A long weekend in Lucerne – PART II

Hello my dear readers,

I hope that you enjoyed the previous post “A long weekend in Lucerne – PART I”. Here is part II.

I wish you a wonderful weekend to come.

Stay tuned for my review of a boutique hotel designed by the great French architect Jean Nouvel.

RAILWAY STATION

Following the fire in 1971, the entire railway station was rebuilt between 1984 and 1991. The transparent entrance hall of the new station, with its elegant curved roof was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The main portal of the former station, which survived the fire, now stands as an impressive arch in the middle of the square in front of the station.

A wonderful address for those with sweet tooth – Bachmann, House of Chocolate – here you can have a gorgeous cake or a nice snack. And why not buy the most exquisite chocolates to offer as a souvenir?

We took a box of Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting away with us. This was the first time I have ever tasted a Red Velvet cake…a gorgeous red colour, moist and fluffy and topped with luscious cream…I’m conquered!!

SPREUER BRIDGE

This bridge was completed as a part of the city fortification in 1408. It is called the Spreuer Bridge because this was the only place that the chaff from wheat could be dumped into the river.

WATER SPIKE

This is for the regulation of the water level. The so-called “spikes” are lowered into or withdrawn from the water manually to regulate the water level of Lake Lucerne.

JESUIT CHURCH

The first large Baroque church in Switzerland; constructed in 1666 by Father Christoph Vogler for the Jesuits.

MUSEGG WALL

Nine Towers. A part of the rampart walls built in 1386; the wall is still almost entirely intact. Four towers are open to the public: Schirmer, Zyt, Wacht and Männli.

The oldest city clock, built by Hans Luter in 1535, is in the Zyt tower. This clock is allowed to chime every hour one minute before all the other city clocks.

CHUCH OF ST. LEODEGAR

This church was one of the few built north of the Alps during the “Thirty Years War” and one of the largest and art history rich churches of the German late renaissance period.

LAKE LUCERNE

Lake Lucerne (434 m above sea level) is fascinating due to its picturesque landscape and historical sites. 20 boats - 5 of which are nostalgic paddle-steamers - enable you to take round trips and offer endless possibilities for excursions which can also be combined with mountain railways along the lake.

Carl Spitteler was a Swiss poet who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1919. His work includes both pessimistic and heroic poems.

Tourist information was partially sourced from:  www.luzern.com

A long weekend in Lucerne – PART I

Hello ladies and gents!

I hope you are well. I am happy because the days are lengthening and getting warmer which is ideal for long walks in my beautiful city and lovely getaways around the country.

In April, we went on a long weekend to Lucerne and I thought of documenting our stay.

Lucerne is a city of superlatives. It is therefore not surprising that it is in the top 20 of the world’s best cities. I am a lover of this splendid town, which is known as the city of water. Water is everywhere, lake, fountains, streams…

The secret of its beauty is an azure lake ringed by mountains, a well-preserved medieval Old Town, a reputation for making beautiful folk music, a breath-taking covered bridge, sunny squares, candy-coloured houses, waterfront promenades, gorgeous hotels and restaurants and a great ambiance due to its welcoming locals.

Lucerne is simply stunning - if you haven’t visited yet, add it to your list of “must visit” places in Switzerland. You can come here in any season of the year because this city shines and there is a certain magic in the air.

Without further ado, here is my album specially made to whet your appetite.

Stay tuned for PART II and my review of a boutique hotel designed by the great French architect Jean Nouvel.

WATER IS EVERYWHERE…

We started our weekend with a simple but nice lunch at Valentino Pizzeria (Metzgerrainle 3)

CHAPEL BRIDGE

Constructed in first half of the 14th century as part of the city’s fortifications. The paintings that were added in the 17th century illustrate scenes of Swiss and local history, including the biographies of the city’s patron saints.

WATER TOWER

This octagonal tower - over 34 meters high - was built around 1300 as part of the city wall and has been used as an archive, treasury, prison and torture chamber. It is Lucerne’s landmark and the most frequently photographed monument in Switzerland.

