Affoltern im Emmental

Say “cheese!”

This wheel was set up for picture-taking, but if you look closely you'll see that it's (oddly) printed with images of two men in hand-to-hand combat. Significance lost in translation, perhaps.

Cheese-making is a messy business, as we witnessed at the Emmentaler (demonstration) factory.

The weather was heating up, and the haze and morning light spoiled our view of the Bernese Alps.

There were a few clouds above the famous peaks (Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau), but we could just barely see them.

Given our short ride (21 miles, 1,240 feet of climbing), there was ample time to explore a bit of Burgdorf afterward.

Despite being a modern building, our hotel lacked airconditioning (and fans). We cooled ourselves at the Museum Franz Gertsch, created to display his photo-realistic art. I was drawn to this painting, Gräser IV; but unless you are familiar with his work, you would not guess that it measures more than 9 x 14 feet in size.

Walking back to the hotel, we found a discount electronics store. “Do you sell fans?” my friend asked. Yes!!! Relief! Sleep! I have rarely been so excited about such a humble purchase. I assembled it, plugged it in, and bliss ensued. Two speeds! And it even oscillated!

After dinner, a few of us strolled through town and caught a magnificent sunset. Two of us hatched a plan to play hooky tomorrow. “You haven't seen the mountains,” my friend said. “Besides, it will be cooler there.”