Crowds

The first day of the Bern adventure begins with plenty of time. Everyone sleeps in, taking it slow. Chill doesn't mean peaceful, so please no romantic notions! The cold, public toilets are something the female members of the family have to get used to again, and so the bowel movement strikes once again, while massive, tasty farts float in the cramped camper air 💩🤮... 

The mass of rain pouring from the sky should not be underestimated, and hence, the good advice from the mother: Put on rain boots. With the teenage snot and vomit alarm, there’s a veto and some drama. However, their sneakers were stupidly left exactly in the drainage ditch of the tent the night before 😂🙈. But no, what does the teenager do? Just steals Mommy’s sneakers. Wiwi follows suit, not wanting boots either. To avoid further screaming, Mommy shows solidarity once again and slips into the rubber boots. Yeeee, haven't been this stylish in the city for a long time 🤪. The walk to the bus stop along the Aare was really nice, but for some kids, the number of steps was probably too much. Complaining, screaming, pushing - STOP, before one ends up in the rushing river, I’d rather play pack mule. So, one child on my back and peace in the crowd. Father, Nana, and Aya are certainly more stylish in their sneakers, but all have soaking wet shoes or feet 😈. Complaining included.

The bus drives off right in front of us, but waiting for about 10 minutes is manageable. Dad asks if I’m sure about this direction, but I am sure, the SBB plan was checked. The bus arrives, and we finally sit in the warmth. Weird display board showing entirely different stations than I checked?!? Mom calls across half the bus to Dad: 'Where is XXX?' An older man grins kindly and says we are heading in the wrong direction 🙈🙈🙈🙈. Oh dear, detour included... But look at it positively, it’s a city tour. Mommy finds it super exciting, but somehow no one shares her enthusiasm 🥺. The prospect of a hot chocolate calms the crowd. Finally at the museum, quick into the small connected café. Uuuu, the Museum of Communication seems to be anything but a hidden gem 😱. CROWDS of people in the café and queuing at the entrance!!!! The last time I experienced this was at the Museum of Modern Art in NY, right Sister 😉. And it didn’t stop, even 45 minutes after warming up in the totally overwhelmed café, the line still stretched meters into the park. I was horrified by the scale inside, but now we are already here. Dad has a great idea: Come, let’s go through the café passage into the museum and just pay at the end when we leave. I look at him in disbelief. Are you crazy, not without me! What if they catch us? Veto is veto, so Dad stands in line while I watch the kids. At some point, we are inside. There are loads of people, tons of information, lots of interactive stations, and plenty of stairs and corridors. The latter are Lala's favorites. So, I chase after the toddler, trying to absorb some information on the side (interesting, in 1929 a phone call from NY to CH for 3 minutes cost 3000.-!!!) and become slightly crazy amidst the chaos as a highly sensitive empath. The others find the camera and the stamp creation great. I can’t gauge how much communication knowledge was gained. Eventually, it’s enough. The visit to the shop is then too much for Dad. He moves outside. You can’t imagine the massive fuss such a selection of a small souvenir can cause 🤬. 

The return journey is long, Wiwi can’t go on. Dad plays a breathing punching bag, Aya is already practicing calmness for her future LP role (well, still with some potential, should yelling and threats come back into fashion 🤣😆). Nana trudges around exhausted and irritated, Lala keeps wanting to close lids.

Quick food at the campground. Relief! And of course, by the time we go to bed, everyone was once again bursting with energy 🤪.