Hey Bern is a very special place. It's not as Germanic as Zurich - my old boss is French and he worked there for years without a word of german. He lived in Fribourg though. But you could almost get by with french in Bern too.

Bern is probably a difficult town to settle in at first. Simply because things happen in the little nooks and crannies all over town. Finding a good bar or club takes just the tad longer, so it's important to speak to the locals.

There are more english speakers there now than when I started working there in 2000 - 2003.

But the atmosphere and the people are just so much nicer than Zurich, I guess that comes with the "small town" atmosphere. Try to live in the good part of town (don't be taken in by the name of Bethlehem).

Oh yes, the Scandinavians speak a lot more english in general.

Bern is the type of town that just grows on you and when you leave, you will realise how much you actually love it.

(I don't feel the same way for Zurich, and I've been here longer).

So bring on the questions ...