I was fortunate enough to spend a weekend (29 to 30 July) ‘sponsored by UNESCO’ in Switzerland, thanks in no small part to my Swiss hosts who took me to those famous places. On the first day, we visited the capital Bern whose Old Town district has been listed as a UNESCO cultural heritage. The shopping area of the Old Town contains a series of undercover walkways that look a bit like cloisters of monasteries or older buildings. There were also basement shops and restaurants that were connected to the ground level by stairs; in residential areas those stairs led to the basement of people’s houses. Another place with picturesque sights can be found along the river Aare which runs through the city. My friends took me to the other side of the river, where we started strolling from the Bärengraben (the Bear Pit which rears several bears, the symbol of Bern) and along the bank until we reached a café/bar by the river. The bar was built out into the waters and had a stage with a glass cover.