Luzern-tainly Raise My Spirits

Last Thursday I woke up and decided to do something with my life. After wollowing in bed for almost three days straight and avoiding the world, my life, and my feet on the floor, I decided it best to crawl out of my bed, shower, and get out for a bit. But I didn't want to get out just anywhere, I wanted to get away. Away from my thoughts, away from my computer, and away from my life. So I got on a train and headed to Luzern. For those of you who are familiar with Lucerne, you should know that Luzern is the same place. Upon arriving to the city, camera in hand, I began walking around the city, exploring, and taking pictures. As much as I would have wanted to turn off my brain, I actually began to enjoy my inner dialog and even stopped at a little paper store to buy a notebook to write everything down.

To illustrate my day in Luzern in the most accurate way possible I think that it is best to just post what I wrote in my notebook and give you direct insight into my thoughts:

Luzern - January 6, 2011

12:50pm - I've been wandering the streets of Luzern for an hour and I've seen many unexpected treasures. When I arrived at the train station I went to the tourist shop to find a map of the city and plan an outline of things I would want to see today. Since I slept in this morning and didn't arrive in Luzern until 11:30am, I wanted to make sure I saw the "must see" things in my short time here. Well, as I am alone and have no one with me to dictate what I do or where I go, of course I will venture the route that I choose. So far I've deviated from my "planned route" twice and been surprised with what secrets I've found. Down one street I discovered a hidden staircase (oh how I love hidden staircases), so of course I had to see where it went. It took me up a hill to a little residential area with the most incredible panoramic view of the city. I spent quite some time snapping photos and marveling at the splendor of the landscape and rooftops. I thought, from the look of the tourist map, that I could get to the stone lion carving (my original planned destination) from my detour, but after looking obvious that I had no clue where I was (probably by the turning the map and blank stares in every direction), a teenage girl stopped me and pointed me in the right direction. It turns out that tourist maps are more like picture books than actual useful street maps. So back down the staircase I went to find the lion. After shooting some pictures of the sculpture and some self-takes to prove I was there, I headed towards Old Town.

Since I love Old Town Zurich I figured there would be some cool architectural photo opportunities in Old Town Luzern. On route, I felt called up a short street that was completely empty of people. So I went up and found a part of the Luzern Wall and some amazing buildings tucked behind some trees. Remanents of the old city wall sits on top of the hill bordering Luzern and still have eight complete watch towers. Up this tiny still street I managed to stumble upon one of the watch towers. Although the street ended up being a dead end that couldn't loop me around to Old Town, I felt greatful for my discoveries the freedom of destination. So once again I turned back in the direction I had come from and continued my hunt for the next amazing sight.

Since I am such a social person I never thought I would enjoy traveling alone, but in my desperate attempt to get out of my rut and away from my thoughts and stresses, I have discovered that traveling alone is fantastic! I don't have to check in with anyone or feel guilty for spending too much time finding the optimal angle for a photograph of something that only I find interesting. I also discovered that being with myself isn't a bad person to spend time with. I thought I would get annoyed by my own thoughts and have constant inner arguments, but on the contrary I found myself creating a very interesting narration. So in order to capture my thoughts, emotions, and mental breakthrough, I stopped in a stationary store and for one franc seventy I bought this book. And, since I am alone, I don't have to feel guilty planting myself on a flowerbox to take some time to reflect. I think today is going to be great!

4:30pm - The afternoon has held just as much adventure as this morning. While wandering through Old Town (and buying a sweater) I discovered a treasure that I never knew about Luzern. Almost every building has some sort of fresco or painting on its outer walls. Some of them are incredible while others look like an amature drawing. This new fact that I uncovered made it hard to decide what streets to walk down because I didn't want to miss anything. At times I felt like I was walking in circles to ensure I saw all there was to see, although I'm sure I still missed a lot.

When nearing the end of Old Town I caught a glimpse of the Luzern wall again. I decided once again to abandon the map for an excursion. Since I had no clue where I was going I just walked in the direction of one of the wall towers. I was walking up a residential street and to my utter surprise I found myself another hidden staircase leading right where I needed to go. I ignored the sign on the gate to the staircase (which I couldn't understand anyways) and just hoped I wasn't going to stumble into someone's back yard while they were there. Luckily it just led me to another street right along the wall. When I got to the top I saw the coolest tower along the wall and I just had to snap some photos of it. So again, I ignored another sign - this one saying "Privat" and leading directly into someone's back yard (hey, it's not an adventure unless there is a little tresspassing and light law breaking, right?) Unfortunately, it was only after I tresspassed that I realized, duh, you can't take a picture of a tower when you're standing directly under it. So I retraced my steps and headed back down the public road to find a better angle. As I was walking along the wall I noticed some other towers, equally amazing, and snapped a few photos. Then, all of a sudden I discovered an archway in the wall that went through to the other side! Genius! And to my pleasant surprise there was a vast field behind the wall and unobstructed views of the all of the towers. So I walked along the wall taking as many pictures as my heart desired. I walked until the wall came to an end and then looped back around to head back into the city. It was amazing that on this other side of the wall it looked like the country meets the suburbs. It was a totally different atmosphere than the city-side of the wall.

Once I was back in the city I crossed the river to see what was on the other bank. I found myslelf exploring random streets wherever I found the architecture to be interesting without a care in the world of whether or not I would end up getting lost. It seemed like every street I went down I found some architectural masterpiece that would be so easy to miss unless you were willing to let go, open your eyes, and allow yourself to discover the unknown. Take, for example, this Apotheke (pharmacy). I would never guess in a million years that such careful precision, care, thought, and design, would go into a building that would later become your everyday pharmacy. Had I not known, I would have guessed that great Lords and Ladys lived here and the building had been passed from generation to generation to ensure that the upmost respect and care be taken of such an architectural treasure. Staircases like these don't exist in the USA and make discovering Europe so much more exicting and worth while. I only wish that this kind of detail was the worldwide building standard of today.

I guess my inner compass was working through my adventures in the back streets because eventually I found my way back to the train station. By that time I was about to pee my pants so I began my search for a bathroom - stat. (I know you are wondering - why I'm reporting about my bodily functions? I have a purpose, I promise.) After wandering the maze of the train station I finally found a "Mr. Clean" bathroom. Finally! Then I noticed something strange: it was going to cost me 2 francs to use the facilities! I realize that Switzerland is in the habit of over-charging, but does it have to charge for everything? Desperate, I paid the 2 francs and felt greatful after.

Before I getting onto the train I made sure I crossed the famous Chapel Bridge that was built in 1333 (although most of it burned down in 1993 from a discharged cigarette and parts had to be rebuilt). Soon after, my camera battery died and it began to rain so I figured that it was time for me to head back to Zurich.


Chapel Bridge (1333)

Since having so much fun in Luzern I spent a lot of my quiet afternoon daydreaming of where I could head off to next. When I got home and did some research I found a great deal for a train ticket to Lugano the very next morning and Milan the day after....