Lucerne

I took the GoldenPass from Geneva to Lucerne. I was completely speechless for the entire 6 hour scenic trip. It was absolutely gorgeous. I didn't see much more of the ski mountains than what I saw in the far distance, but the huge, rolling, green hills were breathtaking.



From the lone farm houseto the riverside communities, everything was beautiful.The houses that weren't farms each had large gardens.But it's not like these communities had terribly scarce commercial resources. If you look closely, what looks like a cluster of houses is really a combination of houses and stores and boutiques all in similar house-like buildings.
Along a river, in a sleepy community, hundreds of miles away from any metropolis, I caught a glimpse of a building between a couple houses in the distance; it was a Toyota dealership. This country may be known for its farmlands, but they certainly don't live a secluded farm lifestyle. All of these country communities had typical chalet style architecture with pretty little red flowers in each window sill.
Also, these communities seem to be built around a central church, which is one of the only buildings that has differing architecture. I also saw some waterfalls in the mountains on this scenic trip. I could have gotten to Lucerne in half the time if I had taken a regular train and not the GoldenPass, but it was worth it to see these amazing views.



As I approached Lucerne towards the East side of Switzerland, I noticed that German influence is more prominent. German is spoken more frequently, it is written on more signs, and more cities have German names. Lucerne is much like Geneva, only smaller. Again, it is a city that might as well have engineered my Mac. The hostel I stayed in is recognizably outside the downtown core and getting into the residential area away from the Lake Lucerne, yet it is still a simple walk right down to the water and the metropolis along it, it is that small a city. I got some nice photos off the lake.




There is a great big castle hotel in a hill overlooking all of Lucerne that you can see from just about everywhere.The old city is more commercial and doubles as the shopping district, encircled with touristy restaurants. I did come across a Picasso museum in the old city.The evening was more quiet around here, even near the restaurants. I think most locals retreat to their suburban homes with their families at night. While I was walking along the river in the city, I did see a group of white water rafters finishing their journey. Most of the professional photos I've seen of Lucerne are of the covered foot bridges over this river. Inside them are some religious art. My photos of these didn't turn out so well. Tourists must know about these bridges because the city, being so well engineered, had most of the public washrooms located near these bridges. It was kind of surprising to see such a modern service so close to such an old structure. This sleepy town is beautiful and really peaceful, and I can see how it is also a place for athletes to train in gorgeous surroundings with challenging terrain. Though this town is so peaceful, it still has access to all the commercial necessities a suburban family might need, don't be fooled by the low population or the farm-like surroundings! The next morning, I got up early to head to Paris. This is the view I had during the sunrise while I sat by the lake eating breakfast until my train arrived.