April 6, 2005. Today we set off to the east to spend the day touring one of the famous Swiss summer areas – the city of Lucerne. The 90 minute drive took us along the base of the Jura Mountains, which was the setting for the film Jurassic Park. Lucerne is a very old city on the edge of Lac des Quatre Cantons (Lake of 4 Cantons). The city is situated on the shores of the lake and on the banks of a river which splits the city roughly in half. Surrounding the city are the high Alps. Crossing the river is an ancient wooden bridge that was constructed in 1300 AD. It burned down a number of years ago, but has been totally restored.

We spent most of the morning walking through the old city and admiring the restored buildings and shops. Lunch was taken at a small café situated at the edge of the river. It was a pleasant sunny spring day and we sat in the sunlight and admired the peaks of the snow covered Alps.

After lunch we drove the road which circumnavigates the lakes. At several points we climbed several thousand feet to admire the view of the lake and the mountains towering above us. On the drive home we stopped in the ancient walled town of Solothurn. It is located on the edge of the river Aare under the shadow of the Jura Mountains. The ruins at Solothurn date back to the Romans. Today it is celebrated for its barocque architecture.

The old town is on the left of the river, partially enclosed by 17^th century walls. The heart of the old town is the Markeplatz with its clock tower. We had a cappuccino in one of the few restaurants in Switzerland that are smoke free. Switzerland has a very high percentage of smokers and almost all the restaurants are full of smoke.

For dinner last night we went out to a small restaurant on the outskirts of Biel called La Plage. The restaurant is located right on the shores of Lake Biel. Nancy and I both ordered steak. These were served on a wooden platter with an extremely hot stone on the side of the platter. You cook your steak on the stone until it is cooked to how you like it.

Back from the restaurant the women went to bed and Zeev and I enjoyed another fine cognac in front of the fireplace. It was a very long day but very rewarding.

Stay tuned for Day 4 in my “Around the World in 30 Days” saga.

Alan Salmon
eClub One