European Tour: Day Seven

June 22:

Brenda and I had planned to wake up early to see the sunrise over the mountains (if the clouds were gone), but... we woke up too late. After breakfast, we loaded onto the bus at 9:00 a.m. We were going to the top of Mt. Pilatus. There were low lying clouds still so we weren't anticipating much of a view. We took a 35 minute cogwheel train ride to the top of Mt. Pilatus. I was so disappointed when we reached the top because we could see nothing!! Brenda and I climbed up to a higher lookout hoping it would be above the clouds - no such luck. We could still see nothing. It was even lightly snowing! We looked through the gift shop a few minutes before heading back down. We took a huge gondola down part way (holds 40 people) and then switched to smaller gondolas (holds 4 people) for the 30 minute ride down the rest of the way. We then took the bus back to Luzern. This was a most disappointing event for me - I LOVE Switzerland but because of the clouds, I could not enjoy it at all!

There's a story behind Mt. Pilatus and how it got its name. According to the legends which even some modern-day Lucerners subscribe to, Pontius Pilate began to wander around Europe searching for some solace from the conscience which haunted him after having completed his evil task in Judea. When he found himself before this mountain, he thought that on reaching the summit he might escape from his guilt-ridden past. At the top, however, his relief was short-lived. Spread beneath him was the enormous glittering body of the Vierwaldstättersee (Lake Luzern). If you stretch your imagination far enough as you look down upon the lake you can see what Pilate saw to his horror—a body of water whose arms made the shape of a huge cross. The cruciform lake convinced him that his quest was futile and he plunged to his death. Through the 16th century, people believed that the spirit of Pilate haunted the peak and there were laws on the books against climbing to the summit.

We met a local tour guide, Verona, who took us on a walking tour of the older area of Luzern. Luzern is nestled amid the magnificent peaks of the Alps and bathed by the crystal-clear waters of the lake. Lucerne is a story-book town where you can enjoy a serenity which is foreign to the hustle and bustle of Europe's capitals and commercial hubs. Its site is glorious. In Lucerne there is nothing hurried or cluttered or obtrusive; here, the Swiss have dedicated their legendary meticulousness to creating a place where important things happen but which remains a delight to live in or visit and beautiful to look at. Medieval watch-towers live in peaceful co-existence with multi-national banks and businessmen stop to feed the swans by the banks of the River Reuss. Our tour guide was very difficult to hear and understand; a lot of our group dropped out and did their own thing. Brenda and I stuck with her and toured old Luzern.

The Baroque Jesuit Church of Lucerne: This Jesuit Church, which was built in 1666/67, is the first and one of the finest baroque churches in Switzerland. The 2 onion-covered towers were added more than 200 years later. The vault was redecorated in the 18th century. The church was renovated in the 1950s and extensively in the 1970s.

Rathaus and clock tower: The Rathausturm existed 100 years before the old townhall was built. It was built in 1505 as a part of the fortifications of the townwall and in 1619 the 4 bay-windwos were added on top of the tower. Erected between 1599 and 1606 the town hall mingles the german gothic style with the Italian renaissance. Not far from the Rathausturm you may still see a large part of the medieval townwall still existing with several other watch-towers.

Ritterscher Palace: Built in 1557 in the Italian Renaissance style as a private residence for Lucerne's mayor Lux Ritter. The city later completed the building. It was living quarters for the Jesuits who were called to Lucerne in 1574. Today it is the seat of the cantonal government.

The best thing about Lucerne is the Old Town: about seven city blocks brightly decorated with beautiful and old frescoes. You can find some of the best examples in three squares: Weinmarkt, Kornmarkt and Hirschenplatz.

Chapel Bridge & Water Tower: it is probably the oldest wooden bridge in Switzerland dating back to the middle of the 14th century. Only a very few covered wooden bridges have old paintings under their roofs. The covered bridge, constructed in 1333, was designed to help protect the city of Lucerne from attacks. Inside the bridge are a series of paintings from the 17th century, depicting events from Luzerne's history. Lucerne's Water Tower also served as a prison, torture chamber, an archive and a treasury vault until the 19th century. On August 18th, 1993, shortly after midnight, about two thirds of the wooden Chapel Bridge were destroyed by fire. Only the pillars, the bridgeheads and the Water Tower could be saved. Within a year, Chapel Bridge was completly restored. 85 of the 110 pictures under the roof, dating back to 1611, were destroyed by the 1993 fire, only 25 could be saved or restored.

Fountain in front of Krone Hotel. I could not find its name or when it was erected.

After the walking tour we had time for lunch and then about 4 hours until dinner. Brenda and I ate at an outside cafe. It was fun.

The Museggmauer (Musegg Wall), constructed between 1370 and 1442, is part of the historic town fortifications that once boasted 30 towers. Today, the remaining wall measures 870 metres, is an average of 9 metres high, 1.5 metres thick and has nine towers. From the wall coping and the four towers that are accessible by day during the summer months, a magnificent view over the city, the lake and the Alps unfolds. Brenda and I took time to climb up one of the towers. It had beautiful views! The 5th Tower is the Zyt, "Time" Tower. The clock was installed in 1535 and it is said that the dial and numbers are large so that the fishermen could tell the time from the lake. The bells ring out from the clock tower 1 minute ahead of any other clock in the city. We walked along the wall to the clock tower and climbed up that also. We were rewarded with gorgeous views of Luzern and the surrounding area.

Next it was time to go shopping. We strolled all over the shopping district. It was a lot of fun! At 6:20 p.m. we headed back to the hotel for dinner. After dinner, we had just enough time to run to our rooms to get our coats and cameras. At 8:10 p.m., we walked over to Lake Luzern (Lake of the Four Forested Cantons, literal translation of Vierwaldstättersee) for a sunset cruise. We had a private boat. It was a gorgeous night! You could see the mountains and the sunset was beautiful! But, as you can see, Mt. Pilatus still refused to give up that hat of clouds! The statue is of Jesus blessing the lake.

When we arrived back at the pier, a few of us decided to walk over and see if Casagrande was still open. It was a nice night for a walk. We then headed back to the hotel. Earlier in the day, Brenda and I had stopped at the bakery near the hotel so I could have another apfel strudel for a bedtime snack - it was, once again, very yummy!! Today had really worn me out, with the climbing of the two towers and climbing the lookout up on Mt. Pilatus - I was so ready for bed!