Biel is a town with about 50'000 inhabitants, half of them French speaking, half German speaking - we are living on the border between the French and the German part of Switzerland. As we have some industries, (mainly in the watch making business: headquarters of OMEGA, SWATCH, ROLEX, BULOVA...) Biel is quite a multicultural city with workers from all over Europe and other continents. This fact that makes the town somehow special and together with the scenic surroundings of the Seeland (= Lakeland) a nice place to stay. The Seeland is the most important region for vegetable production in Switzerland and you find a lot of traditional farmer villages. On the borders of the three lakes of Murten, Neuchâtel and Biel extend vineyards since the old days.

The Seeland is not only rich on cultural sites from roman times through the middle ages until modern architecture, it's known as well for an abundant nature. On the banks of the river Aare and on the nearby lakes one can still nowadays observe birds and other animals related to wetlands. The flora shows a number of specialities, including half-mediterranean species on the slope of the Jura mountains. This mountain region that extends from Biel up north is a paradise for horse-riding and offers hundreds of kilometres of hiking routes. Biel is very well connected to the public transport system: After two minutes walk from our apartment you are on the bus stop and from there you get directly to the railway station in 10 min.
A 1/2hour train or car journey takes you to Bern, the capital of Switzerland. Recognized by the UNESCO as a cultural world heritage the old town of Bern is a must for the visitor. From it's "Münster" (cathedral) one can see the famous Bernese Alp peaks like Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Between Bern and the glacier-covered Alps lies the Bernese Oberland: Switzerland as you imagine. Cows, tiny chalets, flowers, mountain rivers and traditional farming. Interlaken as a door to this landscape lies 1 1/2 hours from Biel.