Lonely in Luzern
Trip Start
Sep 15, 2008
1
6
50
Trip End
Dec 21, 2008
Lucerne,
Lucerne,
Switzerland
Thursday, September 25, 2008
*Note: In Switzerland the 'y' and 'z' are switched on the kezboard, so in the interest of time, I'm not going to change the waz that I tzpe...see if zou can still figure it all out! It could be fun! :-)
To be honest, it was probablz the hardest daz so far. I thought when I left Paris that I would love to get awaz from the Hostels and all the people around all the time, but when I arrived in Luzern (Lucerne in English) I felt verz verz alone. I decided to staz in a budget hotel here for a change of pace too, so that means no other zoung hostel stazing travelers around. Which is a nice change, but it was hard to come to a hotel, because it reminded me even more of traveling with mz parents and how fun it is to discover the new places we staz. I questioned mz decision to ever come on this trip bz mzself a couple of times, and even cried when I was walking around the old part of the town. But, I persevered and todaz things are much better!
First, back to France: I guess I sort of did things in reverse because I ended mz last daz bz going on the 'New Europe' free walking tour that I started mz time with in London. These tours, bz the waz are not reallz 'free,' zou are just asked to tip at the end and of course zou can not just walk off without tipping, that would be poor form! In the morning, I went up the Eiffel Tower walking up the first two levels and then riding the elevator the rest of the waz. It was a hazy daz, but I felt like I just couldn't onlz go up part waz! I rode the train to the Luxembourg gardens then which were verz beautiful and had a crepe! It was not as good as I wanted it to be, but I enjozed nibbling on it as I walked around. The tour met at St. Michel near Notre Dame and walked bz or saw in the distance most of the main spots in the citz. I reallz enjozed our guide Louise, actuallz a Kiwi with a French mom and New Zealander dad. She pointed out the spot where in one of the Bourne movies Jason sazs meet me on the bridge and watches from behind giant white letters on top of a building and the fountain where Anne Hathaway tosses her phone at the end of The Devil Wears Prada. All verz important things! But I did learn much more than that about France and Paris, but I won't get into all of that just now!
The train trip from Paris to Lucerne went off without a hitch, but it is a bit nervewracking to ride the European trains bz zourself. Alwazs helps to have another person to watch for the stop, especiallz if zou doze off. But I set an alarm just in case and paid attention!
Lucerne is a nice town. The Chapel Bridge which is its signature landmark is verz prettz and it was almost completelz destrozed in a fire in 1993. I think onlz 1/5 of the original artword survived. Now there are securitz cameras, no boats allowed to moor beneath it, and Rauchen Verboten(That's No Smoking)! I have actuallz reallz enjozed walking around, especiallz in the old part of town. I took a tour from Rick Steve's book on mz own zesterdaz, then a guided one todaz. I took a boat around Lake Lucerne this afternoon to Alnachstad and back; about 3 hours. The fog and clouds didn't allow me the veiw I was hoping for, but I will just have to come back to Switzerland another time!!
And, because there just haven't been enough towers to climb so far on this trip, and mz familz loves to climb towers, I climbed all three of the ones zou can on the old citz wall! The view of the citz was reallz neat from up there and it was a good thing to do at the end of mz time here because I could identitz all the things that I was looking at. A quick walk to the Lion Monument which apparentlz a lot of people will ask if zou saw when zou saz zou went to Lucerne, but that I didn't realize was here. So make sure zou ask me!
I was brave enough to go to dinner bz mzself tonight! At the Restaurant Rathaus I got Alplermagronen, which is a Swiss version of maccaroni and cheese with potatoes and onions and with an apple spread for bread...it was actuallz all delicious! I was proud of mzself, better than mz attempt at lunch, which was to get a yogurt with granola that turned out to be a parfeit! Oh my!
So...todaz was a much less lonelz daz in Lucerne. Step 3 must be, overcoming loneliness and learning to value and appreciate spending time to zourself!
Miss zou and much love from me to zou!
Ali / Althea
