Close your eyes and stare at the back of your eyelids for a few moments. Open them. See this.
This, my friends, is Lucerne, Switzerland and it’s located just on this side of heaven. We took a vacation from our vacation and recharged our batteries in the Swiss Alps for long weekend. Footsteps on crunchy snow were the dominant sounds in the clouds high above the real world.
Mount Pilatus overlooks the hustle and bustle of Lucerne in a postcard brought to life. The wooden bridge is the town’s landmark and also quite photogenic. Chapel Bridge was first constructed in the 14th century as part of the city’s fortifications. Inside, the bridge is lined with paintings from the 17th century illustrating scenes of Swiss and local history. The octagonal water tower was building around 1300 as part of the city wall and over time has been used as an archive, treasury, prison and torture chamber. Can you say multipurpose?
We walked all over the city, grabbed a pastry from the bakery, and gawked at the shop window displays and the Swiss Army gear galore. In the center of the town is the famous Lion Monument, the dying lion of Lucerne, also known as Löwendenkaml. It was constructed by a Danish artist in 1819 to commemorate the heroric Swiss who lost their lives during the French Revolution defending Mary Antoinette and King Louis XVI. Mark Twain described the Lion of Lucerne as the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world.
As the lion permanently weeps, I realize that my troubles are always short lived.
After making our way out of the city with coffee in hand, a romantic stroll along Lake Lucerne under the gnarly branches afforded us the most breathtaking views of the hazy mountains.
One day when the weather was fine, the Alps beckoned us. We escaped Lucerne for a day and drove deep into the mountains toward Engelberg, home of Mount Titlis, one of the most famous mountains in Switzerland. And Mt. Titlis, by sheer convenience (or not), also happens to be a popular, non-touristy, non-swanky, ski oasis. We zipped up our fluffy coats, strapped on our skis, and hit the slopes of the Swiss Alps.
We’ve skied in the Colorado Rockies before and even confidently braved a few blue and black (intermediate/difficult) runs. So you may ask, how do the Alps stack up to the Rockies? The easiest runs on Mt. Titlis were maybe on par with the intermediate runs in the Rockies. Maybe. The snow was fresh, the sun was shining, our legs were tingling, and we had a 5 mile downhill run before us. I have to admit, whizzing down the slope of the Swiss Alps was the most exhilarating experience of my life in Europe so far.
Our lift tickets included a round trip in a cable car to the top of 10,000 foot tall Mt. Titlis. The view from the gondola, which is what we saw if we braved a glance away while skiing the slopes, was beyond words.
The gondola carried our pink noses high to places where only the thrill-seeking {absolutely bloody insane, if you ask me} daredevils of the world are brave enough to point their skis downward.
Touch down on the glacier at the summit provided a rush of even colder frosty air into our lungs. And a lot more snow, the crispy icy kind, stuck in places that only the wind could reach.
A most breathtakingly beautiful panorama of the surrounding mountains greeted us.
Gazing out across the glacier and snowy peaks, a familiar roar perked our ears and suddenly, two jets in formation appeared out of nowhere and quickly disappeared into the sunset. Two Swiss F/A-18 Hornets to be exact. God must have known we airplane geeks were watching and decided to give us an airshow while we stood on top of the world.
The Viper Pilot was giddy with joy (like a fat kid with cake) at the scene and exclaimed how awesome it would be to do in his F-16. While I’m glad that he feels confident enough to fly through these peaks, I decided to pretend I never heard him say that.
The 45 minute ride down the mountain was just as incredible as the ride up. We watched the heavy sun sink below the mountain as the city slipped into darkness. At 5:00 in the evening.
Our Switzerland adventure was much too short and we decided it just might become a regular getaway for us any time of the year. The outdoor adventures are endless and I really want to go snow-shoeing. We’ll definitely be back for a summer hike.
I said to the Viper Pilot as we sat gazing at the mountains from a warm cozy pub at the end of our day,
“I love the beach, but I think I’ll always be a mountain girl.
If the world ended right now, I would die happy.”‘
PROST!
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Swiss Miss hot chocolate was no where to be found. But the Swiss cheese and chocolate? Mighty fine. 🙂
Judy says
Love Lucerne, we were there in 1986 and did she the lion. Stayed in a very old hotel next to Lake Lucerne and I think I can see it in one of your pictures. Enjoy, Love Switzerland
Emily says
I bet it doesn't look a whole lot different than it did in 1986! 🙂 It is a beautiful place, isn't it?
Sarah says
Amazing!!! Love all the adventures you are having – can't think of a more wonderful person to get to experience them 🙂
Emily says
Thank you, Sarah! That is very sweet.