Fribourg

Day #3 of our efforts to maximize the Swiss GA card, and we pick a city known for being smack on the boundary between Francophone Switzerland and Germanophone Switzerland. Fribourg straddles the small Sarine river where it passes through a deep gorge.   Traditionally, the villagers on the west side of the river speak French, and the villagers on the right side speak German.  The modern city uses both languages interchangeably, though French is dominant; each street sign shows the street name in each language.  Read on, and check out the photo gallery.

We wandered the streets of old town, which slopes steeply down to the river gorge, to a wooden bridge that dates back to the 13th century (Pont de Berne). Few shops, museums, or restaurants were open; it was Monday, and most of the tourist-oriented venues are closed on Mondays.  Bad luck for us. Still, a lovely town. 

We ate lunch in an interesting cafe, Les Trentenaires, which focuses on its beer menu – and a delightful menu it is – plus a range of soups, salads, burgers, and vegetarian options. Not great food, but not bad.

Check out the photo gallery.  If you want to keep abreast of our adventures, “Follow” us by RSS or email, at upper right.

Author: dfkotz

David Kotz is an outdoor enthusiast, traveller, husband, and father of three. He is also a Professor of Computer Science at Dartmouth College. View all posts by dfkotz