Swiss Bliss

So my last day in Switzerland was jam packed with activities as well!!! Noah, Nadia and I took advantage of the early morning and we went for a bike ride down to this castle to feed some fish.
I must say... I would love a bike like their grandmother's... it was so comfortable!!! Cruisers are the best!!!!
We then visited the town next door called Altdorf.
I'll never forget what a friend of a friend told me before my first trip to Europe...she said be sure to visit all cemeteries in Europe, no matter what country because they are like free outdoor museums....and it is so true!!
A beautiful view of the village!!!!
Noah, Ruth, Myself, and Nadia!!!!!! Thank you to all of you for such a fabulous breath of fresh air!!!!!
The cute mini lizzard!!!
So here we are, about to buy a specific type of cheese that Noah adores... the man asks if Ruth is the daughter of Mr. Muller, and she responded yes. He said that she doesn't need to buy that cheese because Mr. Muller just bought some earlier that day! Hehe...small town stories :)
A wonderful little market which sold all sorts of beautiful goodies!!!!
Cute buns!!!
Traditional Swiss buns.....
Traditional Swiss outfit....
Traditional Swiss music...
Traditional Swiss fabric....
A traditional Swiss-Canadian showing his cousin a traditional Swiss experience!!!!!!



Welcome to Lucerne!!!!

Lucerne (pronounced /ˌluːˈsɜrn/; German: Luzern, [luˈtsɛrn] ( listen); French: Lucerne, [lysɛʁn]; Italian: Lucerna, [luˈtʃerna]; Romansh: Lucerna) is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district with the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people^[2], Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and a nexus of transportation, telecommunications, and government of this region. The city's metropolitan area consists of 17 cities and towns located in three different cantons with an overall population of about 200,000 people^[3].

Due to its location on the shore of Lake Lucerne (die Vierwaldstättersee), within sight of Mount Pilatus and Rigi in the Swiss Alps, Lucerne has long been a destination for tourists. One of the city's famous landmarks is the Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke), a wooden bridge first erected in the 14th century. Lucerne has been voted as the fifth most-popular tourism destination in the world in 2010 by Tripadvisor, and it has private hotels and schools mostly shores of Lake Lucerne.

The Kapellbrücke ("Chapel Bridge" in German) is a 204 m (670 ft) long bridge crossing the Reuss River in the city of Lucerne in Switzerland. It is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, and one of Switzerland's main tourist attractions.

The covered bridge, constructed in 1333, was designed to help protect the city of Lucerne from attacks. Inside the bridge are a series of paintings from the 17th century, depicting events from Luzerne's history. Much of the bridge, and the majority of these paintings, were destroyed in a 1993 fire, though it was quickly rebuilt.Some of the blackened structure of the bridge still remains today,evident from the newly rebuilt parts of the bridge.

Adjoining the bridge is the 140 feet (43 m) tall Wasserturm (Water Tower), an octagonal tower made from brick, which has served as a prison, torture chamber, watchtower and treasury. Today the tower, which is part of the city wall, is used as the guild hall of the artillery association. The tower and the bridge are Lucerne's trademark and form the most photographed monument in the country.

You can't be in Switzerland and not see the kingdom of Swiss Army knives.....


And of course... SUPER EXPENSIVE WATCHES!!!!!!! :)




I couldn't be more grateful for all of my experiences...My favorite quotes of the trip:

Noah:

"Mom, can we show Farida, this, and that this, and that, this and that and we have to do this and we can't forget that?!"

"Farida, you're my favorite girl cousin."
Me: "Awwww, thanks Noah, I won't tell Alyasha, Chahira, or Kamelia!"

"Next time you have to stay for the whole 6 weeks and we're going to do this, that, this, and that and this and for sure that."
Me: "Noah, I would love to, but some people have to work and make a living!"

The tears that fell from his eyes while dropping me off at the airport....

Nadia:

"You have to try 'chicken in a basket', it is so good!!!"

Me: "Nadia, speak German and I will record you saying something!"
Nadia: "No."

Nadia testing out my blackberry key pad sending me a text:
"Hey I got your text message, I'm doing good, what are you up to these days?"
Me writing back:
"Not much! Just visiting cousins in Switzerland! Having the time of my life!!! Going to miss them though :( I had a blast here!!!"
Nadia writing back
"Aww, I'm sure they'll miss you more than you'll miss them, but you'll be seeing them soon... well not that soon, but it has gone by quickly so far, so it won't be long :p"

Soooo sweet!!!!!!!!

The cherry on the cake of the trip was sitting in the middle between them in the back seat of the car on the way to the airport and singing/dancing to all the songs on the radio together... it's moments like that that I will treasure forever!!!

Thank you Ruth, your family, Nadia and Noah... it was a wonderful weekend trip!