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 19^th 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, 17^th 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.

“I have traversed all Rousseau’s ground…and am struck to a degree with the force & accuracy of his descriptions — & the beauty of their reality: Meillerie –Clarens — & Vevey — & the Château de Chillon are place of which I shall say little – because all I could say must fall short of the impressions they stamp.”

Lord Byron’s Letter to John Murray, June 27, 1816

What is Europe without its medieval castles?

At the shore of Lake Geneva stands the beautiful Château de Chillon (prounounced SHEE-on).  On this sunny day my cousin took me to Vevey to visit the Chillon Castle.

If I remember correctly, this was my first visit of a castle.  And certainly, it did not disappoint.

A Roman Outpost

Château de Chillon has a colorful history.  Its development from a border outpost to its current stately presence was inextricably intertwined with its location and regional history.  Chillon began as a Roman outpost.  The Romans chose this location as a strategic decision.  Northward, the route goes toward France and Germany.  At the same time,  the castle is at a location that stands on the route South to Italy.  Officials at Chillon collected toll fees from all through traffic.

Over the course of a few hundred years, the outpost was controlled by different authorities.  These few hundred years, particularly during the 13th to 15th century, was also the time necessary for the construction of the Castle.   The outpost served increasingly important functions in commerce, politics and defense.  The Savoy, the Bernese and the Vaudois exercised influence over the castle in its later history.

The Savoy Period

The Savoy period is worth a special mention because they were the ones that extended significant influence with Chillon as its administrative seat.  The Savoyards acquired enormous financial gains from the toll, taxes, international trade and terrestrial expansion that they developed in the Chillon area.  With this the counts of Savoy, most notably Pierre (1268) and Phillippe (1285), made architectural improvements to the Castle.  It was with these developments that the Savoyard extended their influence into the Vaud region.

As it serves a military purpose, the castle acquired structures of defense.  For example, in the 11^th century, there was only the lower part of the keep, the inner curtain wall and the glacis.  By the 13^th century, the Savoyards have added the outer curtain wall and three round watch towers in order to improve defense.

Despite its military significance, in its history the Château de Chillon has never experienced a battle that would have destroyed it.  The Bernese invasion of 1538 and the conquest of the Vaud patriots in 1798 were two incidents on record, whereby in both instances the possessors left without engaging in serious battles.  Its location on the lakeside has in fact enabled a quick capitulation of the Savoyards from Bernese attacks.

Medieval Social History

There were many rooms of significance throughout the castle.  The rooms upstairs serve to show the life of nobility that the Savoyards enjoyed.  There were some very good descriptions on medieval dining and hospitality.  During those times, people ate at the table, first washing hands in a washing basin, then eating in a communal manner.  They shared food amongst themselves.  After a meal, a good host would prepare hot baths for the guests as an act of hospitality and noble privilege.  The exhibits in the dining room and the bedrooms recreate these intimate details of life.

It seemed to be a never-ending row of living quarters, until the next room came up and it was delightful.  It was the scribes’ room.  The Dominus Clericorum, the treasure tower and chapel together served as the administrative and financial headquarters.  The Savoy period, beginning in the 13^th century, witnessed the rise of a practice of administrative writing.  Carefully preserved are the account records, such as receipts, licenses, taxes, fines, income-in-kind, expenses including that of the upkeep of the Castle and the garrison, of Chillon.  They are now kept at the archives of Turin State.

The Infamous Dungeon and Its Famous Prisoner

Perhaps the dungeon left the most unforgettable impression on me.  It was in here that Francois Bonivard was held a political prisoner.  The Savoyards considered him a political enemy because he sided with Geneva in resisting the Savoyards’ extension of power and control there.  During a six-year incarceration in the dampness and dimness of the dungeon at Château de Chillon, Francois Bonivard had a moving space as far as the chain that restrained him.  Finally, with the Bernese invasion of 1536, the Bernese released Francois Bonivard from this imprisonment.  On the other hand, the dungeon also held other prisoners of Savoy, and under Bernese rule the whole castle served as a prison.

This history has drawn many famous people to the castle, particularly literary figures.  Lord Byron, for example, visited the dungeon and carved his name onto the pillar.  The muses were at work and thereafter he wrote the poem The Prisoner of Chillon.

There are seven pillars of Gothic mould,

In Chillon’s dungeons deep and old,

There are seven columns, massy and grey,

Dim with a dull imprison’d ray,

A sunbeam which hath lost its way,

And through the crevice and the cleft

Of the thick wall is fallen and left;

Creeping o’er the floor so damp,

Like a marsh’s meteor lamp…

Apparently, this poem became so famous that it attracted tourism to Chillon after.

The dungeon left an unforgettable impression also because of a hidden gem we found there.  At one of its ends there is an educational post, with an interactive screen that demonstrates the architecture and some history of the Castle.  Overall, I found that the whole museum at the castle to be incredibly informative.  After all, the restoration work of the castle, done during the 19^th and 20^th centuries, was exemplary.  Yet I also found the information bit overwhelming.  I wish I had found this education spot first and started my course there instead.

The day was still young when we exited the Château de Chillon.  We had a kebab lunch at a Turkish family restaurant in town.

