Grüetzi, Grüetzi! That's Amoré!: A 2015 Italy/Switzerland Trip Report - Complete!

Strolling About Lucerne

Once we were done with dinner, we walked some of it off by strolling down the lake before heading in for the night. It was a lovely night and lots of people were out strolling around.I don't have much to say, but a few pictures to post, so here you go!


















Apparently, iPhone's are less good at the evening pics!

 
Disney will often pick restaurants with “safe” menu options so everyone has an opportunity to find something, but many times they’ll slip in an option that is a little more adventurous or a cultural/country specialty. I would compare both the meal and the menu here to be “wedding reception” as it was a choice of chicken, salmon, or pork, and none of it wowed in the flavor category. One of our guides happened to stop by and asked about the meal and when we were just ‘meh’ about it, they said they’d pass it on. I think I would have preferred an OYO meal this day, or the idea I read about in CaliforniaGirl09’s Greece report where you can choose 1 of 4 or 5 restaurants and it’s on ABD. I feel it would have given us a chance to explore Lucerne a little further, as well. Okay, and I also just enjoy finding good places to eat.
Actually, when ABD gave us the choice of restaurants to eat at on the Greece trip, if I remember correctly, they were all at nearby "sister" resorts that we were transported to. We did not get meals in town paid for. So it wouldn't have helped you explore Lucerne.

Sayhello
 
Actually, when ABD gave us the choice of restaurants to eat at on the Greece trip, if I remember correctly, they were all at nearby "sister" resorts that we were transported to. We did not get meals in town paid for. So it wouldn't have helped you explore Lucerne.

Ah, I wasn't sure how that worked, so thanks for the clarification. Maybe the others enjoyed the meal, and I'm fairly certain it was meant to be a little more upscale than the others, but it just didn't work for me. I know some adventurers like having more meals as a group (though, this one wasn't with the group since each family picked a time), but I enjoy having a couple OYO dinners. And this itinerary doesn't have any OYO meals at all in Lucerne. Not sure if that's deliberate or just how the schedule ended up working out.
 
Ah, I wasn't sure how that worked, so thanks for the clarification. Maybe the others enjoyed the meal, and I'm fairly certain it was meant to be a little more upscale than the others, but it just didn't work for me. I know some adventurers like having more meals as a group (though, this one wasn't with the group since each family picked a time), but I enjoy having a couple OYO dinners. And this itinerary doesn't have any OYO meals at all in Lucerne. Not sure if that's deliberate or just how the schedule ended up working out.

I tend to agree with you. I like OYO dinners. It's nice to have a little bit of time away from the larger group. Plus a lot of times, you can find a better meal OYO. The best dinner we had that ABD included was in Hanoi where they allowed you to eat at any of the restaurants at the hotel and allowed you to order off the menu. It was a great hotel and had 3 really fabulous restaurants. I wish ABD would do that more often.
 


Ah, I wasn't sure how that worked, so thanks for the clarification. Maybe the others enjoyed the meal, and I'm fairly certain it was meant to be a little more upscale than the others, but it just didn't work for me. I know some adventurers like having more meals as a group (though, this one wasn't with the group since each family picked a time), but I enjoy having a couple OYO dinners. And this itinerary doesn't have any OYO meals at all in Lucerne. Not sure if that's deliberate or just how the schedule ended up working out.
Food is not one of ABD's strong suits. The Greece ABD is one of the few exceptions. :)

Sayhello
 


Food is not one of ABD's strong suits. The Greece ABD is one of the few exceptions. :)

Sayhello
I will second this! The food was consistently great in Greece.
Mare1203 I've loved reading this trip report. It is definitely on my list. The pics are gorgeous. I can't remember whether you have an ABD this year, too? Hope you will do a TR for that one!
 
BTW, Those pictures are beautiful! :cool1:

Thank you! The scenery certainly helps this less than amateur photographer!

