We all got up around 3 am--except for Penn, who was still up and pumped after watching the Celtics best the Heat--to be ready for a 4 am departure for the Keflavik airport. Because elves, we dropped our rental car at the wrong Hertz place and walked 15 min in the freezing cold wind to the terminal. Then found an eternal zig-zag line at Iceland Air that would put WDW to shame. Harper couldn't find any gf options and had to settle for Joe and the Juice again, which meant no real food for her before a three hour flight--not great.
I woke up on the flight, surprised to discover there were just 45 minutes left. And, then suddenly, we were in Zurich. I had been to Switzerland before: as part of a 2019 US Dept of Education study trip that looked at the Swiss VET system, but our group never left Zurich (which was in the midst of record heat wave, hitting above 100 every day of our visit). So, Switzerland would be a new adventure for all of us.
Somehow, our path out of the airport did not include passport control, so we're fairly certain we'll be stopped on the way home and refused exit, but whatever. Our tempers were fraying because of the combination of lack of sleep and food, though, so we just kept moving forward. We found some mangoes for Harper, some water for all, and our train to Luzern.
The trip to Luzern was ridiculously lovely--a picture perfect weather day that made every view a Kodak moment.
It was a fairly short hour plus trip from the airport to Luzern, where the train station is right next to the lake that shares its name with the city.
So, a note about our Switzerland hotels. When I moved to VA and everyone else stayed in NY, Ned and I got Chase Sapphire cards, thinking that we'd be traveling back and forth regularly for visits and would fill them with travel points and then use them--and repeat. Then, COVID. For almost three years, then, these points have just been growing and growing and growing. We booked all of our Swiss stays--at some very nice hotels--with Chase points--and still have some left!
It's still fair to say, though, that when we booked the
Hotel Schweizerhof in Luzern, we had no idea how incredibly beautiful and gracious it would be when we arrived.
The hotel overlooks the lake, and Ned and I booked a lake view junior suite for ourselves and a (still amazing) regular room for the kids. We were welcomed by champagne (that we never drank), a tray of muffins and nuts (which we ate immediately), and the sounds of West Side Story (because Leonard Bernstein once stayed in this very suite). Thank you, Chase!
Oh, and this view of Lake Luzern from three windows that opened wide to the sweet mountain air!
We could have stood there gawking all day like American tourists--but we were all starving! So we ran through the rose strewn hallways, to the world's cutest elevator, through the most gorgeous lobby, to the terrace restaurant overlooking the lake--where everyone was more than eager to accommodate every gluten free wish we had. Magical!
We had originally booked a 5 pm Tuk-Tuk (think little electric tram) tour of Luzern to get our bearings, but given some delays with our luggage in Zurich, we pushed it back to 7. Penn begged off to get some much needed sleep, but the rest of us were game and met our awesome guide Pascal outside the hotel promptly at 7 to zip around the city.
Pascal filled us in on the impact of COVID on Luzern: the city is very dependent on tourism, which completely ended overnight. He noted that the city used to be filled with huge coaches filled with tour groups. The "independent tourists" like us have come back now about 100% but the big tours--especially from Asia--are still not back, and according to Pascal, these were the groups that spent the big bucks, dropping hundreds of thousands on Swiss watches (at one point, 25% of all Swiss watches were sold on one street in Luzern). On the plus side, during the pandemic, Luzern eliminated much of the parking in the city and turned these streets into open air dining--which seems like it has always been there but definitely was not. Pascal used to be a controller and still moonlights, but in 2019, he decided to become a full-time tour guide and bought the Tuk-Tuk, the only one in Luzern. The timing was not great, but he can support himself almost completely now that tourism is coming back. As we zipped along, he pointed out great places to eat and seemed to know basically everyone, so he's got this thing on lock. Pascal also noted that he get frequent calls from locals to do fondue tours for events: he can set up the back with full food service.
Back to Luzern. Let's get this out there first: Luzern is almost impossibly beautiful. It looks like a storybook come to life with narrow, shop-filled streets leading to cobblestone squares complete with fountains (from which you are encouraged to fill your water bottles, seriously) and diners who regularly waved to us as we passed (Harper was convinced that people thought we were famous because we were the only people being driven through these streets).
Honestly, I wanted to take a picture of every single thing we saw, but here are just some snaps of fantastic streets, squares, and buildings along the way--plus, look at that sky--honestly!
Like most European cities, Luzern was surrounded by a wall to help it fend off attackers. Much of the wall remains, but most of it--including most towers--are privately owned by Krewes, which are much like Mardi Gras Krewes in the US--including the role that carnival plays in the social clubs. Two of the towers and the wall between them are publicly owned, though, and we made a plan to return the next day to visit.
Again, you can fill your water bottles (or just drink) from this fountain. We saw a family do it as we pulled up. And, the water is cool and delicious!
There are two famous wooden bridges in Luzern: the Chapel Bridge and the Spreuer Bridge. We stopped by the second, because it's the only one that still has its original historic paintings. The Chapel Bridge actually burned in 1993, likely because of a carelessly tossed cigarette (which is why there are LOTS of no smoking signs around the bridges now). Pascal recalled going to a disco that night and coming home in the early morning as the bridge was burning to the ground. He woke his mother to tell her, and she said, "You are drunk." He replied, "Both are true. I am drunk and the bridge has burned."
The paintings on the Spreuer Bridge are a cycle of the dance with death and date to the early 1600s--it's amazing to think that here they are, 400 years later.
And, right next to this history is a modern art piece most often used by children for climbing: this is what it's like to live with history all around you. It's just a part of your life--no big deal.
Along the route, I took a few photos of painted overhangs that Pascal said he had never even noticed--even though he grew up in Luzern--again, it's so easy to take it all for granted.
By the way, you can swim in this river, though it runs quick rough at certain points!
We made a stop at the famous Lion statue, a tribute to the honor and bravery of Swiss Guards who died loyally protecting--what they thought--was the life of Louis XVI in France. In reality, the palace was empty, and they died for nothing. Pascal shared that many believe the sculpture communicated his dissatisfaction with his payment for the monument by carving the shape of a pig around it. Hard not to see it once it's pointed out.
With that, we bid Pascal adieu, and Harper set off for bed. Declaring ourselves Europeans, Ned and I went back out to find one of the restaurants Pascal drove past, proclaiming it the best pizza in Luzern and stopping to say hit to the owners. The journey revealed even more of Luzern's loveliness, now in the waning sunlight (it actually gets dark here!).
The folks at the restaurant immediately recognized us from the tour, and we got a fantastic table on a narrow shopping alley and finished our yummy first night's dinner around 10 pm, just as the Swiss do :)
Good night, Luzern! We're ready to join your tourism board and can't wait to find what a full day of your welcoming beauty will bring!
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