pointlessly Lucerne Switzerland October 15 2013
http://solent-art.co.uk/category/paintings/page/3 We arrived in Basel and docked around midnight.
The disembarkation procedure was very well organized, except folks on early flights had to leave the ship at 4am. So, there were lots of doors slamming and luggage bumping. All of us had to be out of our stateroom by 8:30 am, so that the cleaning staff could thoroughly clean the cabins for guests arriving today. In B&B speak, so they could flip the rooms.
Before we packed our bags, we were all given color coded tags to place on our bags so the staff could have them available for either the bus or taxi or whatever. We had arranged for a taxi to get us to the Europe car rental in downtown Basel. When they called us for our taxi, they made us verify our bags were on board and off we went to the next part of our adventure, and a little less structure.
We must be in Switzerland
By ten, we were driving through the Swiss countryside and up ahead we saw snow on the alps! Weather today was mild with only several periods of cloudiness. Once we arrive in Lucerne, a city much like Geneva, built on the shores of a lake – this time Lake Lucerne. We found the tourist office and a very efficient agent found us a hotel (Weinhof Hotel Restaurant, Weystrasse 12, Lucerne, Switzerland) 
just inside the old town but with a car park – and gave us free tickets to their transportation system. Our room is clean, very utilitarian. We dumped our bags and strolled the town.
We caught this photo between two buildings and over a parked car in Lucerne
We wandered the streets and squares and found a lunch spot. Unfortunately, the proprietor was not inclined to let us sit outside and led us through the bar with its smoking patrons to a room in the back. The only problem was the room was stifling – the gas fireplace was on high. Food, however, was good; but we left as soon as we could to cool off.
We checked out the windows of the shops we passed, especially the chocolate shops. We found historic frescopainted buildings bordering the squares on the right bank of the Reuss River. Love the name of the city council’s meeting place – the Rathaus! It was built in the early 1600’s. We crossed two of Lucerne’s covered bridges, the Spreuerbruke (built in 1408 as part of the city’s fortifications; by 1635 the paintings “Dance of Death” were added) and the Kapell-Bruke (Chapel Bridge). The Chapel Bridge was built in the first half of 1300’s; its paintings were added in the 17th century illustrating local and Swiss history, as well as biographies of Lucerne’s patron saints, Leodegar and Mauritius. The Chapel Bridge was covered with window boxes full of beautiful flowers, even this late in the year.
The Chapel Bridge is connected to the Wasserturm or water tower. The octagonal tower is 111.5 feet high and was built in 1300. It has been used as archives, treasury, prison, and torture chamber.
We took a good luck at the Nadelwehr or Needle Dam, which was built between 1859 and 1860 in the style developed by Poiree. Even today, the Level of Lake Lucerne is regulated by hand by placing or removing the so-called needles or wooden posts.
Water Rushing by the Needle Dam, still used to control level of water in Lake Lucerne
We continued our stroll on the shores of Lake Lucerne and discovered the Hof Church, the main cathedral for the city and named after St Leodegar. A Benedictine monastery was founded here in the 8th century. A fire destroyed the church in 1633, and it was rebuilt in 1645. It is considered the most important Renaissance church building in Switzerland with its noteworthy facade, Mary’s altar with a relief panel from 1500, and the souls altar.
Mike and Pat at the Dying Lion Monument, dedicated to Swiss men who died heroically at Tuileries in 1792
We searched out the Lion Monument, “The Dying Lion of Lucerne,” hewn out of natural rock to honor the heroic deaths of the Swiss mercenaries at the Tuileries in 1792. Mark Twain described it as the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world.
The Lion without us
Part of the rampart walls built in 1386 are fairly intact with 9 towers. 3 towers are open to the public and one contains the oldest city clock, built by Han Luter in 1535. This clock is honored by permitting it to strike the hour one minute before all the other city clocks.
