5/19/2012 – Lucerne Switzerland
- sridgway38
- May 19, 2012
- 2 min read
Yesterday morning we got up early and drove west and then north through the north Italian Alps and into the Swiss alps into the town of Lucerne Switzerland. The drive was beautiful. At one point we went through an 11 mile tunnel through the Alps as the pass road was closed.
When we arrived in Lucerne we went to see the Lion monument that was carved into a hillside of rock to commemorate the bravery and loyalty of the Swiss soldiers who were protecting the french royal family during the French revolution. As the revolution gathered steam, and it became clear that the royal family would be captured and killed, the Swiss soldiers refused to leave them, and were all eventually captured and killed except one who was home on leave in Lucerne. He spearheaded the effort to erect the monument. Ever since then, the guards who guard the Pope are always Swiss, and the Captain is always from Lucerne.
The town of Lucerne is beautiful in it’s own right with a river that runs through the middle with an old wooden bridge that joins the two sides of the town across the river. The bridge is pedestrian only. Here are some pictures of the town last night.
Last evening we had a really nice dinner at an Italian restaurant in the restaurant.
This morning we went to mount Pilatus. We took two Gondolas to reach the peak at 7000 feet. We took a lot of pictures. Steph and Conrad Sr. are both a bit afraid of heights but they both survived the gondola ride and even walked out on the narrow trail. The views from the mountain top were beautiful.
Mom loved the Swiss Alphorn group who played at the top of the mountain, even buying two of their CDs. The music was very different and very beautiful.
We took a cogwheel train back down the mountain, and then took a boat back to Lucerne. The lake is a resort area with the waterfront houses costing 15 million dollars or more. We went past one that belonged to Sophia Loren. Here is a photo from the ride back.
We will stay in Lucerne tonight, and then tomorrow it is off to Paris.
