Lucerne seemed more like a large, gray city than a quaint, pretty town like the brochures hyped it to be. It was probably the drenching, dismal drizzle that colored our perspective.
Tourist signage is located throughout the central city making it easy to get around without a tour book.Signage points tourists to where they need to goYou can easily walk around Lucerne on foot, but if you feel like riding, the ubiquitous little tourist trains wind through the streets with frequent stops.Phone booth Lucerne, Switzerland
Lucerne
Lucerne is a busy city center with tourists tucked around lots of street activity.
We waited our turn to take photos of each other in front of the lake. Here are Tracy and Rachel in Lucerne, Switzerland
The swans were as domesticated as ducks, wimming right up to tourists for hand-outsBarbara, Maureen, Tracy, Rachel in Lucerne, SwitzerlandHotel high above Lucerne
Chocolate
Where do I start? More important, where do I stop? The chocolate in Switzerland is perfect: Rich, creamy, delicately flavored. One shop after another displays pretty little confections worthy of gifting but begging to be tasted. So we tasted. My favorite is a dark chocolate filled with a raspberry filling.
Lucerne, Switzerland
Lucerne, SwitzerlandLucerne, SwitzerlandLucerne, SwitzerlandLucerne, SwitzerlandLucerne, SwitzerlandWhen you’re tired of chocolate (as, if!), you can always choose ice cream.
Kappelbrucke
Kapellbrucke Lucerne, Switzerland
Kapellbrucke Lucerne, Switzerland
We agreed to skip the boat ride into the harbor and settled for a stroll through the extraordinary covered bridge with 17th century paintings still intact even though exposed to the elements for nearly 500 years. Part of the bridge burned in a 1993 fire but it was quickly restored and is extraordinary.
The oldest truss bridge in the world, the Kapellbrucke (Chapel Bridge) is a covered wooden foot bridge built in 1333 as part of the city’s fortifications. It’s 560 feet long and crosses the Reuss River at an angle in the center of Lucerne.
The Kapellbrucke is named for St. Peter’s chapel which is located near one end of the bridge. In the 1600’s, artists added 110 paintings to the inside support beams of the bridge. Lucerne’s city councilmen paid for the paintings that illustrate scenes of Swiss and local history, including the biographies of the city’s patron saints, St. Leodegar and St. Maurice. The councilmen got to include their coats of arms in the paintings they sponsored. Blogger Michele writes, “The depictions of St. Leodegar and Swiss history were meant to call the citizens of Lucerne to recall that a pious way of life and service would lead to happiness as well as a strong city.”
Kapellbrucke Lucerne, Switzerland Painting # 77Kapellbrucke Lucerne, Switzerland Painting #8Kapellbrucke Lucerne, Switzerland Painting #105 I think this is a painting of a devil tempting a priest but it might also be a part of several paintings as the next painting is related to this one some how.Kapellbrucke Lucerne, Switzerland Painting #107Kapellbrucke Lucerne, Switzerland Painting #4 Mary and baby Jesus appear before church officials and a knightKapellbrucke Lucerne, Switzerland Painting #3 – this is a painting of three bridges crossing the River ReussKapellbrucke Lucerne, Switzerland bridge and paintings burned by 1993 fire. Apparently it started with a cigarette and quickly spread to a boat parked beneath the bridge.
After visiting the Kapellbrucke, I found interesting information about the fire: “85 of the 110 pictures under the roof, dating back to 1611, were destroyed by the 1993 fire, only 25 could be saved or restored. The others have been replaced by pictures from the second part of the bridge that had been safely stored since 1834. A few burnt panels are still shown to remind of the fire. During the carnival season, the ancient pictures are replaced by modern ones showing carnival motives. This provides a platform for the creativity of today’s population and besides the original pictures can be saved from thoughtless ‘attacks’ with all sorts of fun materials like paint and glibber bombs used during carnival these days. So if you’re interested in the old paintings don’t choose the carnival season for your visit to Lucerne” (http://lucerne.all-about-switzerland.info/lucerne-chapelbridge-watertower.html).
Shrine in middle of Kappelbrucke, Lucerne, SwitzerlandShrine in middle of Kappelbrucke, Lucerne, SwitzerlandShrine in middle of Kappelbrucke, Lucerne, SwitzerlandMaureen on the Kapellbrucke Lucerne, Switzerland
The River
Lucerne is all about the river and the lake. These geographic features first brough people to Lucerne. These are the same waters we saw upriver in Interlaken.
Water is controlled by sluices – valves and gates control the flow of water into the lakeWater is controlled by sluicesGiant gears – I’m not sure if they control the sluice or the bridgeWater available on the street – no charge!
