Lucerne

Wednesday May 21, 2008


Up at 5:45 am to leave for Switzerland. As always we were the first people in line to take the ferry from the Lido back to the mainland. I slept until we stopped in Verona. I especially enjoyed Verona as it had just as much to see as the big Italian cities but was much less congested.


We saw the Roman Amphitheatre, the Porta Bra which was the original entrance into Verona, the home of the Capuleti family and of course Juliet's balcony. I wish we could have spent more time in Verona.



Juliet's balcony information from the internet:

Romeo and Juliet immortalised by Shakespeare. Verona holds the claim to having the houses of perhaps the greatest lovers in history. Of course, there is much debate as to whether the lovers existed or not.

The dell Capello family owned the house on Via Capello for a many years. In fact, it is the similarity of their name that spurned the popular belief that this was the house of the Capulets in Shakespeare’s play. The house itself was built in the 13th century. A massive restoration effort to add the windows, gothic doors and the balcony was carried out in the 1930s. The late addition of the balcony is a point of contention, though.



From the courtyard you can see Juliet’s Balcony. This is supposedly the very same balcony where the tragic heroine cried out to her Romeo. Perhaps the highlight of the visit would be the 20th bronze statue of Juliet in the courtyard. Though its origins cannot be determined, the most popular thing to do when visiting the statue is to rub its right breast, which will bring good luck. So don’t be surprised if the right side of the bronze Juliet seems to be shinier than the rest of her! Numerous graffiti and stick notes can also be found on the walls and doors in the courtyard.

The Arena di Verona is one of the best preserved Roman amphitheatres in existence. Built in AD 30, the arena is an awe-inspiring piece of living history with exceptional acoustics and is both older and better preserved than Rome's famous coliseum.

Porta Bra, the original entrance into Verona

We then had our last Italian gelato before leaving Italy. Then back on the road to have lunch at another autogrill. Sad to leave Italy, but many more adventures were ahead.

Switzerland is full of hills, valleys and tunnels. We went through one tunnel that was 17 kms long. Had a break on the side of the road for some Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine), before getting into Lucerne.

Lake Como. Apparently George Clooney has a house here

Two donkeys visited us at our rest stop

St Gotthard tunnel 17 kms long!

Long day driving, got into Lucerne at 6:00 pm. Mom and I then went exploring and had a wonderful cheese fondue dinner at the Swiss Fondue House, with bread, potatoes and veggies. So good! Back to the hotel for a 6:45 am wake up call. I was looking forward to the sleep in following a long day. Lucerne speaks German, so another interesting language to learn.

Swans are everywhere in Lucerne

The Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge) is a 670 ft long bridge crossing the Reuss River in the city of Lucerne, Switzerland. It is the oldest wooden bridge in Europe, and one of Switzerland's main tourist attractions.

The covered bridge, constructed in 1333, was designed to help protect the city of Lucerne from attacks. Much of the bridge, was destroyed in a 1993 fire, though it was quickly rebuilt.

Adjoining the bridge is the 140 feet tall Wasserturm (Water Tower), an octagonal tower made from brick, which has served as a prison, torture chamber, watchtower and treasury. The tower and the bridge are Lucerne's trademark and form the most photographed monument in the country.

The Swiss Fondue House, great fondue, and really strong wine!

Thursday May 22, 2008


Up early to go to Mount Pilatus. We went up a gondola to the summit which was 7000 feet. It was plus 1 degrees Celsius at the top. Mom and I were in Capris and sandals, and the Aussies were in coats, toques and mitts. Some of them had never seen snow!! It was very foggy at the top. There are two hotels at the summit. We explored a bit, did some shopping and had some tea, before descending in the world's steepest cog wheel train 48 degrees. We saw mountain climbers and hikers on the way down in the train.

In the gondola on the way up

At the summit

Behind us is the fog. It's so thick it looks fake

Me with one of the longest playable Swiss alpenhorns

48% maximum gradient

This is the only picture of Swiss cows I was able to get. At the end of the season the cow who produced the most milk gets the biggest bell to wear

Bottom of the mountain

Then we boarded a boat for an optional excursion, a happy hour cruise back to Lucerne. It was neat to see the houses from the water. We drank beer, Eichhoff, that is produced in Lucerne.

Dawn our tour guide, and Fabio our bus driver. Did the girls ever love Fabio!!

Our happy hour cruise boat

Eichhoff, produced in Lucerne

Then we got onto the bus to go to the Lion Monument. This was by far my favourite monument on the entire trip. Here is the history I found on the internet:


The Swiss have a long tradition of supplying mercenaries to foreign governments. Because the Swiss have been politically neutral for centuries and have long enjoyed a reputation for honouring their agreements, a pope or emperor could be confident that his Swiss Guards wouldn't turn on him when the political winds shifted direction.

The Swiss Guards' honour was put to the test in 1792, when, after trying to escape the French Revolution, King Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, and their children were brought back to the Tuileries Palace in Paris. A mob of working-class Parisians stormed the palace in search of aristocratic blood. More than 700 Swiss officers and soldiers died while defending the palace, without knowing that their royal employers had fled the building.

In the early 1800s, the Danish artist Bertel Thorvaldsen was hired to sculpt a monument to the fallen Swiss Guards. The sculpture was carved in a sandstone cliff above the city center. The lion, representing the Swiss Guards has been injured and is dying. He is laying over a French shield protecting it.

Then we went back to the hotel and did some shopping. Unfortunately it was a holiday in Lucerne so many of the stores were closed. We grabbed a quick lunch at a sandwich shop where I paid $ 5. 50 for a Snapple!!

Then we went back to the hotel for a rest before drinks with the tour group. We had drinks in a roof top lounge. Then an included dinner at the hotel.

Views from the roof of our hotel

Then off to bed for an early wake up call. Off to Paris in the morning. I thoroughly enjoyed Lucerne, I would highly recommend it. I would love to come back in the future.