An Evening in Lucerne

Lucerne is a pretty city, located in a valley surrounded by mountains and on the shore of Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee). During the industrial revolution, when England was developing a Middle Class, and people began to have money for more than the essentials, Lucerne became a favourite vacation destination for the British. Evidence of this can still be seen in some of the names of the hotels and restaurants in the city which use names from Charles Dickens books or other typically English phrases and names. We could see why people would be attracted to this place, a very beautiful setting somewhat secluded from the hustle and bustle of the world. Even though there were lots of tourists in Lucerne (as there were in Venice) it had a much different feel about it. A more calm atmosphere with people strolling about leisurely, feeding the swans, browsing in the stores (where you could find an incredible assortment of Swiss Army knives and Rolex, Tissot, Omega and other watches).

Beth and I opted not to go with the tour group, which had an evening of supper and Swiss culture, partly because this optional event was quite pricey, but more because we just needed some quiet time away from the group. So we wandered about the city centre, taking pictures, admiring the buildings and the mountains, and browsing in the shops. For supper we decided to eat some cheese and salami we had picked up at our last stop in Italy. We needed some bread and something to drink so we found a supermarket, it was named COOP and I don’t know if that is like our Co-op stores back home or not. We picked up some buns, nectarines and wine (which was cheaper than soft drinks!) and headed back to our hotel room. There we had a simple little meal, just the two of us, it was a nice change. Following supper we enjoyed a little more wandering around Lucerne then we called it a night after a long day.