Thankfully, Lucerne is Wonderful...

Although the skies are cloudy and a bit foreboding, Lucerne is inviting and so pleasant to walk through. The mountains in the distance, the lakeside promenades - it's all absolutely beautiful.



I wander around the middle of the city first, the not-so-touristy area of office buildings, department stores and restaurants. There are still souvenir shops and signs beckoning to tourists but the main streets are wide, the side streets are quiet, and the swiss-style buildings covered in vines...








Along Schweizerhofquai, there is a long stretch of park next to the lake where the flowers are perfectly manicured and statues are scattered on the lawns.





There is a little marketplace with everything from fresh flowers to Indonesian art to jewelry to a tattoo studio:



This week is the Blue Balls Festival - I can't help but chuckle every time I see a sign, banner of flag advertising this (never thought it would be something to celebrate, let alone to justify an entire festival...) I caught some live music one night along Inseliquai.



I love just strolling along the water, coming across fountains, climbing hills to be taken aback by great views and turning corners to find buildings that look like castles...







The Old Town is like a series of platforms joined by alleys and stairs. There are quiet corners and bustling squares, plenty of restaurants enticing passersby with cheese fondue, fountains graced with bundles of flowers, and many of the buildings have these amazing frescoes...
















I went to the Lion Monument, one of the most famous monuments in the world. It's actually called the "Dying Lion of Lucerne" in memory of Swiss mercenaries at the Tuileries in 1792. It's carved out of the natural rock, and apparently Mark Twain called it "the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world."





The most photographed monument in Switzerland - the Water Tower: it was built around 1300 as part of the city wall and was used as a prison, torture chamber, archives and treasury. The flower bridge angled around it smells fantastic.




The other cool bridge is the Spreuer. It was built in 1408 as part of the city fortification.






Between 1626 and 1635, Kaspar Meglinger added 67 paintings that represent the "Dance of Death" - those triangles along the roof:




The Musegg Wall was pretty cool too - it's almost entirely intact (built in 1386).





On my way up the path to one of the open towers, I come across some interesting things: a face-fountain...



...a random little chapel...



...some animals, just chillin'...



...what looks like a real-life fairytale castle on a hilltop...



And then it's tower-climbing time.



At the top are some cool turrets, and the view is spectacular:





At the opposite end I climb a little tower to walk along the edge of the wall...



...for more amazing views:




Needless to say I'm feeling a bit better in the last few days - not so anxious, a bit more contented. I retract my previous statement about Swiss chocolate (I found the good stuff).

On the way to Geneva, I try to read this fantastic book I pick up but my eyes won't focus on the page, they keep drifting up and resting on landscape. All green and blue...sharp peaks and blurry fields...