Agenda:
- Lion Monument
- Mt. Titlis
- City sightseeing
- Lake Lucerne cruise
- Night views
- Glorious grass, cute cows...more rain?
Woke up to grey clouds on the verge of rain. Switzerland was the only place that did not show sun while I was there. The hotels have great service, mostly due to students studying hospitality in Switzerland. The food was quite good too, and the dairy was out of this world (I guess one would not expect anything less in Switzerland where cows are so abundant).
Our first stop was to the Lion Monument, a rock sculpture to commemorate the Swiss soldiers who died in Paris during the French Revolution. It was carved out of sandstone rock in 1820. It is displayed in its own little corner of park above a small pond. Quite nice indeed, and was admired by many artists and writers over the years. We walked everywhere, but thankfully Lucerne is not too big and without the scorching sun we endured in Italy, it was a great way to see the city.
Back on the bus to visit Mt. Titlis, a glacial mountain. Passed by fields so green, it was unbelievable, some of the best scenery I have ever seen.
Every photo you take of Switzerland is just magical and beautiful as a postcard: the quaint churches, the neat houses, the green grass, the cows wearing their bells, the wisp of clouds over the hills, and especially the soaring mountains. Seeing mountains again reminded me of home. We took a total of 3 gondolas to the top of Mt. Titlis, the last one being a unique revolving gondola that offers 360 degree views. Even near the very top of the mountain, you could see Alpine cows munching on grass on the icy slopes. I've no clue how they get there. On Mt. Titlis, we visited a glacier cave, and had lunch at the restaurant on top, and browsed at the souvenir shops. The sun peeked out, but you can't get a view when all the clouds are there. I actually felt a bit lightheaded, and was ready to leave.
After Mt. Titlis, we explored Lucerne on our own. Bought some souvenirs at Bucherer (but not Rolexes, too bad) and went sightseeing around Lucerne, snapping photos of the famous wooden chapel bridge. What a lovely bridge, standing on top of a pond with so many white swans!! Took photos of the lovely Hof Church, with its twin roofs. By afternoon, I went on a boat cruise to go around Lake Lucerne. They had entertainment on-board, but I preferred to sit outside on the deck to admire the views including the modern Lucerne Culture and Convention Centre. I had dinner in town, and must say it's tasty food.
By evening, it really started to pour like mad - just sheets of rain and the sky turned really dark. I wasn't going to let that ruin the litle time I had in Lucerne, so went out to see the Convention Centre where they had some performers singing outside on a stage for people drinking beer. They had some vendors lining the lakeshore, and more street performers. While I was there, Lucerne was hosting a "Blue Balls Festival" (lol) which I later learned is some sort of jazz festival. That, in addition to the tourists, made the city full of people late in the evening.
I was only in Lucerne for about a day and a half but if I had more time, I think I've pretty much seen all there is to see in this city. However, I would love to visit again and also see the other Swiss cities such as Zurich and Geneva. Zurich beat Vancouver as the #1 best city to live in, and although I still think its living standards are high, I could totally see that it would be a great place to live!
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