More clouds and rain prevented further cycling. The day was thus spent running errands, shopping, shipping, and resting. After visiting the only place of Internet access in town, Raul and Lauren took the train to Bern. Here, they took shelter from the rain under the arcades while they shopped. The only shopping they did, though, was at a giant Coop. Their intent was to stock up on their favorite Swiss products and ship them home to be enjoyed later. They purchased soaps, syrups for juices, large jars of Nutella, and several kinds of chocolates. They looked for a hardware store in which to purchase a cowbell, but the tourist information person sent them to a “software” store instead–Apple. They spent a while at the post office packing their purchases into two large boxes and wrapping everything carefully in newspaper. They hope the boxes make it home.

Before returning to Murten, Raul got the location of a real hardware store 20 minutes from Bern by train. They plan to go there tomorrow. While they waited for the train to Murten, Lauren bought a chocolate muffin, and Raul said he did not want any of it. As she normally does, Lauren ate all around the muffin, saving the icing on top and the chocolate cream in the middle for one last, delicious bite. Then Raul greedily snatched it away and swallowed it whole. Stinking Raul!

In Murten, they strolled on the ramparts some more before finishing the night with dinner at an Italian place. It was a bit of a challenge with the drink orders. Lauren asked for tap water, and Raul wanted a bottle of carbonated water, as well as a glass of water with mint syrup. They were given a glass of still water with mint syrup for Lauren, and a glass of carbonated water with mint syrup for Raul.

A final note: Raul and Lauren are the only English-speaking tourists they have encountered in Murten. It’s nice to be away from the popular places for a few days.