Lucerne, The Schnitzel and Other Swiss Concerns

Lucerne offered us a badly-needed break from urban Madrid. Trees, flowers, bushes, swans and lakes, it could not get any more zen-like than this quaint city (population: 59,000) of Switzerland. So ungodly is 8 o' clock in the evening, that most shops pretty much closed by then, which sucks (big time). Quirks aside, Lucerne is as good as it gets.

When I think Switzerland, I think of the majestic Swiss Alps. The view from Lake Lucerne was terrific, though we came at a wrong time because the train going up the alps were not in season.







Lake Lucerne is in itself a tourist attraction, perhaps Lucerne's main draw. Along the lake stands the Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke), a wooden truss bridge dating back to the 14th century.





The lake is also home to the elegant white swan.





... and cute ducks!





If you're in the area, be sure to check out the famous chocolatier Bachmann. Literally every few minutes a drove of Chinese tourists are bussed into their main store to try their huge selection of chocolates. Since I am about 50% Chinese I guess half of me came from that bus. The tiramisu cake was excellent. The gelatos, which I tried on my second day, were delicious.

Inside the store


Chocolates!


And more chocolates!


Tiramisu


Gelato Display


Scoops of Tiramisu and Chocolate Gelato

If you're into the religious stuff, the Church of St. Leodegar (St. Leodegar im Hof) is not to be missed. From afar it isn't difficult to spot the church's two imposing spires.

The horns gave it away


Me and my mom


Beautiful interiors of the church

The next day, I walked a few miles to see the Lion Monument or Löwendenkmal. It's a striking rock sculpture dedicated to the fallen Swiss mercenaries who served under France's notorious King Louis XVI. Narnia fans might find it familiar as it evokes the dying Aslan on the stone table.



I was so moved that I came back to the monument three times to take more pictures!




A Vietnamese girl took this pic :)

I read somewhere in my guidebook that I should try Lucerne's famous Schnitzel, a dish originating from Austria. Locally, it is better known as the "Breaded Porkchop". I also read that it was stupendously expensive. So I dropped by my bank to make a significant withdrawal.

This is where I hide all my money

My mom and I braved the freezing weather and walked to the Old Swiss House. The place has been maintained by the same family for generations, and assures that the recipe of their house specialty hasn't changed. I sorta wished their prices haven't changed either lol.



The Schnitzel costs 54 Swiss Francs or in our currency 2,500 Philippine pesos. Quite a sum for an oversized porkchop. The great thing though is the butler serving our table really took his time and care creating our dish. He took a big slab of boneless pork and dipped it in what looked like a mixture of cream and butter.



Next, he coated it with bread crumbs.



Then fries it to perfection!



Voila!



The Schnitzel could feed a family of five, but there were only two of us. My mom said that our breaded porkchop at our bakery in Davao tasted better. I thought it was good and would order it again if I had the chance.

We came back to Etap Hotel where we are booked. I was supposed to share a room with my mom but the shower room had a see-through door!

See-through door is see-through :|

So I booked my own room. :)