Sometimes I get fed up with the noisy, hectic, urban life. In these moments, I praise Bern for its tinyness because nature is always just a few steps away. One of my favourite places outside the city is a little ferry upstream the river Aare. There is space for no more than a dozen people and maybe a bicycle or two. The ride to the other side takes about 40 seconds – just enough to take your mind somewhere else. The stream is strong around here and the boat is shaky, the water is always fresh and clean. There are several (more or less chatty) ferrymen, one of them being the musician Mich Gerber who plays free concerts on the ferry in the middle of the river in summertime.
Despite the ferry itself there is also a nice family restaurant. And of course the journey to the ferry is part of the reward already. I often walk (sometimes jog) the path along the river, starting on the upstream left side of the river, passing the free part of the zoo (capricorns, pelicans, wild pigs), maybe have a break at the beach-like riverbanks further upstream until I reach the ferry after about five kilometers. In winter, I return to Marzili through the forests on the other side via Eichholz. In summer, there is an even easier way to get back: jump into the river and float back to the city.
