As expected, it was noisy until late last night and again early this morning. I put one of the spare pillows on my head to drown it out.
That worked so well, that I did not hear the alarm, when it went off at 7:45. Luckily, my husband K was already up and woke me.
We met our daughter J at 8:20 downstairs at the dining room assigned for our breakfast. It was a room full of tables with white tablecloths. Quite a few had a banquette as part of the seating. J and K sat on that side of our table, leaving a chair for me, as it is easier to get out of.
It was not an elaborate breakfast, but they did have Bircher's Muesli with fruit and yogurt and the rolls and cold cuts that I love to have for breakfast in Europe. I was also happy to find a banana. We found a couple of kinds of hot chocolate, including Ovomaltine, which was also a top brand that I'd bought as a chocolate bar. It was 52°. So, hot chocolate seemed a good idea.
When we headed back upstairs, we saw a bus advertising an American football club. We knew there were such clubs in Europe. We just didn't know that there was one here.
In the lobby, we saw a sign for the locations for breakfast for various groups and folks not in groups. It just served to confirm that there were far too many groups here. We were rather lucky that only our group and individual guests were assigned to our dining room.
We had not chosen to spend a good $200 to go up a mountain today. So, we had the day to ourselves to explore. I've been to Luzern several times, but have not really gotten to the south or west of town.
We left the hotel around 9:45. It was not long before we came upon something the guide had explained yesterday. Across the street were towers made of metal. There were several together. They were there to show residents how tall a proposed building would be. This gave them time to see if the new building would interfere with views, flow, etc. and to lodge objections.
Our objective was the bridge near last night's restaurant, but we were in no hurry. We had time to notice things, like the city wall tower overlooking the street and the trompe l'oeil that makes you think the pediments on these buildings are real.
We thought this was a great fountain and then we noticed the building beyond it. That half-round tower on the side is so cool. Both J and K immediately said that they thought it was something I'd like to build in miniature. It would be a challenge, but a good one.
One store had the advertisement below. I tell you, if Raclette were easier to get here, this would have been sorely tempting.
Soon, we reached the Reuss. We found another interesting old fountain there to the right of the Historisches Museum and in front of the river. It was cloudy, but that did not keep us from getting a good view of the Spreuerbrücke and the Old Town on the other side. We were able to take some nice selfies.
To reach the entrance to the bridge, we had to go to a sort of reconstruction of the Baseltor (Gate to Basel) or Niedertor (Lower Gate), as it was also known. I rather liked the vaulted ceiling.
Just to the right of the steps up to the bridge were steps down to the water. With the way the water was rushing here, I just can't imagine tying up a boat here.
Shifting our view upwards, we could see the side of the bridge that faced the flow of the river out of the lake. The way the water rushed around the piling was quite something. It took a bit of time to notice the crucifix on the side of the room sticking out from the bridge. I've never seen anything like that before.
As we turned to go up the bridge, we had a good view of the river continuing downstream. Its rushing made quite a sound. We could also see the remains of the city wall up on the hill behind the Old Town.
Like the Kapellbrücke, this one had paintings on the triangles up in the rafters. A helpful sign in German indicated that this cycle of paintings was "Totentanz" (Death Dance) by Kaspar Meglinger and done from 1626-1635. Not sure why all of these paintings have to be so grim.
Another helpful German sign gave some history of the bridge. The bridge was built in 1408. I do hope the water was running less forcefully then. It was destroyed by a storm in 1566. It was rebuilt in 1568 with a little chapel added. That would be the room that sticks out and has a crucifix on it. As you can see in the next photos, there are a Madonna and Child, crucifix, candles, etc. and even a candle for Ukraine in it. The chapel seems to have been renovated in 1889.
From the middle of the bridge, there is a good view both upstream toward the Jesuitkirche and also downstream.
We'd noticed a side channel, when we were on the riverbank. Now we could see it more clearly and saw that there was another beyond it. We soon discovered that there had been city mills that had been located on either side of one of the channels. Then, beyond that, there had been a small electric power plant. Well, that was still there, but decommissioned. There were lengthy signs in German and even maps. Often, there was one short paragraph in English. So, I spent some time doing a rough translation for K and J. I didn't know all the words, but I did my best. It really was quite interesting. We went down every walkway that we could. Oh, and we got to see red-crested pochards, a kind of duck, and their ducklings.
