Picture: Lake Lucerne next to the Chapel Bridge
The first town we passed through during our trip to Switzerland was Lucerne.
Lucerne’s itinerary is as follows:
Pick up the car at Zurich Airport - drive to Lucerne town (park at Lucerne train station, visit the Octagonal Water Tower, Chapel Bridge, Swan Square, go up the mountain to see the city wall, have lunch, and admire the Lion Monument) - return Pick up the car at the train station and drive to the small town of Grindelwald
I picked up the car at Zurich Airport and drove to Lucerne in less than an hour. This is a small town that looks like a picture postcard whenever you take a photo.
"Lucerne" means "Lamp" in Latin. As early as the Roman period, it was just a small fishing village with few households. In order to navigate passing ships, the village built a lighthouse "Lucerne". Lucerne is a holy place of history and culture, and is what Alexandre Dumas calls "the pearl in the most beautiful clam shell in the world."
Lucerne is not big, and the city center is very concentrated, which is located on the Swan Square on the shore of Lake Lucerne.
Lao Wang parked the car under the Lucerne train station. As soon as we exited the station, we saw the landmark octagonal water tower and the Chapel Bridge. Cross the road, cross the lake and the covered bridge to reach Swan Square.
Picture: Swan Square, said to be a square, is actually a very large area.
Places we've been to:
Chapel Bridge and Octagonal Water Tower
Chapel Bridge and Water Tower is the oldest covered wooden bridge in Europe. It was built in 1300 and is 200 meters long. There are 120 religious and historical oil paintings painted on the horizontal eyebrow of the bridge, and there is a German poem under each painting. The painting narrates the history of Lucerne and the Swiss Confederation, and also describes the scene of the Black Death that year. Walking on the bridge and listening to the creaking sound, it feels like the past and present are intertwined.
The octagonal Water Tower near the center of the bridge was once a place where trophies and jewelry were stored during battles. It was also used as a prison and execution chamber for a period of time.
Unfortunately, Capel Bridge was destroyed by fire in 1993, leaving only the water tower undamaged. Although it has been completely repaired, the old and new traces can still be clearly identified. There are brightly colored geranium flowers planted on the outside of the wooden bridge, which look like a beautiful ribbon when viewed from a distance.
Address: Kapellbruecke, Lucerne 6003, Switzerland
Park your car in the underground parking lot at Lucerne train station.
The octagonal water tower and the Capel Covered Bridge are right next to the train station and can be seen as soon as you leave the station. The bottom of the lake is clear.
Capel Covered Bridge
Schwanenplatz
Swan Square is located on the shore of Lake Lucerne and is the city center of Lucerne. There are many shops here and it is very lively. The Swiss watch shop is the most popular. There are also many specialty shops, cafes and markets around the square, attracting many tourists and locals.
Everywhere I go, my favorite thing is to visit the market. The market in Swan Square is right by the lake, and it is very comfortable to go shopping. The locals pay great attention to environmental protection. There is not a single plastic bag in the entire market. Everyone carries baskets and reusable bags to shop.
Address: Schwanenplatz, Lucerne 6004, Switzerland
Museq city walls
Walk from the Chapel Bridge to the city wall and climb up the ancient alley ramp to the remaining old city wall called Musegg. The entire city wall is about 900 meters long and is a defensive wall.
Along the winding road, we saw cattle and large undulating green meadows. There are very few tourists or locals here. Compared with the bustle and life of the covered bridge, it seems particularly quiet.
There are 9 watchtowers of different styles built on the city wall, but only three of them are open to the public. Climb the watchtower on the city wall, and you can overlook Lake Lucerne and the scattered houses on the lakeside.
Address: Museggmauer, Lucerne 6004, Switzerland
In front is the watchtower.
Restaurant Caravelle Italian Restaurant
When the whole family goes out to play together, we basically make do with the kids. Unless there is a restaurant I particularly like, we eat whatever they want. We were hungry after descending from the ancient city wall. There was an Italian restaurant next to the Lion Monument. The kids wanted to eat pizza, so we went in and had a quick lunch.
Switzerland is one of the countries with the highest GDP in the world, and its consumption level is also among the best. We ordered four bowls of soup, two salads, a small pizza, a pasta, two plates of fried fish and chicken rice, but we were not full.
Address: Denkmalstrasse 2, Lucerne 6006, Switzerland
Lion Monument
After descending the mountain, we came to the Lion Monument. Apart from a lion carved in a shallow cave, there are no other attractions to see. The Lion Monument is one of the most famous statues in the world and an important part of understanding the history of Switzerland and France.
During the French Revolution in 1792, mobs attacked the Tuileries Palace in Paris, France. 786 Swiss mercenaries died in the battle to protect French King Louis XVI and his queen. There were many Lucerne soldiers among the soldiers, so the dying lion carved on the rock at the foot of the mountain was also called the "Lion of Lucerne".
The dying lion lay weakly on the ground with grief and pain, a sharp long arrow pierced deeply into his back, and there were some broken guns and shields with Swiss crosses on the side. The entire monument gives people a strong artistic appeal and was called "the saddest and most touching stone sculpture in the world" by American writer Mark Twain.
Address: Denkmalstrasse 4, Lucerne 6006, Switzerland
The sad lion looks like he is guarding a pool of water in front of him.
The car was parked in the parking lot under the train station. Before picking up the car, I went to the supermarket to buy some food and drinks.
The design of the parking lot is very scientific, and you can follow the marked road all the way to the exit.
Depart Lucerne and drive to the small town of Grindelwald.