I will second this! The food was consistently great in Greece.
Mare1203 I've loved reading this trip report. It is definitely on my list. The pics are gorgeous. I can't remember whether you have an ABD this year, too? Hope you will do a TR for that one!

Thank you! The food in Greece sounded phenomenal! I try not to complain too much about food because food is so subjective. I know it would be the bane of my existence if I was ever a "power that be who got to design ABD itineraries". I spend a little time on the Disney Restaurants board, and whenever Disney tries to come up with a semi-adventurous menu...well, it doesn't usually go well. I recently asked a server at Disney Springs about their "hot sauce selection" and after looking at me like I have 2 heads, the waiter offered...umm, Tabasco? Apparently, I forgot I was no longer in the Southwest where they'd just bring you a spinner of at least 4.

I do have an ABD planned for 2016 and I definitely plan on writing up a trip report when I return (and also hope not to semi-abandon it halfway through)!
 
Walking Tour of Old Town Lucerne

Our final day of our Adventure started with breakfast in the hotel. Jessica had told us earlier she thought this one was the best breakfast of the bunch. Like the others, this was a buffet and had a large number of selections. The cheese selection was my personal favorite, but there was also the traditional meat, pastry, and hot breakfast bar. I’m sure there was also cereal, but I don’t like or eat cereal so I can’t comment. Also, I didn't have a picture of breakfast, so you get these pretty flowers from our tour that I didn't have a place for instead :D


To start our day, we did a walking tour of Lucerne. Our guide was named...Rebecca. No joke, in my Google Drive folder with my outline for this report, I legitimately wrote ‘our guide was named...something’, since I couldn't remember. Then, I decided to double check the notes app on my phone for anything else I may have noted, but never got around to adding to the Google folder. Upon opening it, I found a whole host of information I took down from the walking tour. I even found Rebecca’s name! Thank goodness I planned for my forgetfulness in advance...

Rebecca did a good job. I honestly didn’t find the history of Lucerne particularly interesting. However, that’s personal preference. This was one of the first times Disney has used the local guide for this portion of the tour. In the past, it has been done by the guides themselves. Also, I don't think anyone can beat Christina in Rome.​

Our tour began at the Schwanenplatz (in English: Swan’s Square), which is the traditionally entry point to Old Town Lucerne. It’s less than a 3 minute walk to the Schwanenplatz from the hotel. Although the area around it is busy with traffic, once you walk toward the actual square, it’s pretty much all pedestrian and easy to navigate. I’ll be honest in saying I didn’t actually notice this while we were in town, but now that I’m thinking back, I definitely remember not having to deal with cars in the area, and now I know why! It makes exploring and ducking into shops quite easy.


Old Town Lucerne is essentially a series of small town squares along the river. The streets are cobblestone with many historic buildings, bridges and other monuments. As it runs along the river, even though the streets criss-cross throughout, you can’t easily get lost, so long as you can discern which way the river lies and re-orient yourself.


From the Schwanenplatz we moved toward St. Peters Chapel on the Kapellplatz. I don't have a good picture of just St. Peters Chapel, but it is the building with the chapel on the right side of this photo. Lucerne was founded by Benedictine monks, with the Chapel serving as the first church in Lucerne. It was dependent on a monastery and never actually became a parish church. St. Peters Chapel marks the end of one end of the Chapel Bridge and the Kappellplatz square.


Located in the Kappellplatz is the Fritschi Fountain, where we were able to fill our water bottles. It’s a Renaissance style fountain, but less than 100 years old. Similar fountains can actually be found throughout Swiss cities.




The Fritschi Fountain is named after Brother Fritschi, who played a prominent role in the Lucerne Carnival tradition. The Fountain has 4 Carnival style masks. It’s rumored that Brother Fristchi is buried under the fountain. Since apparently I was a terrible photographer during this walking tour, these pics are not mine, but found on the All About Switzerland site.