I noticed this charming little garden that was wedged between a building and the river. It looked like a pleasant place to sit on a warm evening. During the day, there would be too many people nearby.
When we finished our explorations of the bridge, we found ourselves on Mühlenplatz. Appropriately, one of the buildings had a painting on its facade of the mills that used to be here.
I wanted to go down the St. Karliquai along the river to see the tower that was down there and obviously part of the old wall. As we headed that way, we looked up to see a tower high above on a hill with a little knight on top of one of the round roofs. This was quite appropriately called Männliturm or Little Man Tower.
We could also see a bit of Schlössli Schönegg (Little Castle Schönegg), which looked charming from a distance.
Soon, we were far enough downriver to have a nice view of the bridge.
The land to our right became a stone-walled embankment. Above, we could see someone's wisteria. Below, there were three billboards from Helsana's wellness campaign, whose these was Long live life! They suggested: "Let's breathe correctly." "Let's move." and "Let's sleep enough." All worthy goals.
At 10:43, we reached the tower, which was called Nölliturm or Nölli Tower, and dated to 1513. It is the first tower of the Museggmauer (Musegg Wall). Who knew the wall had a name? It is 91 ft tall and the only remaining round tower. The arch was installed in 1901 for cars. Once upon a time, there was a guard, of course. Since 1922, the Safran Guild has been in it. There is a Luzern shield above the arch of the tower with the date 1513 on it.
Of course, I wanted to go around the tower to see the other side. Here, we found a walkway up to the wall. We agreed that we would not go all the way up and along the wall, but there seemed to be a bit of a view on a landing above. It was decided we'd check this out. On our way up, we found a handy map of the wall and its tower that was really an effort to get you to protect the merganser geese in the area. A chart also told you what to do, if, for example, you found a chick without a mother.
There was a path that led off to the left and that one evidently headed around the wall. The one we chose would eventually become the Brüggligasse. It rose up the stairs and leveled off under the arch between the tower and the wall. Here, there was a much older-looking version of the Luzern shield. Here, too, was a lovely view over the river in the direction of the lake. The clouds over the mountains in the distance led us to think that those who chose the excursion were not getting great views.
On the city-side of the wall, the path started to head downhill. Here we found pretty little flowers in ivy that looked like Cymballaria. There was also an absolutely stunning Japanese maple. Plus, we noticed what were seemingly old lanterns that had been converted to modern electric ones. I bet they look great at night.
Looking up where Museggstrasse veered off from Brüggligasse, we could see another tower of the wall. This one was Luegislandturm. No idea what that one means. But, right on the corner was a charming little house with beautiful rhododendron. As the street flattened, there was just the coolest garden gate. Or should I say door, because it really was a door.
Just after 11, we were back at the Mühlenplatz. Within a few steps, we found ourselves in front of Alja Stoffe & Mercerie- a fabric store. J and I were marveling at the beautiful fabric in the window and K suggested we go in. He knew he didn't have to twist our arms.
We were greeted upon entering, as they do in German-speaking countries, and the young woman continued in Schweizer Deutsch. However, she soon realized her mistake and asked if we spoke English. My German for fabric conversations is limited. So, we went with English. It did not take either of us long to choose some Swiss-looking fabric and to get a meter of each bolt we chose. I also got some cute floral ribbon.
We continued to the other end of the square, where there was a Coop City department store. We looked at souvenirs and I bought another brand of chocolate that was on the top 10 list.
When we came out, we went to the right of the store, where Mühlenplatz turned into Rössligasse. We soon came to a square where there was a fountain called Gansemannchen (Little Goose Man) and beautifully painted buildings. The murals on them seemed quite old.
As I photographed these, I happened to turn to my right and saw a building that had a mural noting that Germany's greatest author, Goethe, had lodged there.
The street's name changed to Weggisgasse, when I saw this statue that seems to be St. George and the dragon. The building also had an inscription way up under the eaves.
We were still looking for a good souvenir shop, when we came upon the expensive shops on Grendelstrasse. We turned down here, because we had to get to Bucherer to turn in our coupons to get our spoons. They've given them out for years and I have several, but that didn't mean I didn't want another.
