Spending a few days in Lucerne, Switzerland is like spending a few days in a magical (expensive) children’s snowy storybook. One of the most picturesque places, it sits on the shore of Lake Lucerne, within sight of Mount Pilatus and Rigi in the Swiss Alps. We spent the first day exploring the city, which is all completely walkable and gorgeous! On the second day of our time in Lucerne our awesome Air B&B hosts Angela and Marcus encouraged us to head to a gondola that is right outside the city. We climbed into the ricky car and traveled 20 minutes to the top of the mountain, overlooking the whole city. You can then walk back down instead of taking the gondola, which is a great way to see the countryside and hear the beautiful sounds of cowbells chiming throughout the hills.
We also visited the The Lion of Lucerne, a sculpture in designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen and hewn in 1820–21 by Lukas Ahorn. It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris, France. Mark Twain praised the sculpture of a mortally-wounded lion as “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world. Sidenote: visit the bar right outside the gates of the statue. Great beers and super cozy spot!
If you are in Lucerne on a Saturday or Tuesday morning stop by the farmers market right in the heart of downtown. Tasty treats and yummy coffee. Beware of the prices. We paid $23 for a bag of artichokes and roasted tomatoes. But they were damn good!
The last day we were there was the same day of the Lucerne Marathon! If I ever do a marathon, this is where I am coming to do it. What an insanely beautiful place to run!