LION MONUMENT

“The dying Lion of Lucerne” is one of the world’s most famous monuments and one of the saddest and most moving pieces of rock in the world. It was carved out of natural rock in memory of the heroic deaths of the Swiss mercenaries at the Tuileries in 1792.

OLD CITY SQUARES

Weinmarkt, Hischenplatz, Kornmarkt, Kapellplatz

Beautiful fountains...historical buildings clad in frescos border the Old Town on the right bank of the River Reuss in a few picturesque squares.

FACADES TELL STORIES

Weinmarkt, Hischenplatz, Kornmarkt, Kapellplatz

Beautiful façades fascinate with their stories of magic and customs, trade and guilds.

Stroll along the houses with an alert eye and become acquainted with the artists and their works.

TOWN HALL

Built between 1602 and 1606 by Anton Isenmann in the Italian Renaissance style and covered with an overhanging roof. The open arcades facing the Reuss are still used today as a weekly marketplace.

KKL LUZERN

The Culture and Convention Centre Lucerne at Europaplatz is the work of the Parisian architect Jean Nouvel. The concert hall (1800 seats) is one of the finest concert halls in the world. The Lucerne Hall, the Convention Centre with the auditorium, and the Museum of Art - the fourth largest in Switzerland - are also part of this sensational construction.

Tourist information was partially sourced from:  www.luzern.com

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton (2014)

There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed…

On an autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman knocks at the door of a grand house in the wealthiest quarter of Amsterdam. She has come from the country to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt, but instead she is met by his sharp-tongued sister, Marin. Only later does Johannes appear and present her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. It is to be furnished by an elusive miniaturist, whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in unexpected ways…

Nelly is at first mystified by the closed world of the Brandt household, but as she uncovers its secrets she realises the escalating dangers that await them all. Does the miniaturist hold their fate in her hands? And will she be the key to their salvation or the architect of their downfall?

Author: Jessie Burton was born 1982 and is an English author and actress. She has so far published two novels, The Miniaturist and The Muse. Jessie Burton  graduated from the University of Oxford. She has worked as a PA in the City of London and she lives in South-East London.

My thoughts: I read this historical fiction novel a couple of months ago. Indeed,   I literally devoured its 424 pages…I loved this story immensely.

First of all, I had been attracted by the cover of the book and, after reading the summary on the back, I really wanted to read it because the place and the period interest me.

The Miniaturist is a very good historical novel that cleverly combines intrigue with particular destinies and the history of a society and an era. I would say that this novel is ambitious. I really enjoyed being immersed in the golden age of Amsterdam: the prosperity of the city and the Dutch East India Company, the unlimited enrichment of the merchants. Puritanism dominates the city and obliges everyone to hide feelings and to guard against any misconduct. People have to keep their secrets closely to themselves. In reading this book I often had in mind the paintings of Vermeer, which I admire so much.

This fictional novel tells the story of Petronella Oortman, aka Nella. Nella is an open-minded girl and with an imaginative and dreamy disposition.

In 1686 Petronella Oortman has just married. She is only 18 years old and her husband is the handsome and rich merchant Johannes Brandt, an important man in the commercial community and 39 years old.

She arrives alone at her new home and is greeted coldly by Marin, the sister of her husband. Marin is a prude, a rigid old maid who has no intention of leaving the running of the house to Nella. In this house there are only two servants, which is surprising for that of rich man such as Johannes. There is Cornelia, the insolent and familiar servant, and Otto, a black man, a former slave “saved” by Johannes.

Nella becomes quickly bored. She is lonely, unoccupied and ignored by her husband, except when the latter offers her an extraordinary gift: a miniature house that is a faithful recreation of their opulent home on the banks of the Herengracht.

Marin gives her a book/guide where all the shops in Amsterdam are listed so that Nella can order items to furnish her miniature house. Nella orders three small objects from a miniaturist. They are perfect reproductions, but soon more objects arrive without having been ordered and their precision seems to show that the one who manufactures them knows the house and even the secrets of its occupants. The miniaturist finally becomes an obsession for Nella.

The bonds between Marin, Nella and the two servants will become closer, the women will have to face the events that trouble the household with strength. How will everyone turn out? More dignified or meaner and baser?