Switzerland: Lucerne

From Zurich, we took a short train ride to Lucerne, also known as Luzern  in German or Lozärn in Swiss German.  The ticket inspector checked our rail passes, which also must be accompanied by your passport to prove the ticket is in your name.  Every time they do this in Switzerland I get a laugh out of the inspector - my last name, Schweitzer, is pronounced the same as Schweizer, which is the German translation of the adjective "Swiss".  "So your a Schweitzer traveling in Switzerland, chuckle...chuckle...".  I suppose it has to do with an ancestor who moved from Switzerland to Austria or Germany, and got his last name because he was known as "the Schweizer". 

Lucerne is a beautiful town of 60,000 people, nestled in the heartland of Switzerland.  It was here that the first Swiss Confederation was formed in 1291.  The landscape here is the "most typically Swiss", according to my guide book.  Clear blue lakes, in the shadow of snow-capped Alps and surrounded by green pastures in the summer.  The town straddles the Reuss river, and extends a bit around Lake Lucerne.  There is a lovely medieval district, and a city wall with watchtowers divides the old town from the more modern developments.  

The most famous feature of the town is the Kapellbrüke, a covered wooden bridge built in 1333 across the river.  Along the length of the long bridge are a series of medieval wood paintings.

Lake Lucerne.

The Kappelbrüke bridge.

One of the wood paintings along the bridge.

The train station (hauptbanhof).

For dinner we decided to splurge on fondue, after 3 days of living off the Food Bag.  This national dish is made of a melted blend of cheese, heated with white wine over a little flame.  And of course, delicious Swiss bread.

 Many beautiful painted buildings in the old town. 

The next morning, we woke up to the biggest snowflakes I've ever seen.   Everything was covered in the damp snow (which made it perfect for snowball fights...). 

 

 

The old town wall.

Dairy cows by the city wall.

 A tin knight watches out over the town.

 

At noon, we caught a train heading east to Buchs, a small town on the border with the tiny principality of Liechtenstein.  Here are some photos from the train ride: