Switzerland, a country that had been on my radar for seven years. Now, I had the opportunity to visit.
From Strasbourg, I took a French regional train to Basel, where there was a quick change to a Swiss regional train to Lucerne. One nice thing about Swiss trains is that the entry is the same height as the ground, which makes it easy to roll luggage on to the train.
I exited the train station and this was the scene.
Even walking to my hotel, resplendent mountains were in view.
I was able to buy a ticket for a one hour boat cruise on Lake Lucerne. Thankfully, the sky was clear so the views were sublime.
Now, it was time to eat. I ate at the traditional restaurant Rathaus.
Swiss food reminded me of German food. Lots of sausages and schnitzel.
After eating I took a walk across the famous Kapellbrücke chapel bridge.
Kapellbrücke
On the way back to the hotel, I noticed this gargantuan chess board. Local experts toyed with tourists.
And finally, the library. I love brutalist architecture.
Unfortunately, this was my only successful day in Lucerne. The next day had awful weather so funiculars and cable cars to mountains were closed, so I spent the day at the Swiss Transport Museum. Which is fine, but not what I came to Switzerland for. Luckily, I hedged my bets by booking time in Innsbruck, Austria, where there are also mountains. That is the next post.