Lucerne, Switzerland...truly breathtaking

We fell in love with Switzerland as we crossed the beautiful countryside on the train.  We were in awe with the rolling green hills (couldn't see the peaks of the mountains due to the rain) and beautiful architecture.  

Pictures from the train

Reviewing our itinerary for the the next few days.

 Jamming to the summer playlist Mark made while looking out at one of the most beautiful country's I have ever seen. I was in awe thinking about the different land forms that God made, and the different talents he gave to people who could create such beautiful buildings.  He truly is an amazing God.

The city truly took my breath away even on night one in the midst of the light rain and fog covering the mountain peaks.  In addition to the breathtaking views of the city/countryside, the prices also took our breath away, especially when comparing them to the prices of similar foods we could get in Qatar and other places. We asked our receptionist when we arrived where we could get a burger as we had that on our mind that evening.  She recommended McDonalds.  I asked if there was a place a step up from McDonalds, and she looked at me with pity and told us eating out is really expensive in Switzerland. She wasn't kidding...
We opted for Indian food (missing the great Indian food in Doha) by getting an order of chicken, bowl of soup, and two pieces of naan.  The picture above is worth just over $50. This was a typical cost of a meal in the area, as we looked at several different places before choosing this one.  With the newfound information, we left wondering how could we stretch the dollar (Swiss Franc) in yet another new city as we adjusted to the new currency for a few days.

Unfortunately, the weather forecast was not in our favor during our stay, and it rained on and off the entire time we were there.  Such weather was coupled with intense low-lying clouds and heavy fog that blanketed the surrounding hilltops and mountains.  One moment fog was moving in from the east nearly revealing a peak (at times) when it would be combated with other fog moving in from the west. 

Mark and I walked around on Day 1.

Chapel Bridge - constructed in the first part of the 14th century to help with fortifying the city

Underneath the roofline of the bridge are paintings that were added in the 17th century that detail both, Swiss and local history.  Unfortunately, a fire (started by a cigarette bud around midnight in 1993) destroyed most of the original bridge and the paintings.

This hotel looks like a castle up in the mountain.

Felt like we were back in the USA again when we saw Aldi's; this was quite the find in such an expensive city! :)  We feel like it is a game to see if we can locate them.  Great way to save some money by getting lunch items and snacks here.

We thought it was so strange they had different types of mayonnaise and they were in a tube...YUCK!  Next time you brush your teeth just think about putting a blob of mayonnaise on your brush instead.  Now that would be a great prank to pull on someone.

Getting our work out for the day on the climb up to see some spectacular views of the city.  The fence line behind Mark belongs to a farmer as some of his livestock was grazing around.  The fence had a warning saying, "Don't touch.  Fence is electric."  Mark wanted to test it so bad, but he did not.  Sorry to disappoint you.

Pictures don't do justice for the beauty of this city.  There is nothing like the human eye that God has made.  We're thankful for our eyesight to see His beauty throughout our trip and during our time on Earth.

Climbed the stairs to this wall and then climbed up the tower to see more of the city.  Several towers, watchtowers is what they were, could be seen and climbed.

Behind the cloud coverage are mountains, which we unfortunately only saw part of during our stay.

Another bonus to Switzerland...it's CHOCOLATE! :) Yum!  Home to the famous Toblerones and Lindt chocolate candy companies.

Excited to start trying some of these chocolate delights~ 

Going for a stroll to enjoy the views...even in the rain.

 Super bummed about the rain and not being able to see the mountain peaks... 

We got smarter during our trip and went to the market for dinner night #2...rotisserie chicken plus two mini calzones for us = $14...can't complain about this cheap hot meal.  Plus the chicken was very good and the same size that we got the night before but for much less.

Spent the day on Mount Pilatus~ We took the world's steepest cogwheel in the world (48% grade) up the mountain; it took about 40 minutes until we reached the top. 

This is what we saw once we reached the top...it was quite eery. Unfortunately, we never did see the mountain peaks but more of the mountains became more visible as the day went on. Looking out into nothing but white was a bit surreal and scary, too.

Is there land right next to me?  Or does it drop off?  How far does it drop off?

Hiking on one of the trails

Luckily they had an explanation in English and other languages too, as it warned us the following area was for military and would shoot if necessary.

Walking on one of the trails on the mountain

Basically Mark is holding up a section of the mountain overhang with his super strength

Transportation on mountain #2 - large cable car that took us to another location on the mountain


It was creepy to see the cable car disappear into the clouds...

Rope Course on the mountain = AMAZING!

Mark lead to help show me how it was done. :)

After completing the difficult course...nearly didn't complete it and was lucky to have Coach Mark help guide me through one of the more difficult parts that kept me stranded for a short bit.

Ziplining = :)  We do love doing this as we done it on several occasions

Taking a break from some of the courses to snap a picture with our scenic background... This was the view we enjoyed during the rope course.

After nearly 3 hours on the rope course we were ready for some lunch; we enjoyed the "ambiance" of our restaurant. ;)

Our cheep food from Aldi and coupon voucher for drinks at the restaurant 

In heaven...Mark kept saying how he's been jokingly praying for me to fall more in love with mountains.  Its working!

Mountain transportation #3 - small cable car....just the two of us

I was a bit freaked out during certain parts, especially looking at how high up we were.

We saw a lot of cows on the mountain. They each wore a bell, so even while we were at the top we heard the bells ringing.

Excited the sun was coming out a bit and felt the need to continue to take pictures as we explored the city.

A lot of the buildings as unique paintings on them to add to the beauty of the city.

An artist's sculpture to memorialize the massacre of Swiss soldiers during the French Revolution in 1792.  The sheer agony on the lion's face set the tone and mood for viewers.

Mark and I are NOT fast food people and honestly try to not eat there, other than for an ice-cream cone here and there from McDonalds for basic soft serve.  One thing we learned in Lucerne was that everything closes early, even the market where we bought our food the night before. With that said, we had two choices, either go spend $50 plus at a restaurant or go to McDonalds...we sadly chose McDonalds. :(

Not going to miss the rain in Lucerne...it was a bit interesting getting to the train station in the rain, but we made do...looking a bit realistic I may add. ;) other than Mark holding the black umbrella but he's got the camera for this now.