We hadn’t been to Luzern yet, but have had it on our list the entire time we’ve lived in Switzerland. I almost got to go for Carnival with my girlfriends but when my surgery got moved to an earlier date, it fell through.
However, I knew I’d get a chance to reschedule a visit when Twin was to visit. Because my mom loves flowers, I knew she’d goo-goo- gaga over the lovely flower bridge in Luzern. I was right.
First glimpse of the wooden flower bridge
Checking out the bridge
Historical stories than pan the entire bridge
Exploring the waterfront of Luzern
After walking around awhile, we settled at Rathaus Brauerei
Rathaus Brauerei
Solid & Gabe had local beers and Twin & I had some local red wine. We got seats right on the water so ended up staying for awhile and ordering traditional Swiss German dishes – bratwursts, pretzels, frites, and some filet de perche since we were on the water. After dinner, we took a stroll through old town.
Lovely waterfront
Clock tower
Old town – beautiful squares and buildings
Loved the detail on some of the buildings….quintessential Swiss
My map showed a cool view if we ascended so we kept going.
The old city ramparts
Panoramic view of Luzern from the ramparts
After walking the ramparts, we descended to the other old bridge.
The old bridge
The water flow in the river was so powerful. The poor swans had to work hard not to be swept away!
We learned that Luzern has to control the water flow to keep nearby lakefront towns from flooding. In the Spring, as alpine melt rushes the lake, they must really take heed of the flow. As summer progresses, the control can be tweaked to keep lake levels up.
Checking out the river / dam system that Luzern uses to control Alpine water flow
The next day we set a meet-up time of 1pm, so everyone could have free time. Twin & Solid visited The Lion Monument dedicated to the Swiss mercenaries protecting the French king.
Luzern Lion Monument – Image courtesy of Walkaboutphil.com
Gabe & I opted for a old-fashioned Lake Lucerne cruise to fill our morning.
Boat ride around Luzern’s lakes
Boats on Luzern’s beautiful lakes
Sailboats on the lake
We left for Interlacken very content from our awesome experience in this lovely Swiss city.