On this street, we found the shop we needed- Casagrande Souvenirs. They had three floors and an elevator, for which we were grateful. I needed a hat to replace the Slainté one that was lost yesterday. I didn't really want one that said Switzerland. I found a nice light blue one with thin stripes of flowers, reminiscent of Swiss fabric. We found some other things here, too.
We then went to Bucherer, which seems to focus all of its attention on watches now, even other brands of them. I am sure I bought souvenirs here in the past. We searched the place quite thoroughly and no clerk bothered to ask if we needed help. We finally decided to ask for directions to the desk handing out the spoons. It is indeed different than my old ones. Glad I went through the work.
By the time we came out, it was 1:15. We decided that it would be a good idea to save some money on food. So, we headed for the train station. There were quite a few people out and about as we walked from Schwanplatz ( Swan Square, where tourist buses pick up and drop off) and then over the Seebrücke (Lake Bridge).
When we got under the station, we found a beautiful stained glass mural of the world.
The space down here was huge and cold. We found a Bachmann cafe, but we needed seating too. As you can see, there was an ice cream cart by the escalator. (It actually belonged to Bachmann.) On the other side of the cart were some tables and chairs. It wasn't clear which shop they were attached to, as people were eating several different things including pizza. I staked a claim to a table and three chairs and sent K and J to find food at Bachmann.
While I was waiting, I saw a couple across from me, who were eating pizza. They eventually greeted me and said that the pizza place nearby was quite good.
K and J came back with sandwiches, sodas, and a yeast pastry vaguely shaped like a man and sprinkled with salt. The sandwiches were Silser Schinken ( Silser ham with Swiss meat) for CFr 4.10, Poulet Burger (Breaded chicken cutlet, again Swiss meat is mentioned on the label) for CFr 8.50, and Silser Krustenschinken (Crusted ham, again from Switzerland) for CFr 5.30.
When we finished, we went back to the hotel, getting there at 2:45. J took us up to see her fancy, modern room that made ours look quite old.
In our room, we unpacked our finds and took a break. But, soon J was at our door and we left the hotel at 3:24.
There was a bus stop just down the street from the hotel and we caught bus 1 at 3:30. Just 8 minutes later, we were off and walking the rest of the way. It was a nice walk with some lovely flowers and a building that seemed inspired by Bauhaus architecture.
When we reached the Gletschergarten Luzern ( Glacier Garden of Lucerne), there was a short line to get in. J's ticket was CFr 22, but K and I got the senior rate of CFr 17 and bought a map for CFr 2.
Large posters told the story of the place in German and English. On November 2, 1872, workers came across a strange hole in a former quarry. There was also surprisingly polished rock with deep grooves. Joseph Wilhelm Amrein-Troller had bought the land to build a wine cellar. Geologists convinced him to save the land after the discovery of what turned out to be the first of many glacial potholes. It took four years to free the potholes from material and boulders from the moraine of the glacier that had covered the area during the Ice Age. It was declared a national monument.
I'd seen incredibly smooth rock like this last year in Yosemite. There were even glacial erratics like here, but there were no potholes.
The Amrein family developed the site into an attraction with a park, lookout tower, museum, and mirror maze. It was opened on May 1, 1873 and was the first glacier garden in the world.
Other posters explained what we were seeing. The glacial abrasion that created the smooth polish of the rocks was due to the flow of the glacier. Parallel lines on the rock were left by boulders that were moved by the glacier. They had a photo that showed that the glacial striations had been clearer back in the day, but weathering had occurred. It is probably why the area is now covered by tent-like roof pieces.
Amazingly, during the Ice Age, Luzern was under 600 meters of ice of the Reuss Glacier. With that much weight, it is no wonder that the rock below was affected. Maps showed were various types of rock were located in the area and where the erratics came from based on the type of rocks they were.Some were actually embedded in the potholes.
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When we finished reading all the signs that talked about ways that these formed, we moved to the outdoor pathways. Here we saw this really cool rock folding or stacking.
