LightCentric Photography Blog

Saturday, November 2, 2024

A Day Trip to Lucerne

WE STARTED the trip with an pretty full schedule of events. A walking tour nearly immediately on our arrival in Zurich. A full day the next day, including a tour and boat ride on Lake Lucerne, in the "storybook" town of Lucerne. The Switzerland-tour website describes Lucerne as: ". . . a charming city on a picturesque lake surrounded by the majestic mountains." It is no wonder I (and probably the majority of others visiting Switzerland) wanted to visit there.

WE HAD (that is - the proverbial "we" - my wife does most of our travel and tour arrangements and she is very good at it. Many say she should be in the business, but like me and my photography, her thinking is that if she had to do it, it would suck all the fun from it and our travels) purchased train tickets from the Hauptbanhof to Banhof Luzern (the main train station in Lucerne). I described Zurich as a "compact" inner city. By comparison, Lucerne is just plain small. With an urban area of 220,000, the city population is just 82,0000. About 25 miles (as the proverbial "crow flies"), the city is largely medieval in its architecture and layout and was once a walled city. Much of the wall remains intact, and can be seen from parts of the city. We saw a fair amount of it during our walking tour.

I HAVE read the numerous accounts of the vaunted German and Swiss efficiency in many of the accounts online. With our small sampling (we spent roughly 50% of our 2 weeks in Germany), I will say this: Germany cannot begin to compare with Swiss efficiency in even the smallest detail. I will offer more thoughts on "German efficiency" in upcoming blogs about our experiences in Munich and Berlin. We were duly impressed by everything we encountered in Switzerland. While our sampling was small compared to the spots we did not see (Bern, Basel, Lausanne and Geneva are on our future travel list), what we did experience was in complete accord with what I had read. If, for example, a Swiss train schedule says the train will arrive at 9:23, it will arrive at 9:23 (not 9:20 and not 9:25). Departure times are equally precise. We found the Swiss trains and trams to be clean and relatively modern and a very good method of transport.

SADLY, WE were greeted by a steady, medium rain as we departed the train and exited the train station to meet our tour guide. Reflecting back, I think Lucerne was the soggiest, wettest day of our trip. We put on our raincoats and did our best to put on a "happy face." The tour would go on - rain or shine - and there was not going to be any "shine" on this day. The rain was pretty much relentless. Every time it would stop for a minute, we would have optimistic thoughts, and it would start up again. As I mentioned in my introductory blog for this trip, it is difficult to make photographs in the rain. When I am on a dedicated trip, I have a few "tricks" including a "rain jacket" designed for my camera and a full-sized poncho which I can set up my tripod underneath. Here, I had to make do with my raincoat and a golf hat (I needed the brim to keep the rain off my face. I felt a bit like I was in a submarine with only a mono-vision periscope). Worse, though, was that I got raindrops on my camera lens. Even if you wipe it, it is not always apparent when shooting that your image will be impacted by raindrops. Afterward, though, when you are looking at the images, it becomes readily apparent. When we visited the Lion Monument, for example, I wasn't aware (something I hope I have learned from) of a large raindrop on my lens, which meant I didn't really come away with any good shot there. What I have posted here is the best I could salvage.

MOST OF our walking tour covered the Luzern Altstadt (Old Town). From the train station, we walked on the south side of the river, until we reached the first - and most famous - of two walking bridges that cross the Reuss River: Kapellbrucke. to This late14th century covered bridge crosses the river diagonally, from the New Town (south side) to the Chapel (hence, its name - "Chapel Bridge"). It is so-named as its "Old Town" entrance is right at the St. Peter's Chapel, a picturesque white chapel with a distinctive spire.

KAPELLBRUCKE IS the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, and the oldest truss bridge in the world. It has become Lucerne's iconic symbol for tourism. Many of the interior walls of the bridge were decorated with (post-reformation mainly promoting Catholicism) paintings. In 1993, a tragic fire destroyed most of the bridge. Reconstructed and re-opened in 1994 only some of the original paintings were restored. Some of the charred remains are still in place today, presumbably as a reminder of the fire.

THE OCTOGON shaped tower, which features prominently in most pictures of the bridge, was used historically as a prison and torture chamber, and in more modern times, a municipal archive. Today, it is closed to the public.

FROM THERE we trekked up (mostly an uphill grade) for what seemed like at least a mile (actually just under 1/4 mile :-) ) to a road that followed the old medieval stone wall, high above the street level at the Reuss River. Views from up there would have been splendid (had we been able to see through the fog and clouds) and would have included views of the (perhaps snow-capped) Alps behind the city. As it was, we had to satisfy ourselves with views of the wall, which was itself impressive. Containing 9 separate towers, the Musegg wall was built around Lucerne as part of fortifications for the city, built in the 13th century. Most of it is intact today.

THE WALK was nice, but us "older folk" thought at one point we might have to be airlifted out. It was a steady, uphill grade, with views of the wall, a "city farm," older housing, and new construction. If the walk didn't give me cardiac arrest, the answer I got when I asked about housing costs nearly did! Most of what we were seeing was multiple family housing in many stately old buildings. The average cost to purchase a condominium-like apartment was about $3 million swiss francs (at current conversion, nearly $3.5 million U.S.)!! The cost to purchase a single family home is at least 10x that! What is more; this is apparently somewhat consistent throughout Switzerland. I said it before and I would repeat it a few times (and probably will again). Everything about Switzerland was impressive, but it was also the most expensive place we have ever visited.

OUR TOUR ended after walking all the way back down that steep road and back down to the river level, where our excellent guide gave us some recommendations for places to get lunch, good beer, and other foods. We were in the mood to share some fondue, so we followed his recommendation for a nice restaurant for that. There is a "story behind the story." The previous day at the end of our walking tour of Zurich, we followed a recommendation for a restaurant in Zurich's Old Town. Unlike every other experience we had in Switzerland, this one was less than pleasant. Perhaps not anyone's fault but our own. It was our first exposure to the sticker shock we would experience in Switzerland. We knew - and had discussed - that fondue was a Swiss specialty (cheese and chocolate: who knew? 😋). We started with a drink and were somewhat taken aback by the cost (the single exception to what soon realized was an expensive food and drink experience was beer, which was cheap everywhere we went). We found that to be the norm in Zurich and Lucerne, and when you compare it to a nice meal out in the U.S., not really so much out of line, in retrospect. What set us back a bit though, was we couldn't "share" a fondue for the table - or even for 2 (and perhaps order some other appetizers). The "policy" of the restaurant was that everybody had to order a separate entree. Tired from our extra-long day (we had just gotten off of an hours long, overnight flight), we just weren't up for a huge meal. We left, much to the displeasure of our waiter, after paying for our single drinks. We ultimately ended up at the hotel bar, where we were able to find some light fare.

SOMEWHAT "GUN-SHY," we were happy to learn that we could indeed share a 2-portion cheese fondue among the 4 of us. We also got a meat and cheese tray and one of us got fish and another some soup. The guys opted for the local beer. It was cold. It was good. The fondue was excellent. If it wouldn't have been incredibly gauche, we might have licked the pot clean. 😋

The average cost to purchase a condominium-like apartment was about $3 million swiss francs (at current conversion, nearly $3.5 million U.S.)!!

OUR TOUR included a ride on a boat in Lake Lucerne. Once again, weather made this experience less than optimal. But fortified with a good lunch an a couple beers, we boarded the S.S. Minnow for a 3 - hour tour (really, it was the Saphir and it was about 45 minutes). Fortunately, the tourist boat was mostly covered and I was able to use my camera. The photography was not memorable (unless your memory includes black, white and grey). I made some anyway, of course. Time will tell whether I use any of them. Our guide recommend we try to visit, or at least see the Hofkirche St. Leodegar if time permitted. Its twin steeples were visible from where we were, and or boat launch was on the pier right in front of it. I was able to get a snapshop of the building from the boat as it left its mooring.

