247. Lucerne Riviera

Where: Lucerne, Switzerland
When: September 29, 2014
With: Dave

After a couple of days in Switzerland exploring Zürich and Zug, Dave and I took a train around the lakes and through the mountains to explore the adorably picturesque town of Lucerne. From the start, it was clear that Lucerne was quintessentially Swiss and we were instantly in love. 

I mean, instantly. Look at the facade of the train station itself, the Bahnhofplatz. Just beautiful. 

And across the street from the train station was Lake Lucerne and the city scape. Gorgeous. This city has been a tourist capital since the late 1800s, and it's not hard to see why. 

From here we started walking to the left along the lake and heading for Lucerne's famous bridge, Chapel Bridge. This crooked, wooden bridge used to connect the city's fortifications, but now its lined with flowers and provides the city's most picturesque views. 

In the middle of the bridge sits the octagonal Water Tower, built in 1300. It has been used for a multitude of purposes (prison, torture chamber, treasury), but now it just serves as the most photographed building in Lucerne.

The entrance to Chapel Bridge.

The triangular roof of the bridge is lined with paintings from the 17th century depicting the history of the founding of Lucerne. However, in 1993, a boat caught fire under the bridge and burnt down a good portion of the wooden structure, including several of the paintings. Luckily, there were a few sitting in storage awaiting refurbishment at the time, so some are still original, but sadly, most are recreations. 

There are beautiful views of the city skyline from the bridge. And lots of swans adding character to my photos. Rumor has it that the swans were a gift from Louis XIV as a thank you to the Swiss Guard.  

Continuing along the river, we next came upon the Jesuit Church of Lucerne, built in the 1600s. Much more colorful than churches I'm used to seeing. 

Back out along the river, we arrived at this marvel of Swiss design, a dam called the Reuss River Weir System. Lake Lucerne flows out at this point to the Rhine River, and lake levels can change dramatically throughout the year as snow melts off the surrounding mountains. Therefore, these paddles lining the river entrance can be added or removed to allow more or less water to spill out from the lake into the river. It's so simple, but the design from the 1800s is still being used today to prevent flooding in the spring and maintain water levels in the winter.

At this point on the river, we got to the wooden Mill Bridge. While less famous than the Chapel Bridge, it hasn't been touched by fire, so it remains original, as do the paintings in its eaves, which date back to the same time as the ones on Chapel Bridge. One "fun" fact is that each painting includes a skeleton, reminding all that cross it, no matter where they come from or what their status in life, death comes for us all. Yay.

A sepia-toned look back on the walk we just took along one side of the lake. 

On the main side of the city. 

From here, we made it to Muhlenplatz which marks the entrance to Old Town, or Alstadt. We continued through a series of market squares that had these wildly colorful buildings covered in murals. Generally, they depict the goods that were sold from the building itself at one point, but now they are just picturesque reminders. While many crafts and trades were represented, the wine themed ones are my personal favorite. 

Look closely and you'll see the name of the square is written in the shutters: Weinmarkt. 

Even this fountain is painted colorfully. 

And from here, we popped back out on the other side of the lake and its beautiful promenade.

After having lunch on the water, we went a bit inland to see the touching Lion Monument. Carved right into a cliff face overlooking a reflecting pool, this monument was dedicated to the Swiss soldiers who died in the French Revolution. The lion cries over its shield as a broken off spear sits in its side, slowly killing it. Very sad. 

From here, we were finished with our walk through the buildings and ready for some epic views. To get to a mountain with some views, we started off with a boat ride on Lake Lucerne and took in the sprawling Alps in the distance. 

Mount Pilatus in the distance. Not where we're headed, but the most famous peak within eyeshot of Lucerne. 

I couldn't get over how the peaks of the mountains came in layer after layer. 

From the bow of the boat. 

In love with the vibrant green pastures that break up the mountain view. 

Another shot of Mount Pilatus from the water. 

Soon, we reached our base point, the town of Vitznau. 

From here, we took a funicular up to the top of Mount Rigi. 

And then, our jaws dropped and we were in complete awe of the scenery around us. 

The hillllllssssss are aliiiiiivvvvve......

I mean, seriously. Get out of here, this is ridiculous. 

The long path to Vitznau...if you choose to take it. 

As we walked around the summit, it was hard to close our jaw we were in such awe of the beauty. 

So happy. 

This is what panaroma was made for. 

Interesting antenna at the peak of the mountain. 

Looking back towards Lucerne. 

One wrong turn and that could be a tough way down. 

Sometimes the best way to take a photo is with a reflection. 

What better way to enjoy the top than with some rosé and cheese!

Dave, having fun as a Swiss guy. 

On the boat ride back, we had some unbelievable views of Mount Pilatus, the setting sun, and the glassy surface of Lake Lucerne. 

Again with that green valley punching through!

We got back to Lucerne before the sun went down for one more stroll across the bridge before taking our train back to Zug. 

We had such a picturesque day in Lucerne. It was such an adorable little town that our only regret is that we didn't get a night out here. This was everything I had hoped to see in a trip to Switzerland!