Luzern

We arrived to our hotel yesterday and already I am wishing I had brought my adapter to upload pictures from the trip. For now, I am just pulling pictures from the web for visuals. We drove a little into Switzerland when we visited Basel, but that truly was just a glimpse at this beautiful country. The landscape in general is vast and rich with the green mountains, the white snow capped alps, and the bright blue water that is so clear you can see straight to the bottom. I was very sad yesterday to leave the Hotel Morgensonne with the beautiful southern mountains of Germany and our kind hostess, but traveling throughout Switzerland has been quite the experience.
I am very glad we rented the car because it has allowed us to take all the time we need getting to each destination and the trip has felt much more leisurely as of late and not so full of deadlines. We drove through Interlaken also known as "the town between lakes." The mountains, as through most of Switzerland, are very steep and even with the weather being overcast, you could still see parts of the Jungfrau. With the weather being what it was and slightly rainy, after enjoying the incredible view, we decided to take a trip to Grindelwald in hopes we'd find better weather to explore in.
Grindelwald is only 14 miles south of Interlaken and just as beautiful. It is literally a glacier village and is nestled at 3,388 ft. The weather was much nicer too. It was still very cold at this point, but the sun was trying to come out and we did not encounter any rain. I was much relieved as I already had soaked through one pair of shoes and didn't think to pack any heavy outerwear other then a sweater and a cloth jacket. It was a beautiful town to explore, and of course I got to take lots of awesome pictures of the alpine landscape. One thing that impressed us was how the railway system had tracks going up into the mountainside as it was so steep it did not seem possible that a train could make such a climb. The area offered all kinds of outdoor activities such as hiking, glacier tours, and mountain climbing. Obviously, we did not have the proper gear or training to do the latter. They also have offered a luge that would take you down the side of the mountain. Fortunately for me, they were closed on that particular day as Chris was dying to get me on it. I'm sure I will at some point weather permitting, but now I have more time to increase my life insurance before embarking on that type of adventure.
After leaving Grindelwald, we took our time getting to Luzern in order to fully enjoy all the sights that Switzerland had to offer. When we did get there it was late in the afternoon and the rain seemed to be gone for good. Luzern is in everyway the embodiment of what you would picture Switzerland to look like. The city is located on the north end of the lake and with narrow cobblestone streets, massive fountains, spires and turrets awning their buildings and structures, and covered bridges it feels like you are in some kind of storybook fairy tale.
There are plenty of museums in the city itself as it is a cultural center, but depending on prices we will see which of them I actually decide to do. Everything here is very expensive, drastically more so in Germany, and the exchange rate is literally dollar for dollar. We have been exceedingly careful when choosing where we eat and when because a simple meal of fish and chips for two already sets you back fifty dollars! Most single meals are in the price range of 25 and 35 on the lower end of the scale. Very different from what we have been accustomed to when visiting Germany. Luckily for us, we brought granola bars and a snack bag that we bought in Germany, the hotel includes breakfast, and there are exactly three complimentary apples in our room which have been an amazing supplement. (I will have to post a picture of our bedroom by the way. It seems to be a sample flooring straight from Ikea and is accented with lavender and purple- my not so favorite colors! It honestly looks like a little girl's room to my utter amusement and Chris'...yeah you get the picture.) And as you have by now guessed, we have wireless here as well so I don't have to formally type up my blogs in Microsoft Word and can do it day by day which is much easier. I can give my notepad a rest for now.
Today we have spent time exploring the city and doing the things we had both jotted down as musts. Our hotel is ideally located, you can see parts of the Kapellbrücke from the front of the building, and it is just off the river so everything is within walking distance. This morning we visited Gletschergarten (Glacier Garden). My real goal was not so much as to look at the "potholes" that were worn into the bed of an Iron Age glacier, but to see the beautiful and touching monument to the Swiss guard known as the Lion Monument. I know I touched on the subject briefly when I first posted my itinerary, but the beauty of it lies more in the history behind it and what it stands for and represents. (Here is the link for a more detailed account: (Lion Monument History) In short, it is a memorial to the more than six hundred individuals of the Swiss guard who lost their lives defending the Tuileries Palace during the French Revolution. The monument is dedicated 'Helvetiorum Fidei ac Virtuti' ("To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss").



We also went and visited the Musegg Wall (Museggturme). It consists of a series of nine towers that are part of the rampart walls that surround the city. All credit goes to Chris on visiting this site, as I hadn't thought beforehand to do so. It wound up offering one of the best views of the city of Luzern and it wasn't too bad of a climb either.
And of course we walked down the famous Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge)which can be seen in almost every touristy picture of Luzern and in the one I posted at the top of my blog. This bridge is 670 ft long and it crosses the Reuss River. And it just happens to be the oldest wooden covered bridge in Switzerland. It has intricate paintings on the awnings inside of the bridge that I wasn't expecting. The swans swimming in the river itself will often trail alongside of you as you take your stroll in hopes that you will throw out food to them. They must be negatively impacted by the prices too!
Later that night we had dinner at one of Lucerne's more famous fondue restaurants. The atmosphere was just perfect and it was almost reminiscent of the Melting Pot in Gainseville. The restaurant was wood paneled and was filled with rich aromas of all the food and melted cheese. We were luckily seated right next to a window which we were able to open since it was very warm from all the fondue plates. We ordered a raclette served with bread, fruits, and potatoes. The raclette is heated by a special machine and you are able to cut the melting cheese and spread it onto the food or do my method and just wait for the melting cheese to drip onto your knife. The raclette was delicious as was the wine and he we had great company for dinner. We were situated in between two honeymooners and a table of Aussies who were very humorous and sociable. It was a wonderful way to end the night and our favorite dining experience in Lucerne.