THERE WERE some decent views of the shoreline in spots, but the weather just didn't warrant a lot of photographs. I could see that on a different weather day, a cruise on Lake Lucerne could be a pretty good experience. This time, it just didn't meet expectations. As my wife said, I will just have to wait for next time. I am virtually certain that we will be back to Switzerland, and likely to visit both Lucerne an Zurich again. In the meantime, I made the best of what we did get and as I always am, when I got home and began to work through my photographs more seriously, I was pleasantly surprised at many of the results.

WE TOOK the train back to Zurich, walked back to the hotel, and changed into some dry clothes. It took my wife's tennis shoes 2 days to dry out. I had waterproof shoes. So I had that going for me. I spoke to one of the delightful young ladies behind the desk and got a restaurant recommendation in the old town. It was about 3 blocks from the hotel, and easy to find. We had a very nice dinner, sharing a couple pizzas, and then retired for the evening, to rejuvenate for yet another busy day. Coming up, our trip into the Swiss Alps.

Saturday, October 26, 2024

Zurich - The First Day

WE ARRIVED at the Zurich Airport about mid-morning, to overcast conditions. We had done some research before the trip and were planning to take the tram from the airport to our hotel in Central Plaza in the heart of downtown Zurich. Like any new venue, we fumbled our way through the airport and eventually out to where the trams were. Like many European cities, Zurich has a very good public transportation system which allows for a ride ticket that covers all modes of transportation. Finding the ticket machines was relatively easy. Figuring out how to purchase them was another thing, and we fiddled with that for a while. Having finally figured it out, the next adventure was determining which tram. We knew the number we needed, but weren't sure which direction. Since we had ticket that were good for several days, we knew we just had to get on, and if we guessed wrong, we would get off and go the other way. We guessed right, and it was about 20 minute ride to the hotel.

WE CHECKED in and got cleaned up. We had a walking tour of the city scheduled for that afternoon, which was good timing, as we thought it would give us a feel for the city for our remaining time there. Our meeting spot was the Hauptbanhauf, which is the main rail station for Zurich. We were delighted to find that we were directly across the river and about a block away from the station, which we would use time and again during our Zurich stay. About 5 minutes on foot.

Street in front of our Central Plaza Hotel
Hauptbanhof and Limmat River in the Background
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

NELLIE WAS our enthusiatic guide for the day and she showed us an awful lot of the city in a couple hours. Although we didn't realize it at the time, Zurich's city center is surprisingly compact for an inner city of nearly 500,000 (the metro area is closer to 1.5 million). As we later acclimated ourselves to the area, I walked around to a lot of city in the mornings. We started right inside the impressive Hauptbanhof Station, Switzerland's largest train station and one of the busiest in Europe. The suspended figure in the station is supposed to signify peace and protection.

FROM THE Hauptbanhof, we walked south out of the station and took a tram a on the main street (Banhofstrasse), in the area where the "high end" shops lined the street. Every name you can think of was represented along that part of the Banhofstrasse, as well as a few very ritzy bars and restaurants. I made a couple whimsical photos of the shop windows. Here.

All I Could think of with this one was the line from A Chrismas Story: "you'll shoot your eye out with that thing"
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

WE TOOK the tram all the way down to the end of the Banhoffstrasse, where we started Nellie's full tour, working our way back toward our hotel, eventually. Here we were at the north end of Lake Zurich.

THE FLOWER clock is one of Zurich's proud attractions. In season, it blooms with a colorful mix of flowers. In the fall, even though not as colorful, it is planted with fall plantings to give it interest.

BACK TOWARD the city from the lakefront, we walked along Fraumuensterstrasse, toward Fraumuenster Kirche. You can see the twin steeples of Grossemuenster Kirche, across the Limatt river, from the front of Fraumuenster. Now owned by (and part of) the Reformed Church of The Canton of Zurich (which owns 4 churches including Grossemunster and St. Peter's), this church was once the site of a women's monastery. Originally under the umbrella of the Holy Roman Empire, it was granted the status of an abbey, which meant that at the time, it was largely independent - answerable only to the emperor himself. The abbess consequently gained great power in the city, at one time being the appointor of the mayor of the city.

