Lucerne, Switzerland

Wednesday 1st April 2015: 

As we travelled from Italy to Switzerland, we took in some amazing alpine scenery, surely the best of the entire journey. Perhaps best known for the Swiss Army Knife and Swiss watches, the overall presentation and organisation of the country was a welcome change to Italy's chaos. 

We arrived at our accommodation, Hotel Central at Kriens where Roslyn had stayed nearly 3 years ago and were served an identical meal. A meal that wasn't very good in 2012 nor was it now, and definitely wasn't authentic Swiss. Despite voul au vents having gone out of fashion during the 1990s, we were served the soggy concoctions, filled with chicken and pineapple and drowning in an ocean of gluggy, powdered curry liquid. Upon the curry ocean forming a hard skin with the remaining ingredients encrusted underneath, we knew it was time to escape to the nearest takeaway.

Morning arrived, and we journeyed 45 minutes to Mt Rigi. There, we rode one of Europe's oldest mountain railways to a summit of 1798 metres. The howling wind made for freezing conditions, yet our tour manager and one other Contiki traveller decided to make snow angels while stripped down to their underwear. 

Back in the city centre, snow capped mountains provide a picturesque backdrop against Lake Lucerne, which laps at the edges of the commercial areas. The historic Chapel Bridge crosses the lake, the bridge itself dates back to 1332 and despite a fire in 1993 that destroyed part of the bridge, much of the timber is still original.

Highlights:

- Mountain railway ride to Mt Rigi

- Lake Lucerne

- Chapel Bridge

- Ate cheese fondue

Food provided by Hotel Central:

DAY 1

- Salad with a horrendously salty creamy dressing

- Broth, with a few lettuce leaves floating around

- Chicken and pineapple curry voul au vents

- Stale cake and Swiss flag ice cream for dessert

DAY 2

- Repeat of the salt salad

- Chicken flavoured broth, no sign of any actual chicken

- Sticky, overcooked spaghetti with accompanying pasta sauce

- Pre-packaged, oven bake chicken schnitzel

- Plate of apples and wrinkly old mandarins for desserts