Excuse me sir, could you tell us where to find Yodelers?

We arrived in Switzerland late last night. We hopped into a taxi because we were mapless and had only 25 minutes to make check in at the Hostel. We didn't want to chance missing check in. The cab driver should have laughed at us. Bern, Switzerland is a tiny town! We could have easily walked to the hostel. Oh well, we learned to navigate today. The hostel is a lovely upgrade from Florence. Anna and I have a room with bunk beds to ourselves. It reminds us of freshman year in the dorm! The hostel is so quiet-the whole town is-and clean. We slept great with some cool Alps air.
This morning we asked the man at reception where we went to find yodelers. We thought this was a serious question. He laughed so hard and looked at us like we had three heads. Everything you've ever heard about Yodelers is a big fat myth. He said yodelers are only in the mountains. We were a little disappointed but headed out for the day anyway. It was super chilly! People had on winter coats. We were fine in jeans and a sweater. So weird to be cold in June! We walked down a block and ran straight into a festival. JACKPOT we thought, yodelers! We started talking to a woman who was handing out the schedules and asked what time they were going to be on stage. She laughed too! The festival was celebrating all the other cultures in Swizerland but, in her words, "nothing Swissy" would be happening. Again we were so disappointed!
We explored the city today, it didn't take too long. Everywhere you look you can see a fountain. I think we've seen most of them in the city. They are all very cute! Einstein lived in Bern for several years and while here developed the Theory of Relativity. We toured his apartment this morning. It was so interesting to be touching the same walls and walking up the same staircase as one of the most fascinating men in history. We read all about his life and works and left feeling a little more nerdy than before. Ms. Townsend would be so proud! I thought of you the whole time we were there. We also went to several churches and the Parliment building. The next stop was the ancient bear pits. They have now constructed a kind of bear park. We saw the two brown bears who live there. The river runs beside the park and it is beautiful. The most clear water I have ever seen. We headed back into the main city to find a chocolate bear. This is easier said than done. We ended up in a chocolate store with only really expensive weird looking bears. I opted for a small piece of cranberry chocolate. I also bought a Toblerone candy bar. I can remember Great always brought these back for us when she visited Germany, and I always thought they were the coolest things ever! Who doesn't love chocolate shapped like a triangle?
Anna and I went back to the festival to enjoy the music while we ate our chocolate. An older couple sat down beside us. The man saw Anna pull out her map and asked if we were on holiday. Do we look like we are from here I wanted to say! He and his wife were the sweetest people. They also had a friend with them and the five of us talked for an hour. They told us some other things to do while we are here and we enjoyed getting to spend some time with the locals. One of the suggestions they gave us was to walk down to the water. We did and it was even better than from the bear park. We sat at a restaurant for a few minutes and then headed back up. Dinner was next at a place they recommended. While in Switzerland, we had to try cheese fondue. We had it tonight! It was good, glad to say we've eaten it. I still much prefer chocolate fondue. After dinner we saw another beautiful church and the town hall.
Our check list for Swizerland included four things:
1. Get some rest
2. See snow on the Alps
3. Eat cheese fondue
4. SEE YODELERS.
Tomorrow we will venture into the mountains to continue our quest. Our favorite response to the yodeler question was from a man at the festival:

Beth and Anna-"Excuse me sir, could you tell us where to find yodelers?"

Festival Man-"Where are you all from?"

Beth and Anna-"Alabama"

Festival Man-"We don't have them in Bern. That would be like me coming to Alabama and saying where can I find a cowboy. Do you really have cowboys in Alabama?"

Beth and Anna-"Yes sir, actually we do. If you come visit we can introduce you to some cowboys."

We think his sassy little remark kind of backfired on him! We all laughed about the yodeler search. We are enjoying the adventure!