Friday, May 29, 2009

Switzerland, Part 2: Lucerne

Welcome to Switzerland! As many of you know, we went to Lucerne, which is in the Germanic part of the country. Fortunately, everybody spoke English there.

This bridge was originally built in the 1300s. In the early 1990s, however, there was a terrible fire that destroyed the middle section (not including the tower). It's been beautifully restored, although if you look at the woodwork, you can tell which part is old and which part is new.


Our first encounter with Swiss inhabitants. John enjoyed feeding the swans, who are potentially the worst beggars in the animal kingdom. The other locals were very generous to us. One guy even bought us our bus tickets!


18th century paintings inside the covered bridge.


Here's John with the various towers of Lucerne behind him.


Our Bed and Breakfast was about a thirty minute bus drive from Lucerne. This was a good arrangement, since it allowed us to get out in the country a little bit. Here's a dairy barn.


Here's a little video of our walk on the way to dinner that first night.


Lindsey of the Alps!


House painting is big here: when was the last time you considered going with a baroque masterpiece theme for your exterior?


Or perhaps you would prefer some freaky Carnivale action?


John with Lucerne behind him. The old medieval walls are still accessible and you can follow them up to the towers that overlook the town.


This monument commemorates the 800 Swiss mercenaries who died defending Louis XVI in the French Revolution. If you look closely, you can see both the French shield with the fleur-di-lis and the Swiss shield with the cross.


That's it for Part One. Stay tune for Part 2, which includes an exciting boat ride!

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