LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND

We arrived in Lucerne late Thursday night. The train ride was absolutely gorgeous. The train took us up into the mountains and you were able to see some beautiful waterfalls and the typical Swiss house.

Once we got a little closer the weather changed a bit. We definitley felt it drop a couple of degrees and it was raining. So a little hard to see anything. We made it to the hotel and decided we needed to find some dinner. And fast - we were starving. We took a stroll down some street and ended up at a place called Pacifico. And what kind of food did they serve? Yep, Mexican! I know, I know...we are in Switzerland and should be trying their traditional food but we just couldn't pass up some chips-n-dip! It was actually pretty tasty. A little different than what we call Mexican but still tasty!

Well, the weather pretty much was not in our favor in Lucerne. It rained both days we were here. The first day had more of the constant downpours and the second was just overcast. It didn't stop us from getting out and seeing the sights though.

The first day we saw the Chapel Bridge and Water Tower. The bridge had been built during the 13th century and is the oldest wooden bridges in Europe. The bridge also has beautiful paintings on the roof eves that depict the national and local history. There was a fire in 1993 that destroyed part of the bridge and the paintings had to be restored. I think the restoration looks just like the originals.


Chapel Bridge

We also took a walk along the Musegg Wall. It offered great views of the city and we could only imagine how beautiful it would look on a sunny, cloudless day. We didn't spend too much time there because it was actually raining pretty hard. We took and quick break and then headed to the Lion Monument. It was a really moving piece. It was created for the Swiss guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French revolution. Mark Twain described it as, "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world." And that's pretty much what it evokes....


The Wall


The View - I bet it looks gorgeous on a sunny, cloudless day


Lion Monument - you really can feel the sadness while looking at it. It was raining so hard at this point. There was hardly anyone around...but this nice family walked up and took the picture for us!

The second day the weather was just slightly better. We were suppose to have taken a full day excursion up Mt. Pilatus but we just didn't see any reason to when we wouldn't be able to see anything. So we ended up at the Gletschergarten Museum. This is a museum that showcases Lucerne's past climate history.

Round boulders and deep potholes with strange rock formations were discovered in 1872. And what was this from? They determined it was actually remnants of Lucerne during the Ice Age. Lucerne was completely covered in glaciers. Yes, dad you would have loved this museum! It also proved how, before the Ice Age, Lucerne was actually a tropical environment. Pretty neat. We learned about the history of Lucerne as well. Just a really amazing museum. Nick and I were really impressed.


This picture shows the large boulders that were carried by the glaciers from the Swiss Alps

We eneded it with a climb up the tower for some more views of the city and into the Hall of Mirrors. It was the maze of mirrors...much like the type you went in when you were a kid at amusment parks. It was actually pretty fun. You had to be really careful because it was quite easy to walk right into one. Nick and I luckily didn't but we did see some people who easily banged into them. You just heard a big thud! Pretty funny.


Nick and I at the top of a tower in the museum - the town is so beautiful (even in the rain)


Hall of Mirrors...way better than the amusement park!

Despite the weather we had a great time. It would have been nice to see the sun...it really is a cute little town. It was actually a place Nick and I said we could see us living in. It just so quaint and charming. And the Swiss houses are adorable!


We were walking home from dinner and the skies just started to clear up...

It's nearing the end. We head to Paris for our last stop on this European adventure. Nick's pretty excited because we arrive the last day of the Tour de France! Hopefully we will get there in time to see some bikes!