On July 8, twenty-one youth and adults of the 62nd Europe 2024 Trip Unit left Toronto to start the trip of a lifetime. In the third installment of their story, the group travels from Paris, France to Lucerne, Switzerland.
After a whirlwind tour of Paris, we were ready for a slightly slower-paced day! Luckily, the next leg in our journey started with a drive through the beautiful French countryside en route to Switzerland. In addition to the now-pastoral scenery, we travelled through many places familiar to those of us who had studied World War I, such as Verdun and Saint-Mihiel, that still bear the physical scars of war over a century later.
An unexpected highlight of our journey out of France was our stop for lunch in Metz, a medieval French town, where we explored the cobblestone-lined streets, farmers’ market, and the incredible gothic cathedral. After a long day of driving, we crossed into Switzerland, more than ready for an early night.
The next morning, feeling rested and refreshed, we were ready to discover Lucerne. Our first stop, the Lion Monument, was carved as a tribute to the Swiss Guards killed defending the Tuileries Palace in Paris during the 1792 French Revolution. Mark Twain described the monument as “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world,” and it was definitely a thought-provoking way to begin our day.
We had a bit of time to walk through the scenic streets of Lucerne and across the Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge), then headed over to the Swiss Museum of Transport for a bit of fun – the “Swiss Chocolate Adventure.” This exhibit was part immersive ride, part history of chocolate, and part taste test (which was probably our favourite part), and we highly recommend it if you’re ever in Switzerland!
Making our way back to the pier, we boarded the MS Europa for a trip around Lake Lucerne. We disembarked at Alpnachstad and took the Pilatusbahn, the steepest cogwheel railway in the world. Commissioned in 1889, the ride is not for the faint of heart – the half-hour ride travels at a gradient of up to 48% up the side of the mountain – but the scenery was well worth it. W passed beautiful alpine meadows, rock formations, and even cows out to pasture, complete with the famous Swiss cowbells! At the summit, we were treated to some traditional Swiss foods (including an excellent local cheese), and a performance of a traditional alpenhorn – a haunting sound through the mountain mists.
The views from the top of Mount Pilatus were breathtaking, and the ride back down was nearly as exciting, as we took a series of gondolas down the other side of the mountain. Our bus met us at the bottom, ready to continue our journey through Europe. This was the point at which we really began to experience the ease of travel in Europe – crossing through France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, and Germany in one day!
On our way to our end destination of Munich, we had our passports stamped in Liechtenstein, travelled through the countryside made famous by the novel Heidi and The Sound of Music, and saw numerous castles, including the famous Neuschwanstein – built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, and the inspiration for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle.
We also had the opportunity to stop and explore Ehrenberg Castle in Austria, a fascinating mixture of Roman and medieval ruins, modern attractions (including a 406-metre suspension bridge and ziplines), hiking trails, and an incline lift. We were also able to view some archaeological excavations and restoration work that was happening during our visit. After our descent to the base of the hill, we enjoyed some light-hearted active time on the playground (complete with a water-spraying stone dragon), then headed off to our dinner reservations in Munich.
This last leg of our travel day presented a challenge, as our bus was ensnarled in a major traffic jam that resulted in a two-hour delay. Being Guides, we were able to live our motto of “Be Prepared” – and took advantage of our backup protein bars and water to tide us over until we arrived at our dinner reservation at Alter Wirt, where we enjoyed a traditional Bavarian dinner. fter the extra excitement and late dinner, we were happy to turn in for the evening and rest up for the next day’s adventures in Munich, Germany!