We made our way to the Kornmarkt, serving as the grain market and town hall in the early years of the city.


In this area of the city, you’ll see many frescoes painted on the buildings.


The middle of our tour took us to the Spreuer Bridge, the 2nd of two famous wooden covered bridges in Lucerne.




The Spreuer Bridge features ancient paintings as you walk underneath, depicting the Dance of Death.




While on this bridge we could also see the Nadelwehr water spikes. The water spikes can be lowered into or withdrawn and are used, even today, to regulate the water level of Lake Lucerne. In the above pics, you should be able to tell how tranquil the river is on one side, while on the other side of the spikes it is quite rough.




One of the stops on our tour was the Jesuit Church of Lucerne. It’s a baroque style church; the first one built north of the Alps. Today it is a tourist attraction more than anything, and also serves as a concert hall. The inside of the church is reminiscent of many Catholic churches, with it’s giant organ, liberal use of marble, and depictions of the saints and other relics. When built, the Catholic Church was trying to assert itself against the Protestants during the Swiss Reformation through the Catholic tradition of emphasizing power and glory.


Of course, our tour would not be complete without a discussion of the famous Chapel Bridge. The Chapel Bridge is easily the showpiece of Lucerne, and likely the oldest wooden bridge in Switzerland. It’s also famous for its paintings under the roof, as very few covered wooden bridges feature paintings. The Chapel Bridge famously caught fire in 1993 and had to be restored.


Only 25 of the original 110 pictures under the roof were saved or restored. The original pictures can be seen throughout the year, except during Carnival to guard against further damage during the boisterous time. The water tower connected to the bridge served as a dungeon, archive, and treasury vault. Unfortunately it is only for private club use and not open to the public.

Our tour ended at the docks where we boarded our boat to lunch. The docks are located across the street from the Lucerne Railway Station. The current station was opened in 1991 after an architecture competition to design the building. The original station, opened in the late 1800’s, burned down in a fire (fire is a common theme here in Lucerne, as well as other European cities, it seems). The front of the old train station marks the entrance to the new, and is all that remains of the original.​
 
Wow! I am loving this trip report. Thanks for sharing.

The scenery is breathtaking. I can only imagine it was even better in person.

I think I have gained 15 pounds this morning just looking at your food pics!

I loved your first day in Switzerland outfit. The stripes, the orange scarf and the rolled jeans. Too cute! I also loved your dad's I run For Dole Whips shirt. I do too , Bob!
 
Wow! I am loving this trip report. Thanks for sharing.

The scenery is breathtaking. I can only imagine it was even better in person.

I think I have gained 15 pounds this morning just looking at your food pics!

I loved your first day in Switzerland outfit. The stripes, the orange scarf and the rolled jeans. Too cute! I also loved your dad's I run For Dole Whips shirt. I do too , Bob!

Thank you! I enjoy writing the trip reports, and if they help or inspire others...even better! Trip reports really helped convince me to do ABD and gave some better insight into what ABD and group travel would entail, so I think it's only fair to give back. The food was delicious and I crave it often. I was just talking to my cousin and we both agree that while we have looooong bucket lists for travel, we'd both continue to visit Italy whenever we could, almost regardless of the bucket list. I'd also add France to that list, as I think both countries offer amazing food, wine, and culture to explore.

My entire family has the "I run for Dole Whips" shirts and not only is it one of my favorites, but I almost always get compliments and comments when I wear it. Fellow cast members especially love it while we're at Disney. Plus, it's entirely true. I will absolutely run for Dole Whips!
 
The TR have been valuable resources for me! Of course, my bank account may not agree :-) ABD wasn't even something I really thought of until I got a brochure and then found this board. After reading all of the amazing TR from all of you who have taken them, it has really gotten me excited to take a number of adventures. I hope that I can pay it back someday.
 
