Three Countries, One Day – Honeymoon Trip Reflection Day Four of Fifteen

The beauty of driving around Europe is that everything is fairly close together. Growing up in the States I think we take this for granted – everything is so far apart. I regularly drive from Florida to Kentucky. My relatives and friends across the pond balk at this when I tell them I willingly drive 12 hours in one day, spend a few days and then turn around and drive 12 hours back. We drove 24 hours from Florida to South Texas once. It takes about 40+ hours to drive from New York to Los Angeles…or so says Google Maps. Needless to say, I am used to driving long distances. So when I planned our trip, including a 5-7 hour drive every few days was no big deal for me. Day Four was a travel day. We left Rosemarie’s in Patersberg and headed south. Our end goal was a B&B near Lake Como in Italy where we would spend one night before continuing on to Venice/Verona/etc.

We drove along the border of Germany and France for a while before crossing over and driving into Strasbourg. The border regions are always fascinating to me – especially when you consider how often the arbitrary lines have vacillated back and forth through time. Strasbourg is a unique mix of French and German cultures, and if French is not in your repertoire you’re likely to get away with speaking German far more easily than with speaking English.

We parked in a central parking garage and headed out on foot. Just like last time I visited with Mom and Vanessa, there was a street market open. We thought about going there to grab food but it was still early in the day, so we headed to the cathedral first. We were a little early – the cathedral was opening at noon. So we walked around the old town and down to the river. There are beautiful houses along the river and everything feels alive with window boxes full of colorful flowers and boats puttering down the river.

Half an hour later we were back at the cathedral. Admission is free, as it should be in my opinion. The cathedral looks a lot like other gothic cathedrals, except it only has one tower. Inside is a beautifully ornate organ.  It is colorful, rather than just metallic like most. And the rose window is a gorgeous one, too! We were privy to a special treat during our visit this time around. There was an American choir in town and they sang a few songs from the steps in front of the altar and it echoed beautifully through the nave. I’m not particularly religious these days, but as an anthropologists I acknowledge the true spiritual energy that many people feel and the energy during their singing was palpable and definitely touched me. As per routine, I lit two candles for my grandparents and then we moved on outside in search of lunch. Our original plan to go to the market was trumped by the fact that we really just wanted to sit down, and have access to a decent bathroom. So we picked a restaurant near the pedestrian section and ate some delicious French food. Michael had a Nicoise salad topped with smoked salmon and I had the steak tartare. I know the idea of eating raw meat (especially raw meat mixed with raw egg and seasonings) freaks out a lot of people – but if you’re feeling adventurous, it’s one of my favorite dishes to order when I’m in Europe.  Our waiter was very patient with us and kind – so we made sure to tip him well. Large tips are not generally expected when dining in most parts of Europe, as the wait staff actually earns a good hourly wage, unlike in the States.

After lunch we walked around for a bit more and then bought some macaroons from a bakery down the street. We got two each of four flavors – one obviously had to be chocolate for Mike. And then we headed back to the car and hit the road. We continued South and eventually switched drivers so I could nap. I was woken about an hour later by Michael fervently tapping my leg. “Vivi, Vivi, I don’t know what this is!”

We were coming up on the Swiss border and I realized he had never done this before and didn’t know to stop off before the border to buy a “vignette.” The vignette is like a toll. You pay and get a sticker to put on your car and depending on how much you pay, it is good for traveling within the country for a given amount of time. In my just-woken haze we pulled off into the lane for people who hadn’t purchase vignettes and were greeted by a surprisingly friendly border agent from who we purchased a vignette in cash. And then we were in Switzerland. But I was getting tired of driving and as we were approaching Lucerne I started to wonder if we really wanted to drive all the way to the Italy B&B that day.

During the planning phases of the trip I had included Lucerne on our itinerary – but the difference in currency and its reputation for being really expensive put me off and I scrapped it from the itinerary. But now we were driving toward Lucerne and I was having second thoughts. Mike could tell I really wanted to stop – but I had already paid for the B&B in Ardena, Italy. I was torn. The B&B wasn’t that expensive. I’d only paid about $60 for the one night. Lucerne was getting closer by the minute and we needed to make a decision. I had a minor breakdown…a mixture of disappointment in myself for scrapping Lucerne from the plan and anxiety about making the spontaneous decision to do it anyway. Mike convinced me to be spontaneous. It was our honeymoon after all – and how hard could it be to find a hotel for the night?

So we did it. We got off the highway in Lucerne and followed our GPS to a parking garage near the old part of town along the lake. We walked around and stopped in the first hotel we found, which happened to be named The Hotel. That’s how you know something is posh. So, thanks to gifts we received on our Traveler’s Joy Honeymoon Registry, we stayed at this posh hotel. I was very appreciative that the staff at the lobby desk didn’t scoff at our not-so-posh outfits and happily served us as if we had a lot more money than we actually did. The car was valeted and our bags carried up to the room. It was great. I quickly called the host at the Ardena B&B and apologized, telling her we wouldn’t be able to make it tonight. She was very nice about it and that eased my anxiety.

After settling in, we headed out on the town. Lucerne is a lakeside town and it is beautiful. There is a kind of “riverwalk” like district where the water is lined with places to eat and the old Chapel Bridge spans the water from one side to the other. We found a great place for dinner on the water. We watched our new duck friends paddling along in the water next to us, hoping desperately that we would drop a few crumbs in their direction. We were in Switzerland, so Mike ordered fondue. Fish fondue. And I ordered some of the best calf’s liver I’ve ever eaten.  We both relished the meal and then continued down the water’s edge to explore a bit more. We ended up being in Lucerne during a festival weekend, and there was a street market and music playing loudly all around us. We took pictures with the lake and the mountains in the background and then set about finding a drink. We found a neat place located in an old arcade – arcade here meaning something like this arcade.

There were wax covered candelabras and wing back chairs. We had a drink each and then continued walking around. We ultimately ended up back at the hotel and rested a bit before heading back out. We were determined to see as much of the nightlife as possible, so we had a few more drinks and then closed out the evening with some late night pretzel sandwiches and gelato.  We agreed to not set any alarms for the morning and enjoyed sprawling in the huge bed. It was a long but amazing day of breakfast in Germany, lunch in France and dinner in Switzerland. 🙂

Here are a few more pictures from throughout the day: