We rode a train to Lucerne today. It’s less than an hour from Zurich, even with four stops along the way. Billed as the Swiss counterpart to Venice, the river and lake definitely play a huge part in the life of the city.

A two-hour walking tour provided a good overview of the region and the city itself. We dined in a medieval bakers’ building that was purposefully placed on the other side of the River Reuss to keep commonplace fires from spreading into the city. We then walked along the top (remaining portion) of the ancient city wall and climbed the waterclock tower for wonderful views of the town.

Here’s a list of the top ten most interesting things I learned:
* The town’s modern cultural center was designed to channel lake water into the building. It hosts a large summer music festival.
* There are four linguistic regions of Switzerland, most predominantly a Swiss-German dialect, followed by French, Italian, and even a small Latin-speaking area. I thought Latin was a “dead” language!
* The two most-recognized landmarks of the city include the medieval pedestrian bridge, Chapel Bridge, which has old historical paintings in its interior roof trusses, and the eight-sided water tower formerly used as a dungeon and now as a wedding/event center.
* Located near the geographical center of Switzerland bordered by the beautiful Swiss Alps, over 50,000 people move to or from Lucerne every day.
* A Jesuit church, built in the gaudy Baroque style right after the Reformation, symbolizes the Catholic stand against the Swiss Protestant reformer Zwingli.
* Castle Gutsch sits on a mountaintop overlooking the town. Rumored to have been wanted by Michael Jackson to purchase right before he died, it is now owned by a Russian family who charges over $1,000 a night to stay there. The castle has a Muslim minaret and a Christian tower to celebrate unity of religions.
* Much fresco art work is painted on the town’s buildings to show uses; for example, a hotel popular for lovers sports a Cupid statue and intertwined wedding rings.
* Many “squares” connect the cobbled streets, and a garishly painted water fountain is centered in the square where Lucerne’s parallel to Mardi Gras starts every year. (The guy who started this tradition in the early 20th century is supposedly buried beneath the fountain.)
* Chocolate flows down a wall in a favorite chocolatier. Their hot chocolate comes straight from the chocolate fountain that “feeds” the wall. I know, because we imbibed!
* Large-leafed, knobby chestnut trees line the riverbank. They are so uniform in their ugliness. (At least, that’s my opinion.)