Luzern

Yesterday we took a 45-minute train ride south to the city of Luzern. Luzern, like Zürich, also sits on a big lake surrounded by hills and snow-capped mountains.

Here is the famous covered bridge of Luzern from a few different angles. It's called Chapel Bridge and was initially built in 1333 but it burned down and was rebuilt in the 1990's. There was also a big open-air market going on which is what all the tents are for. The large water tower in the pictures was not only a water tower back in the day but also the prison, torture chamber, and watch tower for Luzern.





There were lots of murals on the sides of buildings:



Jeff, we've been looking for a really big beer stein for you. We finally found one. I was not brave enough to a) inquire about its price because I'd probably pass out when I heard it, or b) take a picture from inside the shop as that is probably pretty rude. But, this picture gives you a good idea of its size. And I think it came out neat with the beer stein fitting into Martin's reflection.



Next we wandered over to the Lion Monument. I found this quite impressive and moving. The Lion signifies the Swiss soldiers who were killed during the French Revolution in Paris in 1792. Please read about it here.

In the warmer months, the pond in front of the Lion is drained and concerts are held there - an orchestra sits in the pond area as it is several feet deep.







Next we went for a walk along the lake. In my opinion, Lake Luzern is nicer than Lake Zürich. The surrounding mountains are closer and more visible and the path along the lake goes on for much longer and it follows immediately along the lake and it's easy to follow. In Zürich you have to keep wandering away from the lake and sometimes walk along the street nowhere near the lake which is kind of annoying. There isn't really a well-definited path along the lake in a lot of places.

Jeff I found a spot for your boat:



A picture looking towards Luzern:



I got my feet wet and it was quite refreshing. It was pretty warm wandering around in the sun all day so this felt great. The water was a brisk 15C (59F).



Then we went back into Luzern and climbed one of the towers in the old wall in the city. We were kind of disappointed by the wire mesh covering all the windows at the top of the tower but I think this picture gives a great view of the lake nonetheless:



Look at all those sailboats! I would have given anything to be out on that lake yesterday. Climbing that tower was *hot*.

As always, we took many more pictures than I've posted here and I will post them in their entirety on Facebook and Kodak.