Trip Lucerne (Luzern), Switzerland

   This trip was easy because we came here with tour bus which is nice. It probably takes less than 5 hours to drive from Ramstein, Germany. After seeing the Alps and the same scenery for hours, I was so in trance and slept most of the time (Note: My wife kept interrupting my peaceful time by snapping/pinching my ears). This is my second time crossing the Alps. Don’t get me wrong, crossing the Alps is very rare opportunity for us and beauty of the Alps is second to none in my book. We stayed in the hotel near the lake but far from city center.

   First you can’t miss the Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke). This is perhaps Lucerne's most famous icon and is said to be the oldest woodbridge of Europe. Spanning the river at the lake end, this covered bridge was built in 1333. Much of the bridge had to be renovated following a destructive fire in 1993 that destroyed several of its paintings. The few paintings that survived are worth seeing.

   Lucerne has long been one of Europe’s most heavily tourist towns. River banks on both sides are clustered with medieval squares, frescoed houses, ancient guildhalls, churches and chapels.

   Next we walk up the hill to old city wall (Museggmauer), that is the wall or fortress of the city built 500 years ago and it haven’t changed much since then. We didn’t go all the way up. We preserve our feet to explore the city.

    The Lion Monument or the Lion of Lucerne. It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris, France. We walk around the city and enjoy window shopping but my feet don’t agree with me.

    Boat cruise around the lake Lucerne is recommended but we took a city bus around the lake and out to the hillside. The bus driver was very nice and the local was very polite and very helpful.    

    You can’t see them all in two days but we managed the best we can. We got back to the hotel pretty late and missed the group dinning out in the city. Don’t worry we never miss a meal and we travel with bag full of food/snack and we are ready to continue our journey to another city.