Alps and Med Day 3: Lucerne

From Lucerne …

After a few days of planes and bus travel, it’s time to get down to the business of sightseeing! Lucerne sits on Lake Lucerne beneath the soaring peaks of the Swiss Alps. It’s medieval and picturesque!

Breakfast is at the hotel with an 8 AM departure. After a 1-hour bus ride through the Alps, we arrive at Mount Titlis. This is the highest glacier in central Switzerland at 10,000 feet. It’s a multipart trip up the mountain with a funicular, and several gondola rides. But on the last section there is a 15-minute delay hundreds of feet in the air when the gondola randomly stops midway. Eventually, the gondola restarts and we arrive safely. We venture 20 meters below the surface and explore the inside of the glacier. Then we’re up above the glacier for a breathtaking view of the Alps from the Cliff Walk bridge suspended way up above the side of the mountain. Have I mentioned heights are really not my thing?

Back in Lucerne Michelle, Peter, and me enjoy a pizza lunch at La Vie.

In the afternoon we take a walking tour of old Lucerne. In the historic old town we visit Weinmarkt and Kornmarkt Square (cobblestone medieval squares in the heart of the old town), Musegg Wall and Towers (the 800-meter long wall dating to the 1400s), and the Lion Monument (Löwendenkmal honors the Swiss Guards lost during the French Revolution).

At the end of the day we do some souvenir shopping then stop for Sunday afternoon cocktails overlooking the Lucerne River at Mr. Pickwick Pub. On the way back to the hotel we stop by the Jesuit Church (the first baroque church in Switzerland). Then it’s on to the Hotel Astoria for dinner and sunset cocktails to end the day!