Of Water and Cheese — Allergic to Luzern
Luzern and Lucerne are one and the same city. Luzern is the way that its mostly German-speaking population refer to the city, whereas Lucerne is simply the French name and the general reference in English.
For a couple days I kept debating what my next day trip should be. I chose amongst Basel, Baden (Bath — a spa town), Solothurn, St. Gallen and Luzern. Time and again I came back to Luzern. I hesitated at first because the Museggmauer was closed for winter, as such I would have to miss the aerial view of the city. I also learned on the day that the Wagner Museum was closed on Monday. As it turned out, however, there was plenty to see anyway.
As the train traveled up north, the scenery became increasingly wintry. I realized that I hadn’t seen snowfall since my trip to Korea about ten years ago (the snow-capped Jungfrau did not count, as it was not snowing when I was there). When I departed the train station, it snowed steadily. I went quickly into the train kiosk, and I was very pleased to see pastries that were fresh out of the oven. I bought one, still hot.
Despite this hot pastry, the minute that I stepped out into the cold I felt the chill inside my body. I then started sneezing incessantly. I commended myself for wearing my snow boots, but perhaps I should have worn my ski pants instead of jeans. This sneezing would keep on for hours, as if I were allergic to Luzern.
Exiting the train station, I faced the river and on the right was the KKL building (Luzern Culture and Convention Center). It is home to the Kuntsmuseum but I was not going to pay more to see art. Right before me was a bridge. The River Reuss leads onto Lake Luzern. I figured out the general direction of the Altstadt and marched onto the bridge.
I spotted a beautiful building with a round tower, and soon came to the St. Peter’s Kapelle. To my dismay, like the Zyglogge in Bern, it was undergoing restoration. I could not even snap a decent picture, let alone seeing the famous 16th century bas relief depicting the Gethsemane scene. So I had to walk on, still sneezing like having an allergy, and reached the Rathaus. I then went toward the riverside to see River Reuss. There I spotted the famous Kapellbrűcke (the Chapel Bridge) with the Wasserturm (the Water Tower).
I could not resist the urge to walk it. Contrary to my expectations, the wooden bridge did not squeak beneath my feet. The Chapel Bridge of the 14th century was part of the fortification against attacks from River Reuss. It is the oldest wooden bridge in Europe. The Wasserturm, as an octagonal water tower, once served as a lighthouse, a treasury and a prison. As with the other bridge that I was soon to cross, there are paintings on the roof panels of the bridge. On the Chapel Bridge, these paintings depict the history of Luzern. I learned from the guidebook that a fire in 1993 has partly destroyed the bridge, and there was work to restore all of it, including the paintings. No wonder it did not squeak, ancient as it was.
It was a warmly walk on the covered bridge. Once having crossed to the other side of the river bank, I looked back and took in breathtaking views of the bridge as snow fell. Yes, the sneezing continued. Although with runny eyes and nose I thought the decision to visit Luzern was right.