Painted Ladies
We saw many painted buildings in Switzerland. They are beautiful but require constant maintenance. I kept bumping into people because I was so busy looking up to the stories above the street.
Shop sign in Lucerne, SwitzerlandShop sign in Lucerne, SwitzerlandMaureen was intrigued by this giant shoe, reminding her of Mardi Gras and the Krew of MusesDog leashes feature little Swiss flags.Want a dirndle? It’s yours for about $120Watches are available throughout Switzerland – but it’s Mickey Mouse!
Good-bye, but not forever! The main reason we stopped in Basel– in addition of the bonus of sharing days with Stephan and his family – is that we launch from Basel on our week-long Viking river boat cruise. Much more of that in the next blog entry as we bid good-bye to Rachel and Tracy.
All good things come to an end – Rachel traveled to Bruges for a week and will meet up with us in Amsterdam; Tracy flew back to the US and work. We miss them already!
Barbara at the border of France/Germany/Switzerland. Dreiländereck (Three Countries’ Corner), which juts out into the Rhine, is one of Basel’s more unusual sites. If you walk around a pylon marking the spot, in just a few steps you can cross from Switzerland into Germany and then into France — and you don’t even need a passport (Frommers.com)
Basel, Switzerland is a little jewel in the Alsace. (Say it like this: Bah-sel and Alls-ace.) One night we parked in France and walked across a footbridge to Germany for a Chinese dinner while visiting with friends from Switzerland. It was done with about as much fanfare as parking in South Russel to have dinner in Chagrin Falls with friends from the west side of Cleveland. No big deal to the locals but awesome to me.
Alsace by dayAlsace by nightOur Basel Friend, Stephan
We traveled to Basel for two reasons – first to meet with Maureen’s Mardi Gras friend, Stephan. He grew up in Basel so showed us around town, plus drove us to Interlaken, Lucerne, and Girl Scout’s Our Chalet. What we thought would be a pleasant break in our travels turned out to be great fun thanks to Stephan’s energy.
Rachel, Stephan and Maureen in Basel
The second reason for our stay over in Basel was that we launched from Basel on our riverboat tour via Viking up the Rhine River to Amsterdam. Basel marked a turning point in our tour as Maureen and I took the river boat, Rachel traveled to Bruges to visit friends for the week and Tracy returned home to the US. We thought of Basel as the Viking launching pad but it turned out that Basel was a grand adventure in itself!
Basel, Switzerland
Airbnb.com
We booked most of our reservations through Airbnb.com with outstanding results. We rented real people’s homes in real neighborhoods. The homes were roomy, convenient, and reasonably priced. For about $150 a night, three or four of us stayed in homes that were clean and comfortable, included a refrigerator, and often included a washer and dryer. Our three criteria were that we did not want stairs (we were carrying our own luggage), we needed wifi, and we wanted to be the only lodgers. This was our lodging in the Alsace:
We each had our own sleeping areas (three bedrooms plus two bathrooms) and a full yard. Our hosts even left us breakfast food in the fridge. Absolutely perfect.
Rhine River
The Rhine River drew settlers to this important transportation hub well before the birth of Christ. Today it remains a key stop on the Rhine.
Rhine River, BaselThe Rhine is a working riverThis braille model shows the medeival heart of Basel, the city on the hill with the cathedral and St. Martin’s Church. According to the plaque, it is desiged to be used by the visually impaired as well as by everyone else.Hand-operated ferry over the Rhine RiverPulleys used on a hand-operated ferry that crosses the Rhine throughout the day
Doorways of Basel
I was fascinated by the doorways of Basel. The doors are old, really, old. Like before Columbus-set-foot-in-America old. It’s a simple matter of telling just how old a home is – it’s written right on the front of the house.
This house was built in 1438This house was built in 1390.This house was built in 1486This house was built in 1333.The building on the left was built in 1437, as were the stairsThis is Basel’s oldest structure, built well before 1300.
Basel’s Town Hall (Rathaus Basel)
Basel’s 500-year-old town hall is locally referred to as the Roothuus, a play on words that means councilhouse but sounds like red house in the Basel dialect. This cute play of words is so appropriate because the town hall is RED.
Rathaus BaselThe Rathaus was built in 1501 and updated in 1901 – a sign over the door gives you that information thanks to the architectsImagine you work at the Rathaus and get to walk through these doors every day! When I worked at City Hall in Columbus, Ohio years ago, it certainly did not look like this.Interior courtyard of the Basel RathausBasel Rathaus
Paintings around the exterior of the Basel Rathaus extoll the virtues of citizenship:
There is agreement where God dwells.What goes round, comes round.Freedom is more important than silver and gold.
