Luzern: Blue Water and Grey Skies

It's officially Spring, and what better way to bring in the new season than a trip to three cities in Switzerland.  Our journey started with a lengthy drive through France - proving to be a blessing and a curse.  Knowing Switzerland is generally more expensive than other parts of Europe, we thought it'd be prudent to purchase wine for the weekend.  Our first attempt proved to be an unsuccessful venture; it was 18:15 and the wine section of the rest stop was chained-off.  Conveniently, the lone chain wasn't much of an obstacle for my crafty arms.  Soon enough, the Rest Stop security force descended upon me and gave me a stern scolding.  Granted, my efforts to learn basic French have been all but futile; yet, I was able to understand a little of what was stated.  Clearly, the sale of alcohol at that time was forbidden, an occurrence I have encountered before in Disneyland Paris.

Saturday Market ready for Easter

Swan River

While in Disney, I tried to purchase a bottle of wine at a gas station and was informed the sale of alcohol was prohibited after 18:00, a rule I credited to some unknown family-environment bylaw.  Turns out, the purchase of libations are restricted on the roadways throughout France after 18:00, presumably to cut down on drunk driving.  A major inconvenience for those of us who have the patience and responsibility to imbibe in a more stationary location.  My dismay was relieved when we found a Cora, the Swiss Army knife of stores.  Given the size of the building, Julie put a time limit on this particular reconnaissance mission - a daunting task with three aisles dedicated to French wines.  Thus, I observed how denizens purchased their local delicacy, a process that appeared more perfunctory routine than critiquing connoisseur.  Time was of the essence and no second could be spared to ponder: region, vintage, earthly undertones, hints of black cherries, or the smokey aroma of an olde-timey cask.  None of that matters anyways, there are two types of wine - those I would buy again, and those I wouldn't.  We finished gathering our groceries, quickly foraged for dinner at the bakery across from the checkout, and were back on the road after twenty minutes.  

Weinmarkt

Fountain in Weinmarkt

The remaining part of the drive was relatively uninteresting aside from the incredible amount of tunnels we drove through.  Before our trip, I asked the hotel if there was an affordable parking garage near the hotel; hoping they would know of a cheaper option than the one I found.  This was not the case, the staff informed me the closest garage was across the river from the hotel at the Hauptbahnhof.  I knew of the train station option, but it was not in consideration due to the alarming fee (for two days) of 97 CHF (CHF essentially equal to the USD).  To clarify, not everything in Switzerland is appallingly expensive, however, parking appears to be in the grotesquely overpriced category.  Regardless, we were happy to have reached our destination and opened a celebratory bottle of wine.  While channel surfing the Swiss television waves, we augmented the positive atmosphere by finding Bob Ross - who was painting a series of happy trees and friendly shrubs.  

Rathaus clock at night

Jesuitenkirche and Kapellbr:ücke

First Tower (Nölliturm) of Musegg Wall

The next morning began with a complementary breakfast which was included in our hotel stay (promotional something or other).  While eating, we noticed the Saturday market vendors setting up their stands along the Reuss River.  Once satiated, we started our tour of Luzern - exiting the front of the hotel to peruse the weekly market.  Before our weekend getaway, I made a walking tour map on Google to identify the sites and the best way to route ourselves through the city.  To my surprise, Luzern was a lot smaller than I anticipated; we had walked through the first three markets on the map within fifteen minutes.  Unfortunately, there was one itinerary casualty of the day due to weather.  We would not take a boat out on Lake Luzern because the lake was blotted out by the Swiss permacloud.  

Path of Museggmauer

Zytturm clock build by Hans Kauter

Luzern Lake somewhere beyond the clouds

Löwendenkmal

Swiss Guards memorial

Pressing on, we made our way to the Musegg Wall (Museggmauer) - a series of fortified towers constructed during the 13th century.  Walking the trail alongside the back of the wall, we came to the second tower, the Little Man Tower (Männliturm), which is open to the public. Unfortunately, the "Spring hours of operation" didn't start until the first of April.  The slight disappointment didn't linger too long, knowing the ascent up the tower would have only brought us closer to the clouds and likely a less visible panoramic view of the city.  Progressing down the fortification, we crossed over to the other side through the archway of Schirmer Tower (Schirmerturm).  We slightly backtracked on the opposite side of the wall to the fifth tower, Zytturm, home of Luzern's oldest the clock, built by Hans Lauter in 1535.  The clock chimes one minute before all other clocks in the city, and conveniently, we were seated on the park bench observing the tower as the bell tolled.  

Door entering Saint Leodegar Church

Organ of Jesuitenkirche

Pews and altar of Jesuit Church

Inside Fraziskanerkirche

Ceiling outside small chapel in Franciscan Church

We continued our trek through the city and eventually took a pedestrian elevator at what appeared to be a construction site.  Down on the lower street level, we identified directional signs for the Lion Monument (Löwendenkmal).  Designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen* (sculpted by Lukas Ahorn 1820-21), the statue is a memorial to the 760 Swiss Guards who protected the French Monarchy and were subsequently slaughtered at Tuileries Palace during the French Revolution in 1792.  We returned to the pedestrian area to find a public restroom and entered Bourbaki, a movie theater and cafe.  There, we were greeted by the "Ich bin Luzern" movement (fighting against Racism); had our picture taken, answered some questions, and even spun a big wheel for a prize.  Turning this venture into the most elaborate bathroom break - ever - but we won some free Swiss chocolate and were able to avoid the rain temporally.

Kapellbrücke and Wasserturm

Bridge outside Jusuitenkirche

Spreuerbrücke

Water spike

Continuing with our mapped guide, we headed towards the river and lake, stopping at the Church of Saint Leodegar (Hofkirche Sankt Leodegar).  Before heading to the famed Chapel Bridge, we found a path overlooking Lake Luzern; sadly, the cloud cover was at its thickest - making the lake seemingly non-existent.  Crossing the famed Kapellbrücke over the Reuss, we stopped by the most beautiful of the city's churches, the Jesuit Church (Jesuitenkirche).  We completed our loop of the city after a transient visit to the Franciscan Church (Franziskanerkirche) and crossed the river again on the Spreuerbrücke.  The remaining time was spent window shopping various storefronts and we searched for free offers discovered within our hotel's guidebook; scoring some chocolate and a key chain in the process.  Rounding out our visit of Luzern, we enjoyed dinner overlooking Chapel Bridge, and ended our day with a quick nighttime stroll around town.  

Chapel Bridge at night

Chapel Bridge and Hotel des Alpes

*Cocktail Information - As the Lion Monument was being hewed, Bertel Thorvaldson's was informed the money raised did not equal the commission promised.  In silent protest, the artist changed the design of the outlining encampment of the sculpture to resemble a pig.

(Essentially) Our Walking Tour