Loving Luzern!

Yesterday we hopped on a train to Luzern, Switzerland (Lucerne in English) with Pascal, Adriana, and Pasci's buddy Markus. I've always loved Luzern and wanted to take Dan and Terri there. Luzern is the second most visited city in Switzerland behind Geneva, and boasts the famous Chapel Bridge, a wooden bridge built in the 14th century that spans the Reuss river through the city.

We strolled along the hotel-lined river near the city center, explored the shopping district, and had lunch in the city. We chose an old restaurant that has been there since the 1800's and Dan and Terri and I had Rösti, a popular Swiss dish that resembles hash brown potatoes. After lunch we walked up to the Lion Monument (Löwendenkmal) in a small park just off the Lowenplatz. The carving commemorates the hundreds of Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution.

We then stopped off in Bern (The capital of Switzerland) walked around the city for a bit and had dinner and a movie (The Hangover 3, which nobody was impressed with, BTW) and got to Thun before midnight. Another great day in Switzerland! Today we are watching the weather and have plans to go hiking in the canton of Valais, if the clouds and rain clear out. If the weather stays wet, we'll probably hang in Thun and do some shopping.