Bern on Sunday
by Rudi · 18 June 2026 · Literary Fiction
Bern on Sunday: closed, empty, orderly — a civic decision. The bears in the bear park show philosophical superiority. Rudi makes cakes on Sundays that he doesn't sell. Last week a nine-layer tower ending in one chocolate. He eats it alone. Good Sunday.
Bern has decided that Sunday should be very orderly. I'm not saying this critically — I live here, I work here, I've come to terms with it. But it's a decision, and you notice it.
On Sundays the shops are closed. The streets are empty in a way that differs from the weekday emptiness: on weekdays the streets are empty because everyone is working, on Sundays they're empty because the city decided that's how it should be. The bears in the bear park are there as always, and they look exactly the same on Sunday as on Tuesday, which I consider evidence of their philosophical superiority.
On Sundays I make cakes I don't sell. Just to see what happens. Last week it was a tower of nine layers of sponge that became smaller towards the top and ended with a single chocolate. Nobody saw it except me. I photographed it and then ate it. That was a good Sunday.
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