Pictures from an exhibition

Switzerland is the world's best model of how a functioning democracy should work. It's the only country I know where politicians are legally bound to do what the people tell them. That the power belongs to the people is enshrined in the law of the land AND respected by all.  Politicos ignoring this fact do so at their peril. The unemployment queue awaits those who would disobey the rules governing Swiss politics. In my next life I shall elect to be born in Bern.

When I was in Bern I visited the Paul Klee Museum, the Albert Einstein house, the Einstein Museum and several other attractions. I was impressed with the cleanliness and efficiency of the public transport system. The genuine friendliness and warmth of a contented people was wonderful to experience; railway officials, museum guides, hotel staff, shopkeepers, restaurant staff, the folks at the brewery, the staff at the 5-storey bookshop, the woman who helped me clear snow from a grave, and the helpful people in the street going about their daily business taking time out to assist a stranger.  My list of happy memories is long.

The only slight shadow was the terrorist threat. It's seems no country is immune from these religious fanatics nowadays. In Bern a man was seen acting suspiciously in a church. The police were quickly on the scene and the building evacuated. Two suspicious objects were rendered harmless. The culprit was taken away.  Good to know the upstanding citizens of Bern are alert to the present danger!

Here in Austria a soldier from Tirol on embassy protection duty in Vienna was stabbed two nights ago by a knife wielding maniac. Only the soldier's protective vest saved him from death, an army spokesman said. A Servus TV news reporter noted that stabbings in Austria "have increased nearly 400%" in recent years. In this incident the assailant was suitably despatched with 4 rounds from a Glock service pistol.

On a brighter note here are some pictures from the Paul Klee exhibition:

Klee Museum - South Entrance

Main Entrance

The Drinkers Companion

E

A Soldier

A Graveyard

A Graveyard (another view)

Political Parties

The German Kaiser

Sailing Away

The Artist's Grave