The Grand Tour – Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, & the United Kingdom, July 2019 – Trip Report – Part 2

Part 2 Switzerland

View from the Männliturm Lucerne, Switzerland

Part 2 Switzerland

This is a continuation of a 4 part trip report, about our 2019 European Grand Tour.  If you haven’t read part 1 about Germany and Austria, click here: http://www.artway.today/2019/08/21/the-grand-tour-germany-austria-switzerland-france-the-united-kingdom-july-2019-trip-report/

Places:

Lucerne (Luzern)

Kapellbrücke Lucerne, Switzerland

Amazing art museums, medieval architecture, wooden bridges, clear blue water, and mountain views.  Lucerne is breathtaking, every glance is full of beauty.

Upon arrival we headed straight to the Kapellbruücke, the bridge is lovely and this is enhanced by the bluest clearest water, coming off of Lake Lucerne, that I have ever seen.  After hotel check-in, we went out for dinner and strolled around the old town. Bring extra money when you come to Switzerland as eating out is expensive.

On our first full day, we headed up Mt. Pilatus.  We took the golden round trip up and down the mountain. starting with the gondola, then aerial cableway, cogwheel train, and ending with a boat on Lake Luzern.  Well, the weather wasn’t cooperative, the views up top were of clouds, but the trip was still amazing. The gondola and aerial cableway were so scary, after the first station, we just saw the cable disappear into nothing.  We could hear the cowbells below but not see them. At the top, we walked the ridge and went through the Dragon’s Walk that tunnels through the mountain. The cloud cover was mesmerizing. You couldn’t see how far the cliff face went down, but you could still feel the height.   We could see a little more on the cogwheel train down the mountain, we could even see the cows. The boat back to Lucerne was serene. The water a dark blue with green mountain bases and grey mountain tops. The whole experience going up Mt Pilatus despite the cloud cover was magical, and now I have an excuse to go back.

The itinerary also included a couple of Luzern’s museums.  We visited the Kunstmuseum Luzern. They had a wonderful exhibit on the English painter  J.M.W. Turner with alpine landscapes of the surrounding area. I loved the building. It’s all-glass facade, wooden deck, and cantilever roof just floats over the edge of Lake Lucerne.  It even has an open space down the middle with bridges across and the water below. We also visited the Rosengart Collection. Now, this was my kind of museum they have one whole floor of just Picasso.  Here you can also see works by Gorges, Braque, Marc Chagall, Paul Klee, and Fernand Léger to name a few.  If you enjoy modern art this museum is for you.  We ended the day with sketching in the old town near and on the Spreuerbrücke, and a walk on the old fortifications.   

Best memory – watching the girls sketch on the Spreuerbrücke after being inspired by art museum tours.

On to France, the girls have plans to ride bicycles through vineyards.  Check back later for Part 3 France.

Lucerne is so Beautiful!

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