Switzerland Day 7 - Lucerne & Freiburg (Germany)
In fact I wasn't in a condition to enjoy watching the medieval architecture. Somehow there were so many little bugs in the air, which was really annoying and completely scared me!!!
When we stepped away from the river, the swarm of bugs disappeared. Apparently they were only over/near the water. What a relief! We wandered in the old town on the north bank for a while. With cobbled streets, decorative fountains, fresco-adorned houses, the old town was charming.
We visited a bakery/cafe, Bäckerei-Konditorei Merz for breakfast.
Finally I found a Meitschibei! The horseshoe-shaped pastry originates in the Canton of Bern. I don't know how widely the pastry is available in Switzerland, at least the bakery/cafe in the capital of the Canton of Lucerne had it.
The dough was slightly yeasty and sweet. The hazelnut paste filling was lovely. It was very simple, but the 'simple is the best' rule was applicable to this case.
We took a stroll on the promenade along Lake Lucern... but once bugs came back, we ran away.
The Church of St. Leodegar, also known as the Hofkirche was a bug-free spot. The Catholic parish church of Lucerne stands on the site on which a small monastery was built in the 8th century. The church was destroyed by fire in 1633, except the two Romanesque towers.
The highlights inside were the elaborate gild statuary and altars. The sanctuary was fenced and we couldn't enter. While we were there, a few people came. They were somehow allowed to enter the sanctuary and gone behind the alter. Something was going on...
We walked on an uphill street towards the old city wall. The sky was getting darker and we thought it may rain soon. We didn't climb to the city wall but took a path to go back to the old town.
We crossed the river to see the old town on the other bank. We needed to get through as quickly as possible. Countless bugs were still flying over the water!
We visited the Jesuit Church. Situated next to the River Reuss, the two tower building with blue onion domes stood out. The church was built in the 17th century as Switzerland’s first baroque sacred building. The interior was bright and stunning.
The Chapel Bridge and its Water Tower, probably the city's most famous landmarks were not so far from the Jesuit Church. The Europe's oldest covered bridge was built in 1332 as a part of the city fortifications. In the 17th century, the pictorial panels were added, which depict historical scenes of Swiss as well as Lucerne, including the biographies of the city's patron saints, St. Leodegar and St. Maurice. It's longer and older, probably more popular than the Spreuer Bridge.
We didn't walk up to the Chapel Bridge and its Water Tower because of the unexpected and awful bug problem. We couldn't fully enjoy the Lucerne's beautiful waterfront. What a shame!
Anyway the old town on the south bank looked nice although we didn't explore there enough. Perhaps next time.
Martinskirche, or the parish church of St. Martin is located in the middle of the old town. It was built on the site of the early 13th century chapel and had been a Franciscan church until the late 18th century. The top of the tower collapsed into the nave during WWII, but the church was rebuilt eventually.
In front of the St. Martin church are two Town Halls. The New Town Hall (the photo below) was built between 1539 and 1545. The Old Town Hall on the right of the New Town Hall (a tiny part of the red roof seen in the photo below) was built in 1559. Despite its name, the New Town Hall is older than the Old Town Hall. Both still house the offices of the city government today.
Within a short walk from the Town Halls, Freiburger Münster, or Freiburg Minster stood solemnly. It was built from around 1200 to 1513. The construction started in the late-Romanesque style but was changed in the Gothic style over the long course. The 116 meter tower is the only remaining Gothic church tower in Germany that was completed in the Middle Ages (1330). Freiburg was heavily bombed during WWII but the city's landmark survived without major damage. If it wasn't a miracle, what could it be?
The farmers market was held around the Minster. The vivid purple artichoke flowers caught my eye. I haven't seen artichoke blooming. What do people do with them? Are they edible?
There were several vendors grilling sausages. We were certainly in Germany.
Let's enter the Minster via the main portal hall with many small colorful sculptors. While the construction history of the hall and who designed the figures are unknown because there are no written sources, the richly decorated "gateway to heaven" must be welcoming people over hundreds of years.