The TR have been valuable resources for me! Of course, my bank account may not agree :-) ABD wasn't even something I really thought of until I got a brochure and then found this board. After reading all of the amazing TR from all of you who have taken them, it has really gotten me excited to take a number of adventures. I hope that I can pay it back someday.

Agreed on the bank account road block! I always enjoy this time of year because we get brand new TR's! I'm one of those weirdos who doesn't like surprises much, so I enjoy the TR's to give me an idea of what to expect. There are many trips that I would love to see a report from that haven't been done yet, but they're all helpful! You'll have a great time when you go on your first ABD!!
 
4th of July Swiss BBQ




Once we finished our walking tour, it was time to head to lunch. We took a boat cruise from Lucerne to Vitznau. Vitznau is nestled between Lake Lucerne and Mount Rigi, the "Queen of the Mountains".




We had first class tickets for this journey and were told by the guides that it would clear out when they checked tickets. We had some fun guessing who would get booted downstairs. We also had a chance to ask Jess about some souvenir ideas for Switzerland. She recommended the army knives and watches, along with chocolates, which was pretty much par for the course.






We arrived at our destination and went the short 3 minutes to the bbq lunch. When we walked in it was decorated for the Fourth of July, Happy Independence Day, America (or 'Merica, depending on how you feel about us at the time, ha)!




We took some pictures before getting some food.




Starting off an Independence Day BBQ in the proper way: with a beer!











The Swiss BBQ was one of my favorite group meals of the trip. Everything was fresh and delicious and they did a good job of keeping it stocked.




A couple pics of my plate.


After we were all served, the owner came out and gave us some information about Switzerland and how it's not necessarily always been neutral. However, I couldn't hear him very well and wasn't able to take notes for you. Sorry.




Seeing as it was a celebration, we also received our pins for repeat adventurers. Apparently, now that we have done 2 we are adventure insiders, even though I just signed up on the website and have received the special gifts ever since.


Our dessert was a raspberry and apricot iced gelato/sorbet. It was quite hot that afternoon and this was a welcome (and yummy) dessert! I love apricot!
 
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Agreed on the bank account road block! I always enjoy this time of year because we get brand new TR's! I'm one of those weirdos who doesn't like surprises much, so I enjoy the TR's to give me an idea of what to expect. There are many trips that I would love to see a report from that haven't been done yet, but they're all helpful! You'll have a great time when you go on your first ABD!!


I said the same thing about this time of year :-) I'm not one for surprises either, so I love reading all of them and know what is coming. Now to figure out what to do for 2018 :-). I have a couple of ideas, but with every TR, the list gets longer and longer. I LOVE the new Rhine river cruise itinerary and I think I may actually be able to talk my husband into that one. So, that may be the one I do next! However, I did show him this itinerary and he thought it looked interesting as well. I may make him a traveler yet :-). Enjoy your next trip and I certainly hope we get another TR. Which, of course, will mean probably another destination to add to my list.
 
I said the same thing about this time of year :-) I'm not one for surprises either, so I love reading all of them and know what is coming. Now to figure out what to do for 2018 :-). I have a couple of ideas, but with every TR, the list gets longer and longer. I LOVE the new Rhine river cruise itinerary and I think I may actually be able to talk my husband into that one. So, that may be the one I do next! However, I did show him this itinerary and he thought it looked interesting as well. I may make him a traveler yet :-). Enjoy your next trip and I certainly hope we get another TR. Which, of course, will mean probably another destination to add to my list.

The Rhine river cruise itinerary looks awesome. As soon as I read through it in April, I knew a river cruise was going on my list. I wasn't actually super excited about the Danube, since there is an ABD that already visits the majority of locations, but the Rhine? All in. As you can probably tell, we just loved this itinerary. And I think they're making it even better in 2017. My least favorite days, the Lucerne days, are getting a bit of a makeover and the changes look to be things we would have very much enjoyed.

I'm definitely planning on a TR, but we're actually headed on an ABD that already has quite a few other TR's, so it's probably already on your list. :-)
 

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