After yesterday’s wonderful day in the mountains, today we explored the old town of Lucerne. Once again, we got an early start as thunderstorms were scheduled to head this way in the afternoon.

We walked over to the bus stop and hopped on a bus heading to Löwenplatz. It only took about ten minutes to get there and we certainly could have walked, but we have the Lucerne city pass that allows us to use the bus, so why not ?

From Löwenplatz it was just a short walk to our first site, the iconic “Dying Lion” Monument. As we were walking up the street, there was a large tour group coming towards us. However, when we arrived at the little grotto, it was us and just a few others – so it was peaceful.

It was carved in 1820 in memory of the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 defending the French king during the French Revolution.

There is a real emotion you feel looking at the lion. His facial expression and the way he is twisted with the spear piercing his body is very moving.

Very touching indeed…

After leaving the monument, we returned to the main street to catch the bus back to the center of the old town.

There is a very well known, but touristy restaurant in the square. It looks cute, but so far we are quite satisfied with our meals.

The Old Swiss House restaurant

I wonder if there is a place to buy souvenirs ?

The bus back dropped us off right in front of an ice cream store, but we resisted and started into the old town. As we’ve seen elsewhere, there are many fountains – all with drinkable water.

Many of the buildings have painted facades telling the story of the family or of a town event. The photo below depicts Mr. and Mrs. Fritschi and Lucerne’s annual Mardi Gras celebration, called Fasnacht.

Lots of small shops, restaurants and even fresh fruit markets can be found throughout the old town.

Next thing on the agenda – lunch! We chose a historical restaurant located right on the riverfront called Zunfthaus zu Pfistern. The building dates back to the early fifteenth century when it was a guild house for bakers and millers.

After a delightful and light meal, which finished with two scoops of ice cream each, we took a nice walk back to the hotel. We relaxed for a little while with the intention of going back out for a walk and a drink along the riverfront; however the thunderstorms that they promised arrived.

Heavy rain and some big boomers were more than enough of a sign to keep us in the hotel. Since we were able to get in everything that we wanted to see, this was the perfect time for it to rain.

We spent a nice night listening to music, reading and planning for our travel day tomorrow.