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Luzern Railway Station
Took a morning train at 0724 hours from Neuchâtel and interchanged at Olten before reaching Luzern railway station at 0905 hours. The cost of return train tickets (2nd Class) was CHF 44 (after discount from SBB ½ fare card). A huge arch with bronze sculptures on top of it (left photo below) could be seen outside the railway station. The railway station is a huge 2-storey complex with some kiosk stalls at ground floor (right photo below) and larger shops such as Coop and Migros supermarkets at basement (bottom left photo). As Luzern is in German-speaking canton, therefore the first German word I encountered was Bahnhof, which means station. Remember how curious when I saw a double-deck train in Suzhou, China? Trains in Switzerland can be double-deck too, but in a more sleek and contemporary design (bottom right photo).
Tourist Information Center
Located inside the train station complex, the Tourist Information Center is indicated by a big " i " with the word "Tourist" at the top left corner (left photo below). Besides city maps, tour brochures, and counters served by friendly stuffs, there are also souvenirs available to visitors (right photo below).
Lion Monument
Took me about 15-mins walk from the train station to this Lion Monument (left photo below). Also known as Löwendenkmal in German, this 'Dying Lion of Lucerne' is one of the world's most famous monuments.
It was hewn out of natural sandstone cliff, in a form of a dying lion pierced by a spear (right photo below), in memory of the heroic death of the Swiss mercenaries at the Tuileries in 1792. On 10 August 1792, the Swiss guards defended the Palais des Tuileries, in Paris, when it was stormed by revolutionaries. Those who survived the attack were arrested and guillotined on the night 2-3 Sept. No wonder Globetrotter Mark Twain described the Lion of Lucerne as "the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world!".
Admission is free to the Lion Monument.
Glacier Garden Lucerne
This Glacier Garden (left photo below) is located besides the Lion Monument. Known as Gletschergarten in German, Glacier Garden is among the oldest and most famous natural wonders in Europe. Discovered in 1872 during construction work, removal of a thin layer of topsoil exposed a rock with 32 large potholes. It was formed by the action of water and stones that fall through crevasses in the overlying glacier.
Entrance fee to this museum is CHF 12 (right photo below) and opening hour is daily from 0900 to 1800 hours (during Apr to Oct) or 1000 to 1700 hours (during Nov to Mar). As I wasn't interested in geology, therefore I gave this museum a miss.
Löwen platz
One of the shopping malls located in Luzern town (left photo below). Don't expect too much from this 2-storey mall as it is rather small. Managed to get some bread and drinks for my lunch inside the Coop supermarket (right photo below).
Old Town of Luzern
The old town of Luzern is definitely worth a visit. The narrow alleys off this Weinmarkt square are lined with tall house, some with colorfully painted shutters. Many of these houses have been converted into hotels, or contain boutiques and restaurants. Saw many visitors were sitting outside the shops basking in the sun and drinking hot coffee in a cool weather. Temperature was about 11 °C during the day (see photos below).
The present town hall, Rathaus, was built in a grand Renaissance style, and completed in 1606. The main entrance is flanked by double columns (left photo below). Of the 14th-centurary town hall that stood on the same site, only a tower remains (right photo below). The council chamber inside the building is lined with finely carved wood paneling.
Another structure definitely can be found in any old town is the water fountain (left photo below). This fountain featured a figure of Fritschi, a legendary character associated with spring and joy, carrying a flag of Luzern canton (right photo below).
Connecting with Lake Luzern, Reuss River passes through the old town separating the old town of Luzern. Many coffee houses are located along the river which offer alfresco dinning to allow patrons to enjoy the scenery view (see photo below).
Old city wall
Known as Museggmauer in German, this remaining part of the rampart walls was built in 1386. Most part of the wall remained entirely intact till today (see photo belows). Three towers are currently open to the public, namely Schirmerturm, Zeitturm and Männliturm.
For me it was rather tiring for me to climb up to the entrance of the tower as the whole wall was built on a high slope. Entrance to one of the towers, Männliturm, was rather narrow and small (left photo below). After a series of stone stairways, wooden stairs (right photo below) were constructed to link the second level to the top level at about 30 meters high. Opening hours of the 3 towers is daily from 0800 to 1700 hours during the summer season and admission is free.
View from this tower is definitely breath-taking; especially with the snow-capped mountains as backdrop (see photos below). Really envy residences of Luzern as they lived in such as beautiful country surrounded by Alps.