Basel Signage
Basels signs date from a time when all people could not read. So when you hung your sign, you made sure it included a symbol of what service was offered by you. Can you tell what these two establishments offer?
Basel’s Munster (Cathedral)
Basel’s Munster, built between 1019 and 1500
Basel’s red sandstone cathedral was built by the Catholics but is now a reformed protestant church. Many of the artworks of the cathedral were destroyed during the reformation when Huldrych Zwingli condemned idolatry and the church was stormed by townspeople. The colorful roof tiles can be seen from all over Basel, making a good landmark for touring.
The Galluspforte, the oldest surviving figure portal in German speaking countriesKnight Georg slaying a very small dragon on Basel’s MunsterThis is the rose window over St Catherine’s chapel from the outsideThis is the rose window over St Catherine’s chapel from the inside
Side window of Basel’s MunsterStained glass over the altar of Basel’s MunsterThe cloisters of Basel’s cathedralStreet musicians performed throughout Europe, including this young lute player in the cloisters of Basel’s Munster
Bathrooms
When’s the last time you found a public bathroom this clean? We experienced clean bathrooms throughout most of Europe.But there is also this alternative located in a Basel town square
The water pouring from public fountains is safe to drinkBasel watering trough for horses and humans
Real Fondue!
Stephan invited us to his home for authentic cheese fondue with his parents. Ladies, this man is available and he’s a catch! Not only is he a humorous host, he’s also a great cook.
Our friend Stephan
We were so lucky to visit Stephan’s family home and meet his charming parents. These dishes are part of his mother’s collection.
Stephan’s mother’s china. Each dish showcased a famous site or story of Switzerland.
International Dining
We got to see Switzerland through Stephan’s eyes as his home rather than a destination. He said when he was born, his family was living in France (or was it Germany?) but when it came time to give birth, his parents made sure Stephan was born across the river in Switzerland so he would have Swiss citizenship like his parents. Stephan thinks nothing of traveling between France, Germany and Switzerland but it was a huge treat for me.
We parked our car in France and crossed the Rhine River via a footbridge to Germany for a Chinese food feast with Stephan and his parents. The food was prepared with a light hand and just delicious. Stephan waived off the doggy bags and told us people don’t carry away left over food like we do in America.
Just in case we needed a McDonald’s fix…but the real draw is the famous Schiesser Cafe
Switzerland’s independence
Stephan’s very proud of his heritage and he should be. Switzerland’s legacy of independence has been hard-won and is protected with vigilance. For example, fortified caves strengthened during WWII still line the mountains and until the very recent past, every home and building was required to have a bomb shelter.
This is a photo of a bomb shelter at Girl Scouts’ Our Chalet, about an hour from Basel. It’s high up a mountain with no strategic points nearby but it does have a bomb shelter. Vigilance is what protects Switzerland’s independence.
Driving in Switzerland
Stephan drove us swiftly through crowded city streets, breath-taking mountain passes, and flawless freeways punctuating the ride with lots of “asshole!” and “shitty drivers!” He pointed out special spots with colorful remarks and skipped most of the touristy stuff that was beginning to jade us. Of course, every time something didn’t go our way during the rest of our trip, we’d look at each other and say, “assholes!”
This is Stephan driving us to Our Chalet in Switzerland. Note the comfortable car, complete with onboard GPS system, and me taking photos of EVERYTHING with my little Cannon camera with the Zeiss lens.Swiss mountain roadSwiss road constructionIndustry along the freeways carry mottos and advertisingParking garages are easy to find, clean, and automated. Red lights indicate the parking spot is taken, green lights tells you the spot is free (not sure why the spot we just parked i is still showing green). Check out is also automated with machines and instructions located on each level of the garages.Parking garage elevator – easy to understand and almost always in English
Basel street scenes
Stumblestone in Basel
Basel street art
This quirky water feature included several steam-punk-like water fountains that were interesting to look at, yet strange. I think I lacked context to understand what was going on – yet, I watched fascinated.
Basel love locks on the Middle Rhine Bridge
The Morrison Hotel, BaselThe Morrison Hotel, BaselThe Morrison Hotel, Basel
It was hard saying good-bye to Stephan and his family. They were caring hosts with a twinkle in their eyes that said happy times were close by.
I looked for information on Basel and tourism and found almost nothing on the internet or in tour books. But Basel is lively, happy, livable, and worth time to visit. I found it in many ways to be more approachable and more interesting than Lucerne and definitely a better destination than Zurich. So let’s keep this between us so it doesn’t get over-run with tourists: Basel is a worthy destination in Switzerland.
