Of Water and Cheese — A Random Act of Kindness
The Chapel Bridge took me south of the river, where my tour of Luzern began. The Jesuit Church stands prominently on the riverside. “The Jesuit Church of St. Francis Xavier was built 1666-73, but its onion domed twin towers were not completed until the 19th century. The stucco on the ceiling is supposed to depict the apotheosis of St. Francis Xavier.” I found the white background of the ceiling to stand apart from most cathedrals and churches of Europe. It certainly lit up the whole nave and at the same time lifted the atmosphere in the inner space. It was, for the lack of a better word, less somber than most other churches.
Next to the Jesuit Church is the Franziskanerkirches, with “Renaissance choir stalls, 17th century pulpit and Baroque ceiling paintings.” While the ceiling was much less ornate, all those décor and the organ at the back were the telling signs of the church’s long history, “dating 1270.”
The Wagner Museum was in this area of town, but it closes on Monday, when I visited. Wagner has made home in Luzern between 1866 and 1872.
I walked through the streets of southwestern Luzern. Seeing that there was a souvenir store, I went in to compare prices for the magnet that I bought at the Chapel Bridge. The store keeper came out to greet me. She was a friendly Asian woman. She had a bright smile, “where are you from?” I said Hong Kong. Then she took out a bunch of paper, “can you help me?” The paper showed some simple Chinese phrases. I read each to her and then explained the meaning. She wrote down the sound in her own language. I saw the characters and she was Thai. With English and Chinese we went through a few sheets. She said she got a little confused with “German, Chinese, English and Thai.”
Anthony Bourdain has once said this about traveling, “it is those little human moments that are the ones that stick with you forever, the random act of kindness.” Certainly, this Chinese exchange was completely unexpected. Yet it was time for me to go. She said her name was Palika. And yes, I should have bought the souvenirs at her store. They were way cheaper.
Perhaps due to the heat in the store, or maybe it was this chanced and heartwarming meeting with a Thai lady, that my sneezing cured when I left the store. By the time I passed through the Historishes Museum and the Naturmuseum, I was feeling like myself again.
The next site was the Spreuerbrűcke (the Spruer Bridge). Together with the Chapel Bridge, Spreuer Bridge is one of the two surviving covered wooden walking bridges in Luzern. Because of its location farther down in the Reuss River, it was the only bridge where people could dump chaff (spreu in German), thus its name. The Nadelwehr, which are needled wooden water spikes, still today regulate the flow of water in Lake Luzern. They also help generate water power.
As with the Chapel Bridge, the Spreuer Bridge also has paintings on the roof panels. On the Spreuer Bridge, the paintings feature the Danse Macabre (in German, the Totentanz; in English, the Dance of Death). The 45 paintings still existing show the universality of death. I was not quite able to find out why it has to feature something so morbid, but perhaps it had to do with the religious sentiment of the time.
The snowing did not stop. It was likely to stay that way throughout my time in Luzern.
Sources:
DK Eyewitness Travel, Switzerland, Luzern.
The Wikipedia on the Spreuer Bridge.
All About Switzerland, Luzern, Spruer Bridge & Dance of Death, Nadelwehr.