INSIDE THE entrance is a beautiful courtyard. The corridors lining the courtyard has some wonderful old frescoes painte on the walls. With only "street gear," photographing the courtyard was difficult. I did make the one image I liked here, of one of the corridors.

FROM FRAUMUNSTER, we walked across the Munsterbrucke, a bridge dating back to th 12th century, crossing the Limmat and connection the two 12th century churches: Fraumunster and Grossmunster, and passing by Wasserkirch, a 13 century church and crypt. From the terrace at Grossmunster, we could see the somewhat massive steeple of the St. Peter Church back across the river.

CROSSING BACK over the Limmat, we walked on (and up a fairly steep grade) toward St. Peter Church. The original church was built in the 8th century and was - prior to the Reformation - the only parish church in the city (Fraumunster and Grossmunster both being monastery churches). It has been rebuilt twice, with the current building being built under Protestant rule, and consecrated in 1706. It sits near Lindenhoff Hill, the site of a former Roman castle, and now the famous Lindenhoff Plaza. Architecturally, St. Peter's unique feature is its massive clock tower. Measuring nearly 30 feet in diameter, it is the largest clock tower face in all of Europe.

UP THE hill from St. Peter's Church is Lindenhof Platz. Today this former Roman castle grounds is perhaps Zurich's most famous viewpoint. It is also a nice, quiet park from which citizens can view the Limmat River and the east side of the city.

WHILE WE couldn't specifically spot it, we could theoretically see our hotel from up there. Nonetheless, the views were impressive, and this spot had been one of my "punchlist" spots to photograph from.

DURING OUR stay, Zurich hosted the 2024 UCI Paracycling Road World Championship Race. It caused some roadblocks and disruptions to the mass transit routines, but not a seroius problem. I really didn't carry the equipment necessary to photograph something like this. Nor was I able to put in the time and preparation necessary to make great photographs. But I did get a chance during our tour to snap a couple."

UCI World Championship Road Paracycle Races - Lucerne, Switzerland
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

I AM always looking for unique and interesting (to me anyway 😁) shots as I walk the streets. The lifesize cow coming out the window of a second story above a restaurant captured my attention.

I OFTEN see clocks and signs I like, especially when they seem to be in an interesting, or visually arresting setting.

WHEN WE were in Lisbon, Portugal for several days in 2022, one of the fun things we did was ride a funicular (and photograph it) up from street level to one of the high viewpoints in the city. Lisbon's main business district was in a valley and within 2-3 blocks of each side of the middle, things quickly went steeply uphill. While a walk to the viewpoint was possible, the funicular made it much more palatable. Likewise, just behind our hotel in Zurich was a steep uphill area that had both residential and businesses. Behind our hotel up a slight grade there was a set of stairs up.

THE POLYBAHN was a funicular that was similar to the one in Lisbon. I didn't actually ride it, but I couldn't resist shooting it from the ground. I had read of its existence (it is one of the modes of transportation covered by the "all modes" multiple day ticket we had) but wasn't sure where it was in relation to our hotel. I found it by accident the first morning. I had spotted a Starbucks just around the corner and across the street near the busy tram stops (coffee is - surprisingly - often a challenge on our visits to Europe. They drink it differently than we do. I start my day with a large, hot, and dark roast full cup of coffee. The Europeans often drink either esspresso or capacinos. When they do drink it "Americano" - an esspresso with a shot of hot water - they drink very small cups. Finding it the way I like it is sometimes challenging, unless I can find a chain. Starbucks is expensive and not necessarily my favorite, but it is consistent). I walked over to the Starbucks my first morning and was surprised to find a line out the door and onto the street. I dutifully stood in line which suddenly moved very quickly and I found myself inside the building. I was surprised that I had to climb a set of stairs, but when I arrived, I was bewildered to find myself not at a coffee counter, but at a funicular platform! Oops. Wrong door. 😕. Mystery solved. I had found the funicular. The Starbucks, I discovered, immediately next door and there was no line!

coffee is - surprisingly - often a challenge on our visits to Europe. They drink it differently than we do

IT WAS a long day. We found our way back to our motel and had a small sandwich and a drink at the motel's very nice bar, and retired for the night. We had train tickets to Lucerne the next morning, and thanks to the walking tour, we knew right where we needed to be.