There were many visitors at that time and the visitor traffic started to be controlled by blocking a certain space by a rope for the mass time. It was a little rushed visit.
The beautiful stained glass windows were the original from the Middle Ages. They were removed and safely stored before the bombing attacks. Whoever did it, well done!
The outdoor seating area looked small and crowded. We asked for a table inside. We were warned the dining room, which was open to the kitchen, would be very hot. However, the temperature was comfortable. We were the only customer inside, which was spacious and quiet.
For a starter I had a white asparagus soup. A bit salty but tasty. J also chose asparagus but in a different form. They looked nice too. Actually I was a bit surprised to find asparagus dishes in the menu for the late June. I guess the asparagus season is longer than I thought.
My main was risotto with fennel. It was nice. J had a creamy chicken 'vol-au-vent' (I think) He said it was like a chicken pot-pie. I believe he enjoyed it.
When we got out from the restaurant, surprisingly the sky was clear. It suddenly became a bright hot summer day. We came back to the Minster. The red sandstone building looked very handsome against the blue sky background. I guess we didn't see this side of the Minster earlier.
We continued exploring the old town.
Like the old town of Bern, the Freiburg's tramway run in all directions, passing through the old city gates. Martinstor, or Martin's Gate is one of the city's two remaining Medieval gates, which were originally built in the 13th century as part of Freiburg's defense system to protect its citizens. Later it was also served as a prison for debtors, which also sounds like a city gate in Bern.
Since we were technically in the Black Forest, I must eat one of the best-known German desserts, Black Forest cake, or Schwarzwälder kirschtorte there. It basically consists of layers of chocolate sponge cake, whipped cream, and cherries, and a special type of cherry brandy, kirschwasser from the Black Forest region is used to soak the cherries, moisten the chocolate sponge cake layers, and flavor the whipped cream. I have had Black Forest Cake several times before in Wiesbaden as well as in the US and Japan. Actually I made my own version while we lived in the States. It's natural that I got curious what Black Forest Cake would be like in the Black Forest. I searched the best Black Forest Cake in the old town of Freiburg before the trip, but couldn't find a trusted answer. I chose a relatively well-rated pastry shop/cafe called Kolben Kaffee right next to Martin's Gate and tried their Black Forest Cake.
They had more than Black Forest Cake, which confused me for a moment, but I strongly stuck to my original plan.
The cafe's Black Forest Cake was huge. It tasted ok but to be honest I prefer one from a local pastry shop in Wiesbaden, which is lighter and more delicate and had a better ratio between whipped cream and sponge cake. I wished I could try another piece from a different store in Freiburg, but two cakes per day didn't sound right for my health. Anyway it was a valuable experience.
J, who is not a big fan of whipped cream, bought a poppy seed tart for himself. Good for him.
We walked to the other medieval city gate, Schwabentor, or Swabian Gate. It faced the important trade route for salt merchants from Swabia to Freiburg. Hence the name. By the way there used to be five defensive towers in the Middle Ages.
St. George, the city's patron saint was depicted on the outside of the tower.
The most interesting thing I found in the old town was many streets has an open narrow watercourse that runs clear water. They are called Freiburger Bächle (Freiburg Brook). They have been carrying water from the river Dreisam through the old town since at least the mid 13th century.
The rapidly flowing water looked clear. There were some shops that sell little boats and other water toys so that kids (or anyone) could play with them in the watercourse. I saw a huge fluffy white dog in front of such a shop. He (or she) may also like to have a splash. Why not?
Walking along the water streams was lovely. I just had to be careful not to fall into it. Legend says if you have tripped into the Bächle, you have to marry someone from Freiburg. Fortunately the local legend would be applied to unmarried people, so not to me.
Our first Switzerland trip was truly wonderful. It's a small country but there are still many mountains and lakes I would love to visit. I hope we have a chance to do so in near future.
