So far I have seen the surrounding areas of Lucerne but have yet to have the time to explore the city of Lucerne.
My body ached so much from all the hiking and how much I packed into the last 3 days. Today I also didn't have the Swiss Rail pass which meant I couldn't just hop on and off transport.
The city of Lucerne is very compact and centers around the train station and harbor where all the cruise ships come and go.
I started with the most famous landmark in Lucerne - Chapel Bridge. The bridge is for pedestrians only and forms an s curve. It was built in the 1300s and is decorated with paintings on the wood that can be seen when you walk under it.
On one side of the water is the Jesuitenkirche that was built in the 17th century. Today was Whit Holiday or Pentecost so the church was closed as were all shops and most dining options.
My favorite part of Lucerne was the Old Town. The Rathaus of Lucerne was right next to an old clock tower and both were constructed around the 1600s. There was a lot of pretty architecture and most of the buildings were adorned with beautiful paintings and designs. Not me fangirling over buildings!
There was another bridge near the Chapel Bridge called Spreuer Bridge. This bridge was a wooden bridge similar to the first except the paintings on the instead were motifs featuring different scenes involving skeletons.
A little walk away from the old town center is a nature area where the old city wall still stands. There are nine total towers, some of which you can climb. The first one I climbed was the Zytturm which is an antique clock tower. As I climbed each level of stairs, there was a different part of clock machinery. From the very top you could look out and see Lake Lucerne as well as the river. The view made the steps to get up there worth it.
I walked the entire length of the city walls climbing stairs when I felt inclined and just sitting and admiring the view. Today was a chill day for me as I had to head back to Zurich to catch my flight to Dusseldorf.
I grabbed lunch at a French taco place called Go Taco and the Portuguese man there was really talking me up. He told me I looked like I had Portuguese features which I found funny. No one is ever able to nail down my ethnicity. Usually I am told I look Hispanic. The Portuguese man was very nice and gave me a free drink with my meal too. I had wanted to try some traditional Swiss food but I had already splurged on one previous meal and it was so bad I have just been ordering takeaway. His is French taco was good and he even made it spicy for me!
Switzerland amazed me with its beauty! There was also so much to do from hiking to water sports and so much to see! I feel like I barely made a dent in things to see in Switzerland but that just means I will need to return in the future.
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