Easter Chocolates-Bunny
As it was two days before Easter Monday, therefore many shops were selling chocolates made in the shape of rabbits (see photos below). Besides big supermarkets, specialized-shops also sold these bunny-shaped chocolates ranging from CHF 2 to CHF 20.
Casagrande Gift shop
Casagrande (left photo below) was recommended by my colleague as it is the largest souvenir shop in old town of Luzern. Indeed it has many varieties of souvenirs ranging from classical cuckoo-clocks to watches, swiss army knives and musical boxes. Visitors could collect a free-gift of a coffee spoon if showed the advertisement from the official city guide to the shop attendants (right photo below).
Swiss Army Knife
Probably the Swiss Army Knife is the most common souvenir any visitor would buy. The price of these army knives may not be the cheapest in Switzerland, but it has the most varieties and latest design. Almost every souvenir shops in Luzern would sell these iconic gifts (left photo below). There are 2 different brands of Swiss Army Knife: Victorinox and Wenger. However Wenger was bought over by Victorinox as subsidiary in 2005, so basically there is only one Swiss company making and selling these army knives.
As I can't resist its trendy design, I bought one of them known as Huntsman model with 15 functions at CHF 33 (right photo below).
Saturday Market
Most Swiss cities would have a Saturday morning market at their main square or walkways, so it's the best time to see and understand the locals. Typically the market activities begin from about 8am till noon. Fresh vegetables (left photo below), fruits, flowers, collectibles and even souvenirs could be found at these temporary stalls. Interestingly I didn't know that those "moldy" cheeses could smell so bad like stinky socks until I walked pass them (right photo below). Now I know how people who do not eat durians or smelly tofu feels whenever they walk pass them. Probably the same question would be asked on why human can eat such smelly food?
Chapel Bridge and Water Tower
These two are the symbolic buildings of Luzern (see photos below). The medieval covered footbridge spanned over the Reuss River at an angle formed part of the town's fortifications, protecting it against attack from the direction of the lake. In the middle of the river, the Chapel bridge (Kapellbrücke in German) joins the water tower (Wasserturm in German), an octagonal tower that served as a lighthouse, a prison and a treasury. In 17th century, the bridge's roof panels were painted with scenes from the history of Luzern and episodes in the lives of St. Leodegar and St. Mauritius martyrs who became the town's patron saints.
Chapel bridge is the oldest wooden bridge in Europe, but was partially destroyed by a fire in 1993. It was rebuilt within few months, however most of its paintings were either restored or replaced with copies. It is not hard to spot which part of the bridge is original (left photo below) or is rebuilt (right photo below).
Spreuerbrücke
Spreuerbrücke is another wooden covered bridge spans the Reuss River at the western edge of the Old Town (left photo below). It was built in 1408 and incorporates a small chapel. The bridge's roof is lined with the panels painted by Kaspar Meglinger in 1625 – 1635. The bridge also offers a close view of the Nadelwerk, a 19th century device to control the river's flow (right photo below).
Swans in Luzern
Not only in Luzern, swans are common in Switzerland. These swans are so well-fed by local residences that they simply swim close to the shore to wait for their food (left photo below). They already acclimatized to the presence of human that even their nest can be just near a walkway of less than 2 meters (right photo below). Probably this is another good example of human and animal living harmoniously.
Luzern Theatre
Located in the heart of Luzern, this theatre (left photo below) offers 3 different sectors of the performing arts (opera, plays and dance), offering a program which is as diversified as its audience. Even young children enjoyed climbing the sculpture outside the theatre (right photo below).
Kulturund Kongresszentrum Luzern (KKL)
With its cantilevered roof, the KKL building or the Luzern Culture and Convention Centre in English, is a strikingly modernist glass and steel building that juts out over Lake Lucerne. It was designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel and was opened in 1998. The building contains conference halls, concert halls, and theatres, and the Kunstmuseum (see photos below).
Around Lake Lucerne
Luzern town lies on the western shore of the Lake Lucerne, so at any angle from the lake seems to be so picturesque. Let the photos below illustrate the beauty and charm of Lake Lucerne and its surrounding Alps.
Took train from Luzern train station at 1654 hours and reached Neuchâtel at 1832 hours, which was about 1.5 hours ride. With the ending of my first excursion in Switzerland, I began to look forward in planning more trips.