4/6/12 Luzern Switzerland

4/6/12
Today was a nice, relaxing day.  Luzern Switzerland is known for their lakes and mountains.  We decided that we wanted to take a boat ride around the lake to see the gorgeous mountains and lakes.  Even though it was foggy, the view was still magnificent.  I feel like I say this a lot, but my pictures do not do it justice.  The water was aqua blue and so clear that you could see the bottom of the lake.  The Swiss Alps were stunning.  I enjoyed this boat ride very much and probably took way too many pictures.

After the boat tour, we did a Rick Steve’s tour of the old town.  As usual, we saw churches and old buildings.  There was a bridge that dated back to the 1600s that we walked across.  It was made to provide protection for the city behind it.  They had paintings on the bridge that told a story and each painting had a skeleton in it to remind people that you cannot escape death.  I think that is not a great way to live life!  It is kind of depressing.  The buildings in old town are so pretty.  They have very decorative paintings on the outside of the building.  There is the wine square where people, back in the day, got their wine from.  One of the buildings in that square has a painting of the story of the wine god.  Another building, where we ate, had an elaborate painting that has a Marti gras* theme.  I ordered a traditional Swiss dish and it was good, but interesting.  It was grilled cheese (not the sandwich but literally grilled cheese) and potatoes.  Like I said…interesting.  I really liked the old town!  It was nice and relaxing.  Most of the shops were closed because of Good Friday.  It is ok because I have already spent way too much money!

As we finished touring old town, Rick told us about a lion carved out of a mountain.  We wandered over to the lion and it was so awesome!  It was a 35 foot lion that was carved out of a mountain.   It was so realistic; if it wasn’t gray from the rock I would think it was a real lion!  It was a very neat sight to see.
Next, we walked down the riverfront.  This is lined with cafes, hotels, park benches, and squares to play games and play music.  We sat here for a while taking in the view of the mountains and the lakes.  It was great just to sit and relax.  We saw people playing a Swiss game where you throw a small ball and you try to move it with bigger balls.  We saw people playing guitars and enjoying the day.

Since all the shops were closed, we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.  I was loading some pictures to facebook and fell asleep!  It was a really nice nap and I think I slept for a while.  This trip has made me super tired from all the running around we have been doing!  Today we got to sit and breathe in the lake and mountain air.  Today was a great day as have been all my other days!

Auf weidersehn!