Switzerland Day 2 - Luzern

Kristin again (this will teach Justin to start the posts so I have to clarify the author? Maybe?). On Day 2 (actually 3, but being in the country for 3 hours doesn't really count) Steffi brought us to Lucerne (Luzern). It's a beautiful old city!

Our first stop was the Lion Monument, carved in an old sandstone quarry literally a few blocks from the waterfront and downtown. It was created to remember the nearly 800 Swiss mercenaries who were killed during the French Revolution or its immediate aftermath. It's a very somber carving, in a quiet and beautiful corner of town. Mark Twain said that it was one of his favourite pieces of art.

Symbolism ahoy - the lion, pierced by spears and arrows, is protecting a shield with France's fleur-de-lys symbol on it, with Switzerland's shield in the background. The motto on the wall above translates to "To the Loyalty and Bravery of the Swiss"

Our next stop was down by the waterfront, where we saw the Church of St. Leodegar (or Hofchile in Swiss German) which is a church that dates back to the 1600s.

One interesting thing about this church is that so much of the detailing is actually painted rather than architectural. If you look at this arch, it would be very plain without the painted embellishments. I wonder when the paintings were done, relative to the building of the church?

Outdoor open-air graveyard

There were also a lot of waterfowl in the area. Here are a few of my favourite shots:

Feeding frenzy! (good luck, duck)

I loved this guy's dinosaur feet! Anyone know what kind of duck this is?

And because it doesn't fit anywhere else, how funny is the idea of emergency chocolate, in a thematic shape?

The next big thing we saw was Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke), which is the oldest covered bridge in Europe, having been built in 1333! The water tower in the middle was there even before that, and at one time was a prison!

Kapellbrücke, with the two spires of the Hofchile in the background

One of the neat things about this bridge (and the next one) is the dozens of 17th century paintings on the inside trusses.

Unfortunately, not all of these paintings are originals. In 1993 there was a fire (from a carelessly discarded cigarette) that caused significant damage to the bridge and paintings. Therefore some are restored, and some slates are blank. I believe this one is original through.

The ignition point was around here, if the plaque was to be believed

Destroyed paintings

We came back downtown at night and saw the bridge lit up. Can't decide which lighting is prettier!

We then wandered around the waterfront, soaking in the scenery and old buildings.

Jesuit Church, built in 1666 and a major concert hall (less important as a church than in the past). I wanted to see the interior but it was closed. Boourns!

This picture shows the 'water spikes' which were installed in the 1800s as a way of controlling the water level in Lake Lucerne, once the mills were removed downstream

And yes, we got lunch at the British pub! (Great chips)

Only in Switzerland - permanent outdoor fondue table!

If your palm trees need winter coats, perhaps it is too cold for palm trees?

The other covered pedestrian bridge in town is the Spreuerbrücke, or Spreuer Bridge. It was built in 1408, but rebuilt after it was destroyed in a flood in 1566 (only 450 years old? yuck!). It's original purpose was to connect the bank to the mills in the middle of the river, although the mills are no longer present. It also has triangular paintings in the rafters, although the ones here are almost 50 years younger than the ones at Chapel Bridge.

There were 2 or 3 fishermen under the bridge, which I loved - although I didn't see how they got down to the footings!

The Musegg Wall was built in the 14th century to protect the town. Like seemingly everything else in Lucerne, they wanted to make it beautiful as well as functional. There are 9 very different towers along the wall, and from April to November (drat!) you can climb several of them.

I think the tower may be a traffic chokepoint during rush hour. They should have thought of that in the 1300s!

Infographic of the different towers, their names, and which ones you can climb up and down. I thought this was particularly cute - expect elevation change here.

You can get an idea of how different each tower is, here

While this picture isn't of the correct tower, I don't have anywhere else to mention it - the Zytturm Tower clock in the old town is allowed to chime one minute before all of the other clocks in town. For a country with so much identity and economy invested in accurate watches and timepieces, I thought this was funny!

View from the top of the hill at the wall - it's a shame it was a bit smoggy, but you can faintly see the mountains in the background

On our drive back from Lucerne to Steffi and Marcel's apartment, I caught some blurry-ish out-the-window pictures that give you an idea of the standard view in this part of the country.

I think there might be a snow line!

Since we had some time before our dinner reservation, we drove up the hill (small mountain) behind their apartment to see the sights (and have a drink at a restaurant which was closed - oh well!). As you might imagine, the sights were just average:

It looks like a freaking Bob Ross painting (side note - Whitney and Justin and I just fell down a 28 minute rabbit hole of Bob Ross videos and felt no urge to fast forward)

This was the restaurant. We had some idea when pulling in to the parking lot that it might be closed

There happened to be someone else on the mountain so we could get a picture. Yay!

This church (Kapelle Michaelskreuz) is a mere 200 years old, although there was a wooden chapel there since around 1436 AD. I'm sure people in the 1400s didn't even complain about walking or riding up the enormous mountain to get to church. What a location!

After all that beauty, there was an incredible sunset visible from our friends' balcony. I don't think these pictures even do it justice.

Time for Swiss Chalet! Seriously, we went to a chalet for some Swiss fondue and raclette (melted cheese over potatoes) and Justin and I couldn't stop giggling about the lame Swiss Chalet joke.

Charcuterie appetizer

Yummy fondue

Raclette is amazing! The restaurant brings out this tiny EZ Bake Oven (which plugs into an outlet at your table) and you load the cheese, leaving it to be melted and browned. When you are ready for some delicious melty cheese, you tip down the shelf and scrape the cheese onto your potatoes, bread, or whatever you prefer. Then you enjoy!

See?

We ended our night on a downtown balcony, overlooking Lake Lucerne and Holfchile, drinking Moscato and wandering over to admire Chapel Bridge. What an awesome day!

That's it for me, Justin will take over for our last day in Zurich!