Last night was Jon’s penultimate Swiss concert, Verdi at the KKL. The choir’s last rehearsal was midday Saturday in the concert hall, leaving us 5 hours to entertain ourselves in Lucerne. Our goal was to see whatever we might have missed on our 1st visit in July.
Our list: Cathedral, the Nine Towers of Lucerne, and the Lucerne Historical Museum. We were happy to be joined by Bettina, a multi-lingual choral friend who enjoys practicing English with us.
The Cathedral (Hofkirche St. Loedegar) with its tall spires is easily spotted from the opposite shore, so how we had missed this when we were here with the Patels is beyond me.
I had printed directions to our next site, but missed the 1st turn. With the help of our GPS, we wiggled through the narrow streets to get on the right road and suddenly we see above us one of the towers. Buildings are so dense and tall on the hillside up to where the town wall was built that you can’t see the towers from the water. But when you get there, and walk along the wall looking at the 9 towers, you are reminded of the medieval need to guard what you have from ground attack.
Meandering back to the lake, through some squares I well remember due to their unique painted buildings, and across the covered bridge with death panels (now covered with bright signs for the coming Fastnacht), we find the Historical Museum. How each town displays its history is itself intriguing. Lucerne’s museum is in a 15thcentury building, plain in itself, with the interior completely rebuilt for the museum. The décor is all painted gray metal staircases and shelving which feels like a cross between an old warehouse and a military ship’s hold. Still the conglomeration of odd articles always entertains. Each item has a barcode displayed on its case and you are provided for no extra charge with an audio guide which reads the barcode and tells you about the item in your own language. That was an improvement on museums with signs only in one or two languages.
Strolling along the quay toward the concert hall, we pick a restaurant for dinner, based on its sandwich board menu out front. A very happy choice: Bettina and I both had their “Kurbiscremesuppe” which is winter squash soup, here made with coconut milk, ginger and a swirl of pumpkin oil. (Yes, I am a foodie!) And Jon was happy with a light pasta dish.
Fortified, but not stuffed, since the two of them were to sing, we return to the hall and separated there. I had not bought a ticket before the concert because I had put it off too late to have them mail one, but also vaguely hoped to wriggle out of it as I had in Geneva. I knew they had over 200 seats left, although most were in the 4th balcony.
Ticket for the cheap seats in hand, I walked upstairs, and upstairs, and upstairs–accidentally coming out one floor too high and finding myself on an outside terrace, below the huge expanse of roof. There I watched the sky darken and the surrounding city brighten.
The concert went well. Acoustics were excellent even where I was seated.
