Lucerne and the Swiss Transport Museum

"The Duck"

Our second day in Switzerland began with lectures on the history of the Cantons (states) after an early breakfast at 0630 hrs. Flakey croissants, butter, jams, sliced meats, cheeses, muesli, strong kaffe, fresh orange juice and pure mountain water fed by glaciers are laid out for our meal. No eggs, bacon and hash browns here; we're in Europe and many of our dining companions have already been up earlier for a morning walk. 

David and Andrea

Two interesting lectures were given by Andrea John, one of our hosts (pictured), and a local retired newspaper reporter, Peter Frey. Covering everything from the banding together of ancient tribes, various alliances and the formation of governments up to the present day, it was both informative and helpful. In our upcoming travels we would experience the four languages of Switzerland; Swiss German, French, Italian and Romansch. Both our presenters, who are Swiss, are so proud of their country, and that enthusiasm is infectious. We can't wait to start discovering!

Debb and Rauati

So we are thankful to take a walk down the hill, following the Duck to the bus stop, and then a quick bus ride to the Swiss Transport Museum. Lunch there reminded us of the Pennsylvania Dutch connection to Switzerland; the potato, apple and pasta casserole was absolutely delicious. 

The museum staff along with our two other leaders, Debb and Rauati, led us through the various displays of rail, bus, boat, and aircraft. Outdoors was a charming children's area with ships to pilot, trucks to move dirt with, and a miniature driving range designed to help kids learn about highways.

Children's activity area

Of course, David, got a chance to operate the train simulator before we left for some free time touring the city shops.

Swiss aircraft history

How do we look as pilot and
flight attendant?

Dozens of vintage vehicles
displayed on gigantic shelves

Getting to various parts of the city is easy, fast and enjoyable. We could take the walking path all along the lake shore; electric buses run every nine or ten minutes; or, if further out, a local train will whisk you into the shopping district.

Mt. Pilatus from our hotel balcony

Lucerne shopping district

One thing you always hear about Switzerland is that it's expensive. Our presenter Peter explained that Swiss salaries are higher than in most of Europe, so if you're Swiss, it evens out. But in American terms, things are a bit pricey! Even a couple of Big Macs and some fries will set you back $40. Our leaders steered us to a couple of the most popular department stores that carry everything from foods to clothing to outdoor patio items and we went there first when we needed to pick up a snack or something simple. We found there is a Migros and a COOP in every town! Of course there are wonderful specialty shops with everything from paper goods, antiques, bakery items, shoes and clothing.

Some of our best experiences came from shopping and sometimes bargaining. A combination of David's German, Peggy's French, the shopkeeper's English and sign language resulted in what would have been a genuine friendship had we stayed in the country. And we got a great price as well!

We ended our day alongside the River Reuse waiting for the bus to take us to our stop for a "short walk--no problem--back to the hotel."

The Chapel Bridge

From time to time, we are going to imbed some short YouTube videos into our narrative. We decided early on that we would try and take pictures of things we wanted to remember, but we would also rely on the "professionals" when that could add to the story.

Today, the Swiss Transport Museum: