Chocolat

The scenery changed dramatically as soon as my train exited the tunnel  connecting Italy with Switzerland.  In Italy the housing is cement villas;  in Switzerland the housing  is chalets surrounded by small farms and gardens. 

Sing it:  "Swiss Chalet...always so good for so little!"

The first thing I did upon arriving in Lucerne was visit a chocolate shop with rows and rows of chocolate of every flavor combination.  I felt like a kid in a candy store.  Chocolate with pistachios, chocolate with lemon & pepper, chocolate with salt, chocolate with ginger and even chocolate with Jack Daniels.  There are many chocolate shops  in Switzerland, and the wonderful aromas inticing you to enter are very hard to resist.

Hmmm...which one to pick?

The city of Lucerne is built around a lake which is crystal clear and postcard perfect with swans and ducks milling about.  The morning was sunny and beautiful and a walk around the lake once again reaffirmed my affinity for such gorgeous landscapes. 

Lake Lucerne.

Sweet Swiss swan swiftly swimming.

For the locals, the lake in Lucerne is the Vierwaldstattersee (say that name three time really fast!).  The lake is fed by the river Reuss.  There are two wooden bridges that cross the river, each decorated with painted panels. 

Wooden Spreuerbrücke bridge over the River Reuss.

Gory painting on a bridge panel.

The main bridge burnt down in 1993 and has been reconstructed, but only 67 of 111 paintings were saved.  One entire bridge is lined with flower baskets which looks lovely in the sunshine, and there is an ancient mill along the rivers edge. 

Kapellbrücke bridge, designed in medieval times.

Bridge entrance and flowers.

In the city center is a carving in honor of 700 Swiss soldiers killed in 1792.  The Lucerne Lion is carved out of a stone wall and is extremely moving.  I could feel the despair and mourning of the artist even though hundreds of years have passed.

The Lion of Lucerne.

I enjoyed walking up the hills of Lucerne to the Helsana Trail that gave me gorgeous views of Mt. Pilatus, the city and the lake.  All this uphill hiking means I can eat more chocolate, right?

View of Lucerne from the top of the Helsana Trail.

Someone needs to lay off the chocolate.