Kapellbrücke

We started our day with a guided tour of the city. Our guide met us in the hotel lobby and proved to be a charming woman. She took us across several bridges crossing the Reuss (river), which had centuries-old paintings, commissioned by the wealthy ruling class primarily as forms of religious propaganda.
The Spreuerbrücke's motif was death, with morbid paintings showing how common an occurrence death was in the era. Laura thinks this one gave her nightmares. We also got to hear more about the cross the Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge -- the iconic one lined with flowers), and hear how much of it burned down a few decades ago, losing many of the paintings in the blaze.

On our walk over to the Jesuitenkirche, our guide gave us a glimpse into Swiss society by explaining their school, tax, military service, religious demographic, and Canton makeup. She dispelled the common outsider belief that Switzerland is a progressive nation, with the example that women only gained the right to vote in the 70s. Good exposure for Caty, though I'm certain Laura and I got more enjoyment out of the conversation. All in all, it was one of the better city tours we've taken.

After a light lunch we took a bus over to Stans, and then rode the funicular and then cable car 🚡 up the Stansserhorn mountain. We spend about an hour hiking up to the summit, and then down/back-up a more challenging trail. It was a much clearer day than yesterday, even with some periodic light sprinkles of rain, so we had terrific visibility. The view in all directions was nothing short of spectacular. We also enjoyed the sound of cow bells jangling resonating up from various herds located further down the mountain. No luck getting Caty to jodel, unfortunately.

After we got back to Lucerne, Laura and I braved the rain in search of a pre-dinner cocktail. We shared the hotel's umbrella that was advertised to us as "quite large". Maybe something was lost in translation, as we really had to glom together and still could only keep 80% of ourselves dry. After a martini (which is locally called the American drink, much to the offense of some Canadian customers) and a Moscow Mule, we paid our tab and went back to pick up Caty for dinner.

Caty will be a guest author covering our fancy dinners... as soon as we can get her to prioritize it...Read more