October 17, 2016

After the hike, we decided to visit Lucerne, and keep as dry as possible as it already looked like it was going to rain all day.

We drove by Mt. Pilatus lined with cable cars zipping to and from its summit. Mt. Pilatus also boasts having one of the steepest funiculars in the world; a cogwheel wagon that zigzags its way from the base of the mountain to the peak. We wanted to try it but decided to return on a sunnier day.

 

On the way to our hike, we had passed by a castle overlooking the city. We decided to stop off and check it out since we had the whole afternoon free. And though there was nobody there, the sign said “welcome” and the gate was open, so we went in and explored the manicured lawn and gardens.

 

 

Then we drove to the city center and parked the car. I was lucky as Grant had packed two umbrellas just for this weather.

Lucerne is a mid-size city located in central Switzerland. Its population is about 60,000 people and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country as it is surrounded by high alpine mountains, situated right on Lake Lucerne, and provides a convenient “home base” to visitors wanting easy access to other parts of Switzerland.

This city was founded around a monastery and it is said that an angel shone a heavenly light on this spot as the place to build the city. The name “Lucerne” comes from the latin word for lamp, “lucerna”.

During the Romantic era, Lucerne was a stop along the “Grand Tour” itinerary of Europe and has been visited by many well known people such as Mark Twain, Goethe, and Queen Victoria.

The main landmark in the city is Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke). This bridge was constructed in the earlier part of the 14th Century and was built at a funny angle to connect the existing fortifications. The wooden guardrail is taller on the lake side because it used to be part of the city’s defense system and this provided more protection for the defenders.

The stone tower in the middle is a water tower erected around the year 1300.

 

 

 

The wooden triangle panels were painted in the 17th Century and depict the founding of the town as well as 2 patron saints. In 1993, a boat was moored under the bridge and caught fire. The fire soon spread to the bridge above and created a lot of damage to the famous landmark. The bridge had to be carefully reconstructed. Some of the painted panels were destroyed and are now missing in the newly reconstructed sections. But luckily, some of the panels had been in storage to be retouched at the time, and were saved. Nearly two-thirds of the paintings were lost due to the fire.

Now no boats are allowed under the bridge, and no smoking is allowed on it, and this is strictly enforced by tiny security cameras placed throughout the bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this next photo, you can see the Jesuit Church (Jesuitenkirche) constructed between 1666 – 1677. It is the first Boroque Church built in Switzerland.

 

Lucerne has charming painted houses that are a delight for any visitor. The city of Bern also has these but the tradition didn’t quite spread to Zurich. So this was quite a treat for us as we had been spending most of our time in Zurich.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After all this walking around in the rain, we decided to get dinner at a cozy-looking English Pub along the river called Mr. Pickwick Pub. I don’t know if we were just hungry (and wet) or what but Grant’s burger and my cheese and bread plate was delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2016