The next attraction was Felsenwelt or Rock World. It was built into the side of the cliff that the Garden was part of. It basically followed the history of the rock from the past to the future. We got to see fossils of seashells, while also reading signs about the primordial sea that had been here.
One sign explained the Alpine Fold: Less than 5 million years ago, the Alps got their present shape. In the last phase of their formation, the African plate once again violendy collided with the European plate: The sand layers of the primordial sea, which had solidified in the meantime, were slowly pushed into their present inclined position. And then lit up the fold.
Also seriously cool were the ripple marks you could see in the rock and formed by the action of waves, when this had been under the water.
To get to the "future", you had to climb stairs out of this very educational and interesting cave. We found an elevator instead and were just as happy.
The next area was the Alpenpark, an alpine garden for those not getting up the mountains. Lots of trees and flowers, as well as activities for kids. It was very pretty.
There were a number of very large rocks. These had signs on them telling you what they were and how many millions of years old they were.
After that, we watched a film on the park and then saw an exhibit on the arctic regions.
That brought us to the Schweizerhaus, which had been the home of the founder of the park. While we'd seen the interiors of various buildings that had been taken to the museum in Zürich, this gave us a chance to see them in situ.
They had one of those big, tiled stoves with side steps or seats. I'd really like someone to tell me their significance.
I was really glad that I thought to look up. There were some really beautiful ceilings.
Rooms tended to be behind glass, and it took work to photograph them. Lots of wood!
The house had a little café that offered hot dogs and such, but it was closing as it was getting late. There was a shop and I found a nice piece crystal for CFr 4.
We left the park at 5:48 and walked a short ways to wind up next to/overlooking the famous (Löwendenkmal) Lion Memorial. We'd noticed that it was not on the schedule for tomorrow and now we saw why. The pond in front was drained and scaffolding had been erected in front of the lion. The monument was undergoing renovations.
We continued down Denkmalstrasse, which soon became Löwengartenstrasse. We passed a restaurant that had been recommended to us, but it wasn't open yet and it was rather pricey. By 6:05, we were down near the river, looking at the Peterkapelle (St. Peter's Chapel), for which the Kapellbrücke is named. I didn't learn that fact until this trip. I always thought it was referring to the Jesuit church at the other end. The chapel was closed and did not look too exciting in any case.
We saw a greengrocer's stand in what amounted to an alley between buildings and had beautiful produce. I couldn't get over how huge the asparagus was. They were closing up for the day.
We realized that we hadn't taken a photo with the Kapellbrücke. So, we took care of that oversight.
We had decided that tonight, we'd try for the Rathaus Brauerei that we'd passed up yesterday for lunch. It was rather crowded at the outside tables and the few tables inside were full. Finally, we saw a waiter and asked if there was a table available. One over in the corner under the overhang was just opening up and he told us to go there at 6:20.
There were no menus on the table. So, we grabbed some from a nearby table. We discussed choices and finally decided on "Rathaus Güggeli" vom Grill (½ Swiss Gourmet chicken with herb-butter-sauce, served with herb potato slices) for CFr 28, Hausgemachte Spätzlipfanne (Home-made Spätzle with sliced vegetables and fried egg) for Cfr 24,50, and Rathaus Bierwürstli (Rathaus beer sausages (150g)
made with Rathaus beer by Urs Doggwiler butchery, Lucerne served with potato salad, mustard and "Braui bread") for CFr 22,50. J had a Sinalco Orange 5dl for CFr 6,50. I had Rathaus Bier Naturtrüb, (naturally cloudy) the Herrgöttli size of 2 dl for CFr 5, while K had the Seidel 5 dl for CFr 8,50.
The waiter was quite busy, but our drinks finally showed up at 6:39. We all enjoyed them.
It was so cold sitting there and we had to wait so long for the food to show up. K snagged some blankets again, which helped the legs. The food didn't arrive until 7:07. Luckily, it was all excellent.
It took a while to get the waiter's attention, when we finished. We finally paid the bill and left at 7:45.
We took the Kapellbrücke and made our way back to the hotel in just 15 minutes. When we arrived, it was 54°! We made our plans for meeting in the morning and said good night, before going to our respective rooms to pack to leave in the morning.
What a good day of roaming around! I did 11,277 steps for 4 miles and climbed 3 floors.
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