Bern, SWITZERLAND

SATURDAY 20TH FEBRUARY 1999

I awoke this morning in the bed and comfortable room I'm beginning to call home and thoroughly enjoyed another sleep in. By 11am Frank had been down to the bakers and had served fresh bread and a cup of gargantuan coffee.

More drizzling rain fell outside which was slowly melting all the snow and transforming the ground to a blanket of green. After last nights revelling spring had sprung and by mid afternoon we all wandered downtown to see the parade. We managed to position ourselves in the rain on a stand in the centre of the main road and for an hour we watched colourful groups and their instruments parade through the town. Children threw confetti in a multitude of colours and sizes, crowds lined the streets and the statues on water fountains seemed to watch with intent as the entertainment passed. This was another side of Switzerland often hidden from the tourist!! Shame on you all for thinking that this was a country of insurance brokers and bankers!! Switzerland has a mysterious heart and soul hidden within the clutches of its beautiful mountains, valleys, towns and villages and shouldn't be missed through the eyes of a local.

After the parade we said goodbye to Chris, a Londoner whose company we enjoyed and headed for the supermarket for a few weekend snacks. Later we drove Frank to a friends party and returned to the apartment. I then caught up on diary entries, whilst Dave read about the mysterious East and the beckoning Arab world.