A European Adventure: 19th - 24th April

Saturday 22 April

Another day, another country...

Sophie had always wanted to go to Lucerne, in Switzerland, so as it was just under two hours away, we decided to go!

We were up and showered by 10am and after filling up with petrol at an Intermarché supermarket petrol station, we programmed the lakeside city of Lucerne into Trish. We knew we had to buy a "vignette" to drive on the Swiss motorways and understood that they could be bought at the border. We really didn't know what to expect when we crossed into Switzerland, which isn't part of the EU and has its own currency, the Swiss Franc. We took our passports, just in case!

Trish took us onto the A35 towards Basel and within an hour we were queuing up at the border. I had seen signs for the vignette with an arrow pointing right and assumed that once past the border we could stop and buy one. It was just by sheer luck that I was in the right-hand lane and we pulled into an area where uniformed guards stopped us. Keith showed him the passports which he wasn't interested in... he wanted our money for a vignette! Keith paid about £37 for a sticker that the guard put onto the bottom left-hand-side of our windscreen. It's valid for a year and gives you access to all of the Swiss motorways, so probably good value if you're exploring the country.

Once past the industrial city of Basel, we drove through beautiful scenery of rolling green hills and small villages dotted about. We saw traditional wooden chalets and cows grazing. It was lovely! Then we rounded a bend on the motorway and were stunned by a wall of snow-capped mountains! The Swiss Alps! It was extraordinary and totally unexpected, to be honest! They just rose like a wall in front of us, looking very forbidding!

We turned off the motorway into the city and started looking for somewhere to park the car. There were signs for parking at the main station and we realised that we were in a German-speaking part of the country.

The car park was a multi-storey and very clean and well-kept with little lights above each space to signify if they were occupied or free. We parked the car and headed for the station itself, using the bathroom facilities for £1.36! A bit more than spending a penny, but they were immaculately clean!

The main station was very close to the lake where there were pleasure boats moored up. For 29 Swiss francs, you could take an hour's tour of the lake, taking in the stunning scenery. I said it was my treat as I love taking a boat ride, so we booked for the 1.30pm departure and then went to find somewhere to sit for an hour.

Lucerne was very busy and a lot bigger than I had imagined. We had an ice cream and sat by the lake gazing at the mountains in awe!

Behind where we sat was a busy road and there were some seriously expensive cars parading up and down. We could see shops selling beautiful watches and exclusive hotels. The whole place screamed money!

At about 1.15pm we joined the growing throng of people queuing for the boat ride and got talking to an Australian man which made a pleasant change! We took our seats outside on wooden benches and all around was a hotchpotch of different languages. Opposite us was an American family with three very young children and Sophie and I speculated as to what the man did for a living. Sophie and I said tech millionaire from California, but Keith thought he was in the US Army! We'll never know!

Sophie's photo

The hour's boat ride was lovely and halfway through we stopped at a hotel on the far side of the lake where a group of people disembarked. Mount Pilatus overlooks Lucerne and was visible the whole way around. It's a massif with the highest point called Tomlishorn, and looks very forbidding!

As we neared Lucerne again, the boat went a lot quicker and as it was chilly, Sophie and I went inside where people were eating and drinking, and it was a lot warmer! The previously good weather had turned and it was cloudy and colder.

Quirky lakeside house

Talking Italian

Once back at the pier, we went in search of a late lunch and found an Italian pizza eaterie called Restaurant Einhorn. We were seated inside and the very friendly waiter initially thought we were Swiss and gave us a menu in German! 

Sophie and I chose pizzas while Keith opted for lasagne. We all had a beer and the food was very good.

I think they would have noticed if we'd walked out with these!

We paid the bill which came to about 80 Swiss francs, and reluctantly returned to the car. We certainly hadn't spent enough time in Lucerne but hopefully, we will go back! Before going down to our level, though, we popped into a convenient Co-op to buy some groceries for the evening and tomorrow morning. It was packed with people and we bought pastries, chocolate, milk and nibbles to snack on later.

It took a while to get out of the car park, and we headed back onto the motorway after a slight detour! The journey back was fine, but marred by torrential rain and heavy traffic. At the border, we had to slow right down and drive past several stern-faced policemen! No passport control, though!

Back at the apartment, we packed and Sophie and I took the case down to the car. It was getting dark and the basement was a bit creepy. We put everything in the car and heard voices so headed back to the lift quickly. The only problem was that we couldn't open the door. Sophie started to panic slightly, trying both keys but they wouldn't work. It was only when we looked up that we realised she was trying to open the electricity cupboard!

Our evening was spent playing cards and Scrabble and enjoying a glass of wine and nibbles. It was now I really fancied a whisky after the journey back but I had to make do with a glass of white wine instead!