Leah & Julian in The World

The lion of Lucerne

So Mark Twain wrote of the dying lion of Lucerne (Löwendenkmal), a monument to the heroic death of Swiss mercenaries during the French Revolution.  I don’t know if I can agree with his statement.  I’ve seen too little of the world to declare anything “the most” significant.  But it is definitely an amazing sculpture.

Lucerne (Luzern) is a city of approximately 60,000 people, roughly in the centre of Switzerland.  It is the stuff of fairytales, located on a crystal clear lake and river, and surrounded by snow-capped alps.  It has all the mod-cons you could want, housed partly in the picturesque medieval Old Town.  I can see myself living in this town, but don’t worry we’re still coming home!

Lake Lucerne

One of the towns most famous sites is the Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge) dating from the 14th century.  The bridge contained many medieval paintings under the peaked roof, however much of the bridge (and the art) was destroyed in a fire in 1993.  The efficient Swiss rebuilt the bridge in 6 months, replacing the destroyed artwork with pieces that had been put into storage when the bridge was shortened previously.  I guess there’s something to be said for hoarding!

Chapel Bridge

If I have one complaint about Switzerland so far, it is the exorbitant price of food!  It’s just as well K Rudd’s stimulus package seems to be helping the Australian dollar at the moment, otherwise we might have no money left for the remainder of the trip!