29 December 2023 - Exploring the coutryside around Lucerne
We woke up in the alcove of an Alpine farm chalet. This is the closest to authentic Heidi, I've ever felt. I pushed the weather -beaten shutters out, struggled a bit to slide the window up, aaaaaaa...fresh Swiss mountain air. Aromas of fresh bröchen (our hosts had already been to the backery to pick up the rolls) coffee and bacon(yes - they are pork farmers!!) called us down the three flights of stairs. Eventhough their english is a bitty bit, Mary and Walti, went out of their way to make Arno and myself feel welcomed.
We asked Alana and Philippa to walk up to Esabe's house, from where they were staying for the night. Gabrielle and hubby were still not up after all the cheese and kirsch of the previous night(Arno also had a bit of a slow start, he-heee.) They did not know how to operate te coffee machine (no one does 'instant' here) and only found two pieces of bread....they were not sure if they could eat it for breakfast or not... Once the parentals could tear ourselves away from our breakfast spread, we were way behind schedule. The younger members of the family were not impressed!!! Elsabe and Hugo advised us to go for a walk at Bürgenstock. It was about 40 minutes from Meierskapel. We drove around Lake Lucern or as the locals call it: Vierwaltstättersee The name of the lake has its origins in the four historical "forest sites", the three original cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden and the canton of Lucerne, which together surround Lake Lucerne. Switzerland is a federal republic.'Cantons' are areas we would call 'independant provinces'. The 26 cantons are united in the Swiss Federal Constitution.
The rolling, NOT covered by snow, hills were so calming to the soul. Arno had to navigate an intricate, highly sophisticated parking payment system, but after that, we were free to roam the hills. The altitude was affecting a few ladies in the party more than others. The vistas over Lake Lucerne were worth every effort!!!
Our day in Switzerland just had to include a visit to a chocolatrie!! Unfortunately we could not get a booking for the Lindt factory, but Aeschbach Chocolatier was a very unique experience. This family run factory has been designing delicious treats for 51 years. We learned how chocolate is manufactured, while watching the chocolatiers at work through the glass windows. Fascinating. While I was admiring the craftsmen and women at their trade, the rest of the family were induding into the free samples of all flavours and shapes of chocolate. The chocolate-coin-spitting-donkey was a hit, even with the semi-adults in our crew!!
Expensive choclate does not do justice to rumbling tummies though. The cheapest option was to buy a few baguettes, some cheese nad ham and do car-lap-footlongs. We only got to the eating part once Arno conquered his second carpark-payment challenge of the day!! This time we were stuck in an underground parking garage..... Traveltip: always have a sharp knife and a plastic plate(alternative- plastic lid of ice-cream container) handy in the car. I also travel with four small plastic cups in a set. One always needs a cup!!
Last on our to-do list for the day was to take the kids to see the beautifully decorated bridge over the river in Lucerne and the Löwenstatze, chissled out of the rock-wall behind the church with the two towers.
(On our first white Christmas adventure, Dec 2001, Arno and I spend a day in Lucerne. we had an interesting experience, where Arno got off the bus and myself not.....in the days before roaming cell-phones.... Life is beautifull!!! Now it was our time to be the tour guides to our children! Feeling extremely blessed) We found the Europeans very aware of their carbon footprint. This was noticable in the reduction of christmas lights everywhere. In 200, the snowcovered knobbly trees, dressed with thousands of fairylights leading up to the iconic church, provided a very dramatic prelude. I did miss that 'drama' in 2023. Luckily the Davidic star suspended between the two towers was still lit up. Just magical!!
Back in Meierskappel we were treated to a wonderful Mexican dinner. What a blessing to have somebody prepareing a meal for you!! Thank you Elsabe and Hugo!!
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