, past the Church of St. Maria Immaculata:
Tamiko attended Mass in French here.
Back in he Old Town:
Untergasse/Lower Lane:
Below the City Church:
Wandering in the city, found another old haunt: the Stadtbibliotek/City Library:
The plaza for Carnevale carnivals:
Stadtpark/City Park:
Omega Watch Headquarters:
Significance at Omega??
Swatch is also headquartered in Biel/Bienne:
Zihl/Thielle River:
It's freezing!
The inter-city train:
Back to the Park Inn.

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