What a gorgeous, sunny, warm day it was today. Perfect for the trip across the border to Switzerland.
By the way, what I learned in Germany is that the funny letter “ß” in the word “Straße” is pronounced like a “ss” – a hard “s”. The word means Street.
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| Biggest Working Cuckoo Clock |
Something I learned about Switzerland, the letter “Z” in the word “Zurich” is pronounced “T” as in “Turich”.
Anyway, before reaching the border, there is a little town on the edge of the black forest, about 10 minutes away from the border, that has the world’s biggest, working cuckoo clock. This is where we stopped for a small break. Next to the cuckoo clock, there is a little gift shop where, on the back wall, there are dozens of different cuckoo clocks for sale. From small, to large, to extra large!
There were also other gifts to buy such as beer steins, also from small, to large, to extra large!
There was a spectacular view of the old German houses against a mountainous background, and a little stream in the foreground.
It was then time to get on the bus and drive to the border of Germany and Switzerland where the bus driver and tour guide went inside to pay a tax before we could go any further. After this stop, we entered the land called “no man’s land”, such called because it doesn’t belong to Germany or Switzerland. It is full of forest and a few green fields.
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| Rhine Falls |
We then reached the Switzerland border where the driver had to show the guard documents given to him by the German border guards before we could continue on our way.
Our lunch stop was at the Rhine Falls – a waterfall on the Rhine river. It's beautiful. Now, I know that I use that word all the time, but that’s what Europe has shown me so far – just its beauty.
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| Lucerne |
The roar of the water and the blue of the Rhine river was a magical thing to behold. There were even trout in the water, with ducks paddling along above them.
After about a 1½ hours drive, we reached the picturesque city of Lucerne, Switzerland. The city is located around Lake Lucerne, bordered by the magnificent Swiss Alps. There was even snow on some of the mountains.
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| The ceiling inside the Jesuit Church |
Our first stop in Lucerne was to a little 17th century Jesuit church that didn’t look like much from the outside, but, on the inside..... WOW!! Just beautiful. I, of course, went clicking away on my camera trying to capture everything.
After a brief walk across the old wooden bridge to the other side of the river, it was time to go back on the bus to take us about 5 minutes up the road to the Lion Monument. This monument was carved out of the stone in 1892 by one artist and it is even more beautiful in real life than in pictures. I was looking forward to seeing him and he did not disappoint.
It was then time to get back on the bus and go to the hotel to check in.
While we waited for our luggage to be delivered to our room, some decided to go for a walk to the lake before our dinner outing at night. I had so much laundry to do that I spent the hour-and-a-half to wash some clothes. There would be plenty of time tomorrow afternoon for sightseeing and souvenir buying.
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| Lion Monument |
The group that was going out to dinner met at the lobby of the hotel – ten minutes early. Simona, our guide was very impressed. We then went off to a restaurant which served traditional Swiss food and conducted a show showcasing Swiss folklore.
We had a special Swiss dinner which comprised of cheese fondue, followed by a salad, a dish with strips of veal in mushroom sauce (kind of like a beef Stroganoff with veal instead of beef) and grated fried potatoes. For dessert, vanilla and strawberry ice cream with the Swiss flag in the middle. Delicious dinner.
After dinner, the show started. The show consisted of showcasing traditional Swiss instruments, good old yodelling, cow bell ringing, flag throwing, etc. Every Swiss tradition from each corner of Switzerland. We even hooked arms and swayed side-to-side to the rhythm of the music! It was a fun night.At the end of the night, we all left on time and impressed Simona even more because she didn’t have to go inside to get us. She had mentioned that as soon as we heard the band playing Edelweiss, it was the end of the show. So, of course, as soon as we heard it, we all got up and left.
It was a great day. Tomorrow, we’re going to the top of Mount Pilatus, the highest point at Lucerne.
Looking very forward to it.
