August 24, 2015

August 24, 2015

The scenery of Murren and the Lauterbrunnen valley is incredible, almost too beautiful to be real. Unfortunately the Swiss know this and have found many ways to relieve tourists of their cash.  They have trains and cable-cars that will take you anywhere you can imagine for unforgettable views and hiking, but each one is very expensive.  Just the lift down to the valley floor from Murren is $44 round-trip for the two of us.  Fortunately we had pretty good weather the last three days and we got to explore each area.

It is cloudy and drizzling this morning, so parting with Murren is easier.  From the Lauterbrunnen station, we travel back down the valley floor to Interlaken and then east along Lake Brienzer and the Aare River system, then over the hill to the Reuss River system.  We pass two more lakes until we reach Lake Lucerne.  These river systems consist of strings of teal lakes lined by mountains, the result of gouging by ancient glaciers.

At noon we arrive in Luzern (or Lucerne).  After seven days in the mountains, we have a little culture shock hitting the big city again.  After checking in our hotel we give ourselves a walking tour of the Old City.  Most of the architecture of Luzern looks like it had its main heyday in the run-up to WWI when railroads put Luzern on the tourist map.  Despite the modernization, most of the medieval defenses have been preserved. High stone walls line the north side, the Reuss River protects the south, while two wooden defensive bridges cover the east and west approaches.  We walk most of this perimeter.  

Near the end, we make a detour to the see the Lion Monument carved into a stone cliffside.  The Dying Lion is a memorial to the 800 Swiss mercenary soldiers killed in 1792 protecting the King of France during the French Revolution. 

Aimee and I are too tired and thirsty to tour the inside of the Old Town, so we stop early and have a beer along the lakefront with the main wooden bridge in the background.