Traipsing Around Lucerne, Switzerland!

After a good night’s sleep in our new Airbnb, I am feeling a bit less tired. This Airbnb is not nearly as “cool” as our last one, but it has its plusses. For one, the bedrooms are actual bedrooms and not lofts, and there are two bathrooms. Another bonus is that Migro’s (the local grocery store) is right downstairs. 

Another bonus is the location, it is within walking distance to the Old Town section of Lucerne and the lake, which of course we will be doing.

After Chef LeeAnn's lovely breakfast, we were ready to take on the day. Since it was hot, we were sure to bring water, and use sunscreen and I brought my sunbrella. 

Our first stop was Lucerne’s landmark; Europe’s oldest covered bridge; Kapellbrücke. It was built in 1332 and was originally a part of the city fortifications. It was charming, and a great way to cross the river Reuss on our way to Jesuit Church Lucerne.

The interior paintings date back to the 17th century, although many were destroyed in a fire in 1993. Can you imagine a wooden bridge lasting hundreds of years to be destroyed by a fire in 1993? Crazy!

Part of the bridge complex is the “Wasserturn”, aka water tower. The tower pre-dated the bridge by 30 years. It has been used as a prison, torture chamber, and later a municipal archive as well as a local treasury.

Already hot and sweaty, I was happy to find the Lucerne Jesuit Church. It is the first large baroque church built in Switzerland north of the Alps. It dates back to the 16th century and is quite remarkable. It has a ton of marble and is very white with plenty of gold also sprinkled here and there!

After cooling down in the church, we headed back across the river, and through the cobbled streets. Since all we do here in Switzerland is eat, we found a lovely restaurant, Vincafe La Barca, right on the water. There was a lovely view and we enjoyed a delicious lunch. 

LeeAnn and I shared a Poké Bowl, which was more like a salad with rice and smoked salmon. It was perfect for a hot day.

The boys had schnitzel and a chicken mushroom dish of some sort. We all had clean plates, so I guess it was good!

Before leaving a toilet stop was in order; they had the fanciest toilet I have ever seen.

Afterward, we went to “the wall”, a recommendation from our waitress Jennifer, who spoke amazing English and was so much fun. 

The Museggmauer with the Museggtowers is a landmark of the city of Lucerne. It is part of the city fortifications and the construction is believed to have started around 1370. That is all well and good, and kind of cool, until you start climbing the tower! 

I didn’t think too much of climbing the first tower until I was about halfway up. The people coming down kept telling me that the views were incredible. Easy for those without a pleural effusion to say, right? I did make it to the top, and the views were good, but not worth the climb; for me.

Further down the wall, there was another tower. Seriously? Another tower? The good thing about the tower was that there was no sun. And this tower was a clock tower, showing the inner workings of a huge clock, which always peaks my interest. So I slogged my way to the top, up the teeny tiny stairs, signed my name, and slogged my way back down.

My advice would be to only climb the clock tower; it is much more interesting and shares the same view.

By now, this “old gray mare” is pooped, hot, and ready to jump in the lake. We managed to walk down the wall and into old town, find our way to the lake and a spot where people were swimming.

In anticipation of the hot day, knowing there is a lake to swim in, I wore my suit under my dress. I could hardly wait to get into the water despite it being COLD! It felt so good and was soooo refreshing. 

There was a little boy with a ball who was trying to throw it to his mother, but kept missing and threw it to me. I threw it back and he was delighted to continue to play catch. I am not much of a fan of cold water, but today it felt so good and enabled me to continue the trek back to our apartment.

One charcuterie board later and I am ready for bed! Tomorrow is another day.

Night y’all!

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