An afternoon in Luzern

On Saturday I hopped on the train to Luzern to see my friend Dana and her husband, who drove down from Strasbourg for the weekend. Exactly two hours and fifty minutes later I was there, surprised to discover a town much more beautiful and lively than I had imagined.

Just like many Swiss towns, Luzern is also situated on a lake and a river, Reuss. When I arrived, it was early Saturday afternoon on a mild and sunny day, and the cafes and restaurants on the river bank were overflowing with people. There is nothing like a combination of sun and body of water to create a holiday feeling--must be some sensor in the brain, especially for us who come from a bit more South European latitudes.




After briefly consulting our various guidebooks, we decided to walk in the vague direction of the old town. There were certain things we wanted to see but I always found so much more pleasure in accidental discoveries. At some point we ditched the map, too, and relied on (mostly Radu's) intuition, which is how we ended up on a small, arty street, just off a major boulevard. Whether it was the pastel colors of the facades, Gothic looking types on the street, or the murals, but that short street felt like some isolated, parallel reality.


Brief break in the small park, by the famous lion statue--commemorating Swiss mercenaries at the service of Louis XIV, killed at the beginning of the French revolution. Dana and I got a free chocolate each just by agreeing to fill in a questionnaire for the tourist office--now, that's what I call an incentive.


It occurred to me that Luzern was my first venture outside of Suisse Romande, or French-speaking part of Switzerland. It was definitely a good starting point. Now that I am armed with two guidebooks, one book about history of Switzerland and a half-fare railway card, I can't wait to continue my explorations.