February 1, 2020
At the sound of my alarm, I groggily dragged myself out of bed. And sighed, reconsidering, again, if it was worth waking up hours before I normally would on a Saturday to catch an earlier train. But I had told my friend I would go with her, early, and I wanted to see that view from the cable cars!
As I boarded the early-enough morning train, I immediately wrinkled my nose. The train reeked of alcohol. That, along with the rows of people passed out on the seats amid the blasting club music, made it clear that for some, it was the end of the day.
Thankfully, we transferred quickly to a much more standard train – standard being the comfortable, quiet, and scenic trains I had gotten used to. I dozed on and off throughout the 2-hour+ ride to Lucerne, but each time I opened my eyes, the view was amazing. With the early-morning pink glow settling over the lakes and mountains that we passed, I felt content just staring from the train windows.
Our plan had been to purchase tickets to the famous cable cars and ride to the top of Mount Pilatus, enjoy a meal at the summit of the mountain, then descend down the mountain to explore the Old Town. Of course, with my luck, I should’ve realized that this was a highly idealistic plan. Due to the winter season, and high winds, the cable cars were closed – at not one, but both the stations we tried. Taking it as a sign that cable cars were not on the agenda for the day, we joined up with a larger, later group of friends in search of food.
After a sociable lunch, we casually and leisurely explored the Old Town of Lucerne. The architecture and even the layout speaks to the age of the city – and even amidst the rather-gloomy weather, the lake was beautiful to behold. With the snow-capped mountains in the background, it was truly picturesque.
We started out at the famous Chapel Bridge. This bridge is the symbol of Lucerne and the oldest surviving truss bridge, dating back to the 14th century. It was crawling with tourists. With COVID-19 cases on the rise in Italy, more than a few people stared at me intently when I coughed – they were most likely wondering if I was Chinese. Sigh. But even with judgmental tourists, the bridge was beautiful. It crossed through the lake to the other side of Lucerne that contained more cathedrals and shopping areas.
The air was brisk enough that we decided to stop in a lovely cafe to warm up – I got the best white hot chocolate I’ve ever tasted. It was extremely thick and creamy, and exactly the sugar boost I needed.
Following the crowd from the cafe and shopping area, we came upon the Lion Monument. The somber monument depicts a dying lion, memorializing the Swiss Guard that was killed while protecting Louis XVI during the French Revolution.
To complete our historic tour of the city, we stepped into an extravagantly decorated cathedral.
For one of my first day-trips of this semester, Lucerne was scenic and historic: hopefully, I can return to take advantage of the cable cars, though!