Elswehere I wrote about to properly use the famous (pretty, boring) Zytglogge clocktower. Well here is one more manual on how to properly use another famous (ugly, bizarre) tourist highlight. I am talking about Chindlifresser-Brunnen – literal translation: Child eater fountain.

Personally, I find the 500-year-old figure a rather cool postcard picture for tourists to send back home, for it represents the dark medieval “groove” of the old town perfectly. Also: The figure is not quite undisputed, since the stories about its meaning vary from a carnival figure to scare children to a fierce antisemitic stereotype.

But anyway: there is another reason that leads me there. Chindlifresser always serves fresh, brain freezing drinking water à discretion. No matter if the sun is toasting you in summer or the cold winter air dries you out: Bernese fountain water is the local drink of my choice.

Of course its not the only fountain in town – there are about 100 of them spread over the whole city. Another bizarre one is Schützenbrunnen just around the corner with a little baby bear pointin’ a shotgun at the basement where the local arms club used to meet centuries ago. He also, of course, serves drinking water.

Proscht!