23 JULY 2013: LUCERNE & GIESSBACH

Day 2, and Karl was driving, taking us into central Switzerland so we could get a more rounded picture of the country.

Lucerne:
Across the lake from Altdorf, where legend has it William Tell shot an apple off of his son's head,  Lucerne was the first city to join the Swiss Confederation.
Tourism in Lucerne has a distinguished history dating from the mid 19th century. In "A Tramp Abroad" Mark Twain recalls the nascent souvenir business, and other budding examples of the tourism trade.

The commerce of Lucerne consists mainly in gimcrackery of the souvenir sort; the shops are packed with Alpine crystals, photographs of scenery, and wooden and ivory carvings. I will not conceal the fact that miniature figures of the Lion of Lucerne are to be had in them. Millions of them. -- Mark Twain

Old Town:

 One of the main reasons that Lucerne attracts so many visitors is its small but remarkably preserved old town. Old Town Lucerne is located just north of the Reuss River, and still has several fine half-timber structures with painted fronts. We wandered in its maze of streets, passages, and squares, admiring the many and varied murals painted on what seems like every other building. 

River Reuss:

The Reuss, with a length of 158 kilometres (98 mi) and a drainage basin of 3,425 square kilometres (1,322 sq mi), is the fourth largest river in Switzerland (after the Rhine. It runs through Lake Lucerne (German Vierwaldstättersee) and the city of Lucerne, where a pioneering needle dam (just upstream from the Spreuerbrücke) maintains the water level.

The Chapel Bridge:

After strolling along the river, we headed for the beautiful Chapel Bridge (German: Kapellbrücke), a covered wooden footbridge spanning diagonally across the river.

 Named after the nearby St. Peter's Chapel, the bridge is unique since it contains a number of interior paintings dating back to the 17th century ....

..... although many of them were destroyed along with most of the centuries' old bridge in a 1993 fire. Subsequently restored, the Kapellbrücke is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, as well as the world's oldest surviving truss bridge.

http://lucerne.all-about-switzerland.info/lucerne-chapelbridge-watertower.html

Giessbach Falls:

Next stop was to be the beautiful waterfall at Geisbach. The Giessbach brook has its source in the high valleys and basins of the Faulhorn-Sägis Valley and feeds the world famous Giessbach Falls, which tumble into Lake Brienz near the landing stage.

 Since the 19th century, there has been a footpath that leads to and under the waterfall and it was great fun to walk under the water.

Grand Hotel Giessbach was built between 1873 and 1874 and has a spectacular position in a 22-hectare park and garden complex.  Its current appearance dates back to renovations done after a big fire in 1883. The hotel was a flourishing spa resort up to WWI. but thereafter it started a long decline, until it finally faced demolition. In 1983, the Franz Weber foundation bought the hotel and restored it to its former glory. 

http://www.giessbach.ch/about-the-grandhotel.html

It was a perfect place for a lunch of traditional Swiss mountain dishes.