Sources:

Poetry Foundation, The Prisoner of Chillon.

Olivier Pauchard, In the Footsteps of the Real Prisoner, Swisssinfo.ch.

Wikipedia on Chillon Castle.

Wikipedia on Francois Bonivard.

The Museum Exhibits on site at the Château de Chillon.

In German, “Jungfrau” means “virgin,” and “joch” means “pass.”  The Jungfraujoch is a must-see in Switzerland.  Named the “top of Europe,” it is at an altitude of 3,466 metres.[1]  In order to maximize my time at the mountain, I woke at 5:15 and boarded the first available train in Lausanne.

6:35am.  Train to Bern, between Romont and Fribourg

The night fog was yet to greet its day.  The train pulled into the still-sleepy town of Fribourg amidst this fog.  The new moon hung, ever so remotely, far into the vast distance of the mountain ridges.  Switzerland was yet to wake.  The train left this foggy town of Fribourg, the barren trees bid their farewell wearing a fog thicker than their fallen foliage.

7:35am.  Made it through my first transfer

The long-awaited dawn came, the sun’s morning rays shined through a little bit of an overcast.  Past Thun, it shined brilliantly over the lake and the hovering lakeside town.  I have now arrived at Spiez.

For many times in Switzerland, I felt like there was no human words that could do justice to its beauty.  Instead, it must be seen, felt and remembered through the mind’s eye.

From Interlaken I took the Lauterbrunnen route to Kleine Schidegg

9-10am.  Jungfrau

The morning sun has shown its full presence within a vast blue sky.  I was very excited, the photographs would turn out perfect in this weather.  Furthermore to my surprise was the fact that it was not cold even outside in the snowy environment.  Out at the open I saw the tracks of skiers.  How wonderful it would have been to be able to ski at the Jungfrau and upon its glaciers.

Inside the Top of Europe building, the heat was up, even a little too hot to my liking.

Visitors to the Jungfrau have a few activities besides seeing the snowy mountains.  The Top of Europe building provides plenty of educational and entertaining features.  I particularly enjoyed the small museum, where exhibits show the history of building this railway up the top.

The first railway at Jungfrau began construction in 1896, with Adolf Guy-Zeller leading the vision.  The railway began service 16 years later.  The first station that opened was Eigergletscher Station in 1898, thereafter Eigerwand Station in 1903 and finally Eismeer Station in 1905.  On August 1, 1912, Jungfraujoch station opened with a full service.  There were a number of workers that died in the construction of this railway.  The museum duly memorializes them.

There were some other sites within the museum, but I did not think much of them.  However, I did go through all of them.  Seeing that the sun was rising above, I went outside to see the famous view of Jungfrau, including, chiefly, the Concordia Place (Konkordiaplatz) and the Great Aletsch Glacier (Grosser Aletschgletscher).  The Great Aletsch Glacier is the largest glacier on the Alps.[2]

After playing with snow for a while, I decided to go back to the warmth inside the building.  I brought some chicken with me for lunch and I ate it cold.  The train ticket up the Jungfraujoch was very costly, although that already included the entrance fee.  I was not going to spend more on an expensive lunch at their cafe, which, in all fairness, had a good selection of hot food available.  Indeed, I was so good I did not even order coffee.

After lunch I visited another part of the building, the Sphinx Observatory.  At a height of 3,572 meters, the viewing platform provides another panoramic view of the snow-capped mountains.  The observatory houses the Global Atmosphere Watch’s atmospheric research stations.  Needless to say, the air was more than fresh there – it was pristine.

I felt like I have seen enough of Jungfrau by then.  Back at the building I went through the Lindt Swiss Chocolate Heaven, somewhat a commercial museum.  For the first time I saw Lindt hazelnut spread on sale and it was irresistible.  I bought one jar, and regretted only getting one.  Finally, I noticed that the picture on the free Lindt postcard shows a sky a shade paler than the blue sky that I saw that day.  That was amazing to me.  Thank God for wonderful weather – for I only plan on seeing the Jungfrau once in my life.

My last souvenir was a Swiss-made Victorinox fruit peeler and it really is quite a bit better than its peers.  Next to the Victorinox was the post office, and I mailed a postcard.  This would be the highest post office in Europe.  That concluded my time at the Top of Europe building.

I think I spent something like 3.5 to 4 hours total at Jungfrau.  It sounded like very little time, not even as long as a one-way trip from Lausanne.  Yet do note that I did not have a proper lunch.  If one cares for having lunch on the top of Europe, there are certainly choices there.  It would take at least an hour or two more.

1:43pm.  Train back to Kleine Schidegg

I detoured and took the train to Grindelwald instead of the original way of Lauterbrunnen.  There were spectacular views on the way.  The common leg of the journey followed, from Interlaken Ost to Bern.

5:34pm.  Between Bern and Lausanne

Finally my mind was not so busy taking in these wonderful views out the window.  The day was setting, my soul satisfied for having seen the top of Europe, sunlit and cloudless.  A nice warm bed awaited in Lausanne.

[1] The Wikipedia on Jungfraujoch.

[2] Wikipedia on Aletsch Glacier.