~Switzerland: Lucerne~

OH BEAUTIFUL SWITZERLAND, HERE I COME!

Those who know me, know that I lurrrrrrrrrrrrrve Switzerland ... yes with a passion!

From the moment we crossed the Italian borders, I fell in love with Switzerland. Okay fine, it was only a crush at first ...

Switzerland is just beautiful, so crisp and clean. The mountain sceneries were amazing. New Zealand is the closest any country has come to reminding me of it, I wonder if Canada is good enough to compare.

Lucerne is a splendid city. It abounds in narrow cobblestone streets, slender spires and turrets, architectural bridges and frescoed buildings, and the snowcapped Alps loom in the distance. It really does reflect the storybook image of a Swiss town ...

First stop, the Lion Monument, designed by Danish sculptor B Thorvaldsen. The lion, which was carved into a former sandstone quarry wall represents allegorically the bravery of the Swiss Guards in their defeat during the storming of the Tuileries in 1792. Mark Twain once remarked that the Dying Lion of Lucerne is "the saddest and most poignant piece of rock in the world."

Second stop, the Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge) - the symbol of Lucerne! It is an undercover wooden footbridge used to diagonally cross the Reuss River. It's one of the best-preserved wooden bridges in Switzerland, used originally for defense. There's also an octagonal Wasserturm (Water Tower) used as an archive. The bridge was always known for its 122 paintings that hung from its arched roof. Fire destroyed most of the original paintings and copies have been made as a replacement.

Hirschenplatz (Stag Square) is a landmark square of Lucerne. It's filled with restored buildings, many of them with painted facades.

We went to the Bucherer store which was like 5 stories. Apart from selling ridiculously expensive watches (which I have no doubt are also of ridiculously high qualities like all Swiss made things), they had a floor selling souvenirs. I bought two Swiss army knives (one in camouflage engraved for Nathan and one in red with Lucerne’s Chapel Bridge on one side and my name on the other). It’s the best pocketknife I have ever had and one of my favourite souvenirs of all times.

We had a traditional Swiss lunch at a restaurant, the name escapes me at the moment. We had amongst other things Swiss fondue – the cheese was very strong but definitely a must-try for any tourist. The waiters were all dressed in traditional Swiss country outfits which added to the warm atmosphere of the restaurant.

Performances were then carried out on stage which included singing traditional Swiss songs (some in Swiss dialects), playing of traditional Swiss instruments (names of which also escape me) and audience participation. It was an awesome experience, a very enjoyable and entertaining meal overall.

Mount Pilatus

Pilatus-Kulm is located 15km south of Lucerne. We were told by the Canadians that visited Mount Pilatus before that it is worth the trip and they have the Rockies!!! So Mum and I booked ourselves onto the tour at 90 euros a head.

We took the cogwheel at Alpanchstad, which runs at a 48% gradient -- the steepest cogwheel railway in the world. As we were going up, the fog began to thicken. By the time we reached the top of Pilatus, well … let’s just say … I could not see beyond 5 metres of myself. It was that foggy. Mum & I ended up spending most of the time in the souvenir shop which was just such an anti-climax.

We took the cable car on our descent.

Truthfully, that was a complete waste of money. So even perfect Switzerland couldn’t live up to my full expectations, but of course it had nothing to do with Switzerland, just have to blame the weather.

Okay ... here's the bit where I digress ... During our time in Lucerne, Mum & I bought about 20 blocks of chocolates. Ate about ¾ of them even though we planned on bringing them back to Australia to give to people as presents. The thing I loved about Switzerland was how you could just walk into a supermarket, pick up the cheapest block of chocolate and still have an amazing tasting experience. So just try picturing (or should I say tasting) the expensive brands. I have to confess, I am a bit of a snob when it comes to chocolates. Only Swiss chocolates do it for me. No-no to Cadbury and certain other brands of chocolates which to me just taste like a block of sugar. They lack the smoothness, the richness, and the za-za-zu that makes chocolate chocloate! Long live the Lindt Café in Sydney!!!

I was sooo sad to leave Switzerland ...