Time to explore the central city in Switzerland, Lucerne. Lucerne offers a great city sight-seeing tour with a chance to appreciate historic architecture and intricate design, as well as bustling markets. It is famous for its many bridges spanning across the rivers, most notably, the Kapellbrücke, which dates back to 1333.
I woke early the next day. It must have been 6 am. It was still light out. My brain keeps struggling to fathom a European summer. When I have left Cape Town on Thursday it was a cool winter’s day. Now I lie here under the steady beat of the fan overhead.
It was a slow morning. I slowly curled out of bed and let the morning sun warm me up. I took a look outside, still in awe of the Swiss skyline. All this morning called for was a coffee. Alas, there was none. No one had stayed here in two months.
Early morning sun over Lake Zug – what a pleasant view to wake up to!
I tried to consider my most practical wardrobe for the day ahead and the heat. Shorts felt strange — like I was showing too much skin. I even tried to grab a scarf before a sharp “No” came from Marc.
“You’re already wearing too much. You will get hot!”
We left at a brisk walk. I inhaled the air and struggled to catch my breath. It was clear and crisp, delicate even. We grabbed two take away croissants to eat on the train to Lucerne.
I was pleasantly surprised. Never will I be able to eat a croissant in South Africa again. This croissant was soft, fresh and flaky, melting as soon as the pastry touched my tongue.
“This is what a croissant should be like,” I sighed as a watched the land sweep passed.
We disembarked at Lucerne and I couldn’t stop turning my head. Every scene was more colourful than the previous. We checked our time. 10:30 am. It gave us around an hour and a half to wander around.
The famous Kapellbrücke footbridge in Lucerne, Switzerland.
The famous Kapellbrücke footbridge in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Interesting architecture in Lucerne, Switzerland.
And we did just that. We crossed the famous Kapellbrücke footbridge in Lucerne, which runs across the Reuss River. This bridge is one of the oldest wood-covered bridges in Europe, despite a fiery accident in 1993.
When we got to the other side we traced along alleyways and cul-de-sacs. I marvelled at the murals on the wall. I never expected this in Switzerland. It looked more Italian. Many of the walls were beautifully painted with either heavy floral patterns or portraits and figures. I had to slow us down to an amble to fully soak in my surroundings.
The petite outdoor cafes along the cobbled side streets in Lucerne.
Decorative wall murals in Lucerne.
It was easy to spot the tourists. They were as dumbfounded as I were, and were also snapping their camera’s aggressively. We wandered back through a bustling market. It seemed like everything was on offer. It ranged from fresh, organic vegetables, to olive oil, to ice cream and samosas. There really was a little something for everyone.
But this was only the beginning of my day.
