A Very Swiss Summer: Floating down the Aare River in Bern, Switzerland

Our friend Carmen has previously written a guest post on this blog. Today, she shares yet another adventure in her adopted home of Zurich, Switzerland. Welcome back Carmen!

A few weeks ago, I finally decided to take up on a friend’s invite to float down the Aare River in Bern, and it was an unforgettable trip!

The Aare River with its strong currents and signature turquoise blue colour is a popular summer swimming spot for the Swiss. In fact, swimming in the Aare is an official activity on the UNESCO list of Swiss traditions. Rising from a glacier up in the Bernese Alps, it flows through Lake Brienz and Lake Thun, passes by Bern, the capital of Switzerland and flows into the Rhine in the north-west.

Initially my significant other and I were reluctant to take the two- hour train ride to Bern from Zurich on a lazy Sunday but then we thought: why not enjoy the hot weather before autumn sets in? It was a great decision as we had an amazing experience!

Image Source: http://www.magicswitzerland.com/tours/route/aare_route.htm

After we arrived, we followed the procession of people carrying picnic equipment and floats of various forms down to the Marzili pool area of the river. We were glad to see a well-developed area with numerous changing rooms around the picnic area, a restaurant and concession stands peppered around the vicinity. Bear in mind that this trip was made in the middle of the Corona-virus pandemic, and still, the place was packed with young and old alike, with no masks in sight. We didn't don masks either. But back in Zurich, starting Aug 27, we have to wear masks in stores.

We set up camp amongst the crowd, and then walked up the river to a bridge where we could see adventurous young men and women jumping into the cold waters. The less adventurous however, chose to descend into the river via the numerous staircases along the river side. 

Dipping my feet into the water, I was pleasantly surprised to find the water temperature at a nice, cool 21-24 C (69.8 - 75.2 F), but taken aback by the strong current. Once in the water, I was immediately swept away by the current. I was now far ahead of my friend even though she went in right after me. Good thing she lent me her pool noodle, which kept me afloat. She was using her pool lounger. 

It was very interesting to see the various forms floatation devices bobbing down the river. Some people were blissfully floating in 7-10 foot rafts, complete with beer (and paddle) in hand, and music blasting from their bluetooth speakers!

As we approached the end of the “safe” floating area, we saw signs along the river marking where floaters should exit. If you prefer a longer float, you can swim further down to a channel that directs you to a man-made pool. Here, you can continue to wade or walk up a wide staircase. A 10-minute walk upriver gives you about 5 minutes of floating time. A longer, 2-kilometre (1.24 miles) hike gives you 15 minutes worth of floating time. We did several rounds of the 10-minute hike and float before settling down for a picnic. My other half had so much fun jumping and floating he didn't even bother to stop for lunch!

The Swiss were right on the money when it listed floating down the Aare River as one of their summer traditions. We love it so much it might become a tradition for us. Aare River, see you next summer!

Helpful links on rafting down the Aare River

https://www.aareschlauchboot.ch/english

This post is shared on Skywatch Friday and My Corner of the World.

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