Saturday, October 19, 2024

17 Days in Central Europe

IN LATE September and early October, we spent 17 days traveling in parts of Switzerland, Germany and the Czech Republic. The genesis of this trip was our friend - and often travel companion - Bruce's, long-time desire to visit Munich during its famed Octoberfest. Our philosphy about such travel is that when we spend as much money and time to get over "the pond," we want to stay long enough and experience enough to make it worthwhile. As a photographer, I tend to pick my destinations with good subject matter in mind. Travel with family and friends, though, is always a compromise, as each participant has their own view of what they want to do and see on a trip like this one. Planning the trip was fun, as all 4 of us had input and worked from our particular interests. One of the the things we heard from many quarters was that the choice between Vienna and Prague was a no-brainer. Prague prevailed every time. As I expected, for various reasons, Prague turned out to be my personal favorite. That is not to say, though, that the other 3 weren't a lot of fun.

WE ULTIMATELY chose 4 destinations, splitting our time nearly evenly between them. Part of this scheme was based on the amount of time we - collectively - were comfortable spending on this trip. When planning, we considered Zurich, Lucerne, Munich (the "anchor," of sorts, as we planned the trip around Octoberfest), Prague, Vienna, and Berlin. We didn't consider (but probably should have) Budapest. Ultimately, we landed on Zurich (from there we could travel to Lucerne), Munich, Prague and Berlin. One other consideration was the availability of flights home out of Berlin.

OVER THE next few weeks, I will write about our experiences in these magnificent cities. Making photographic images on a trip like this involves a lot of compromise. I have discussed my "leisure travel gear," in detail in previous blog posts. I have also discussed the need to be mobile and flexible when in a group situation where most of the participants are not as serious about photography as I am. We are constantly on the move and most of the time, there is little opportunity to really "work" a subject. For me, creative photography generally takes some thought, some time on a location, and not infrequently, the desire to return and re-take images. That is mostly not possible on a trip like this, and images often take on the characteristics of what we sometimes refer to as "snapshots." There is a tension between wanting to make creative images, and just making "record" photographs of places; especially when it is very possible I will only visit them once in my lifetime. I often make "iconic" image photographs that are not totally unique. I don't apologize for that, as I want to make "my own" photos, even if they have been done before.

ONE THEME you will see through most of the images is - unfortunately - dreary weather. Lots of rain. Over the 30 or so years I have traveled, for dedicated photography and for leisure travel, we have been uncommonly lucky with weather. I cannot remember any trip which was a near-complete rainout. That luck was sorely tested on this trip. We found ourselves slogging around in anything from a drizzle to a steady rain much of the time. While it doesn't completely spoil a trip, it does put a damper on certain parts of it. In particular, rain makes photography a real challenge. I would rather photograph in very hot temps, or in snow than in a steady rain. It permeates everything, and especially when you are dealing with the other challenges I have noted about "leisure travel" with non-photographers. On review, I found a few of the images I made were spoiled with raindrops on my lens - which isn't always readily apparent at the time (I will learn to check the front of the lens more frequently). There may be no opportunity to return to the location in most instances for a re-shoot. It is what it is. Grey and often plain, detail-less skies are also problematic. Perhaps one positive takeaway is that in some instances, the conditions create more saturated colors.

NONETHELESS, I was able to see some pretty great sights and make some memorable images, not only of the cities we visited, but also the surrounding countryside, including some time in the Alps in both Switzerland and Germany. We saw some impressive castles in "fairy tale settings" in both of those places, and some wonderfull classic old buildings and castles in Prague.

I HOPE you will enjoy these 4 cities and the sidetrips we took as much as I enjoyed them, through my imagery here.