Every hour, tourists gather to watch the show as the clock chimes. The mechanical figures, include a parade of bears, a jester, a golden rooster and Chronos.

Einstein lived in Bern from 1903 to 1905. The papers, which presented his theory of relativity were written in Bern.

We took a stroll through the streets of Bern and then a walk around the periphery of the city to get some wonderful views.

The city of Bern has a bear on its coat of arms. There used to be "bear pits" in the city but now they are kept in an enclosure.

We took a stroll around the market in Solothurn and sampled some of the famous Swiss Cheeses.

The number 11 has special significance to the city of Solothurn. This clock seems to be missing an hour!

We visited this castle high on a hill with great views of the Alps in the distance. It has a museum but is also a private residence and can be rented for wedding parties.

The tables are set ready for the guests to arrive for their welcome meal.

Having taken the cog-railway up to the top of the mountain, there was still a climb ahead with a steep and a gentle path to choose between.

On our final day, we headed out early to look around Basel before going to the airport for a flight home. This animated sculpture was powered by the force of the water flowing through its pipes.

This ferry across the Rhine uses the power of the flowing river to push the boat from bank to bank. A steel cable crossing the river is used to keep the boat in place and the ferry man just moves the rudder to select the direction.