Walk in the rain

One of our favorite things to do in Zug is to walk. In the old town, down the Bahnhofstrasse to the station past the shops, and, of course, along the lake. My personal favorite is to hike up the hill behind Nan's until you reach a pedestrian path that parallels the lake. It's a beautiful walk with great vistas of the lake and through green gardens and a few last farms.



Today dawned gray and rainy and we decided to hunker down for dinner to have a prototypical Swiss meal, fondue! Ferdi and Suzi had a fondue pot so we were in luck. Hot cheese, crusty bread, a big green salad -- we're in! If we were truly Swiss, we would add boiled potatoes to the meal but thankfully we are not, as I've had more potatoes in the last week than I usually do in a month. We did cheat a bit and got the prepackaged cheese mix from the refrigerator section (versus compiling the cheese blend ourselves) but it's going to bubble over a flame and the label is in German, so that's got to be authentic, right?

Along about 5:45 the light was dwindling and my legs were itching for a walk, so despite the rain, I headed out on my favorite walk. Up the hill, over the fields, and down to Oberwil, then back home. There were brussel sprouts growing in the fields and sheep still on a plot of land that I understand will eventually become housing.... I hope they save some of the open, historic space.



The evening was beautiful in spite of, or, because of, the rain: the air was moist and soft, with low gravid clouds hanging over the lake, and the soft lights of Rotkreuz in the distance. The fog was creeping down the flanks of the Zugerberg (it will enclose the house by early am).

No camera taken because of the rain, so we'll have to make due with shots from last time.

Day in Luzern

Thursday promised to be the only day with any hint of sun, so Alan and I headed over to Luzern. Especially if you get an express train, it's a very quick ride -- only 20-25 minutes through beautiful Swiss countryside. In this part of Switzerland, at least, farmland is still active and you can get a glimpse of how lives have been lived for centuries.

Our destination in Luzern was the New Modern Art Museum or Neues Kuntstmuseum, which is located next to the train station. Frommer's noted that it housed special exhibits plus a permanent collection of works ranging from the 15th to the 20th centuries, in addition to special modern exhibitions. Suffice it to say, that the current special exhibitions were less than impressive -- one consisted of photo montages of subjects who had been asked to perform "magic" in front of the camera. "Magic" seemed mostly to confirm the human ego, as people posed and preened for the camera. There were a few powerful compositions but mostly not. Then, there was a video and audio installation that was just impenetrable. The best exhibit, which possibly was a gesture to the permanent collection, was some cases containing small, similar rocks in rows (one spiral). When we left the exhibits area, I inquired about the permanent collection, only to be told, this was it! Okay....All in all, not worth the admission price.

We did have a very nice lunch in the museum cafe of Indonesian rice and then an apricot tart. With the sun out, we wandered through the old town, seeing the remnants of Monday's carnival celebrations. Walking over the Spreuerbrücke (Mills Bridge), we observed some major construction occurring on the lock controlling the flow of the Reuss River. It does seem like all of Switzerland is under construction.

With blue skies overhead and clear views of the Rigi and the Pilatus peeking through the clouds, we searched for an option to go for a boat tour but, alas, there were none to be found. Most of the tours were closed for the winter.

So, after picking up a plum tart for desert at Confiserie H&M Kurmann, we took the 4:10 home to Zug. Wandered down to our favorite place on the lakeshore of the Zugersee, we settled in to watch a lovely sunset. Unlike previous evenings where we were the only couple, there were many folks enjoying the sun and the relatively warm air. Earlier in the week, the ice was treacherous down here but with the 40 degree weather, it all had melted. It's been a cold and snowy winter in Zug and everyone is ready for spring.

Home for dinner, we enjoyed Aklin pork and vegetables, while watching the Olympic ladies combined.

Flickr photos.

Flower shop at 15 Arthurstrasse

We were here to help celebrate Nan's birthday so it was only appropriate that her apartment was turned into a flower shop with contributions from her sister and brother-in-law, the Cattier boys, and her godson. Oh, and I got some very sweet long stem roses from my Valentine. :-)

We had champagne with Ferdi and Suzi to celebrate and then birthday dinner was at the Bauernhof, overlooking the city lights. Alan had lamb curry, Nan pork, and I had a delicious cheese spaetzle with salad.

Flowers on flickr.

Safely in Zug where some things are the same, and some not.

We arrived safely in Zug, courtesy of Delta and the SBB. We were an hour late, thanks to an overflowing toilet in Atlanta but at last were safely on our way. Uneventful flight -- at times the plane was moving at more than 700 mph courtesy to some amazing tailwinds. Unusually, we pursued those tailwinds on a southerly route, over Bermuda, rather than the usual northern route.

Nanny met us at the train station and we headed home in a cab. The Zugersee looked the same, as did town and Nanny's house. Until we looked in the backyard, that is. Where once were peaceful kitchen gardens and a parking lot is now a large construction site, right outside Nan's back door. Cranes swing materials back and forth, while dump trucks haul off dirt and concrete pourers are active everywhere. The site is to become a retirement community, one of four in the canton. The Swiss take very nice care of their older population, as you might imagine, and the cost of their care is born by the canton.

In other news, Alan got DSL working at Nan's! Very exciting. No longer do we have to go to the Postplatz for wireless. It's slow and has broken once, but better than nothing.

Photos available on flickr due to upload difficulties.