Fairy-Tale Living with Two Days in Lucerne
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| The fairy tale view from our hotel room balcony. |
Lucerne is a town straight out of a fairy tale. If we hadn’t known better, we could have believed we were in Fantasy Land at Disneyland rather than in Switzerland. There are crooked wooden bridges with centuries old paintings crossing a river dotted with white swans. A church with a white-faced clock and gold hands reminded us of It’s a Small World. An old apothecary shop which surely had eye of newt and toe of frog, along with its bay window turret could have been Snow White’s Castle. While Lucerne (or Luzern) could easily be visited on a day-trip from Zurich, it is so much better to spend two days in Lucerne and live in the middle of this fairy-tale land, if just for a short time. Plus, two days in Lucerne allows for a day-trip to one of two nearby mountains for a dose of Swiss nature.
Self-Guided Walking Tour of Lucerne
The reason Lucerne could be visited on a day-trip from Zurich is that all of the highlights of the town can literally be visited in half a day. The train trip from Zurich to Lucerne is just under an hour (made easy with the Swiss Travel Pass). We arrived in Lucerne from Zurich on a late morning train, dropped our luggage at our hotel, Hotel des Balances, and then took off for our self-guided walking tour of Lucerne, which we completed with time for a nap before dinner.
Switzerland Tourism has created a pretty marvelous app, the Luzern City Guide, which includes a city tour of Lucerne and a tour of Musegg Wall. It has a map with places of interest, a short explanation for each stop, and a photo of the attraction so you know what to look for. Even better, the app can be used offline.
Chapel Bridge is the symbol of Lucerne. It can be difficult wading through the sea of tourists along Bahnhofstrasse and Rathaus Bridge taking photos of each other with Chapel Bridge in the background. (Another reason to spend two days in Lucerne, so you can visit the bridge at night when the crowds are gone.) It’s easy to see why Chapel Bridge is so popular. Chapel Bridge is a wood bridge built in the 14th century that crookedly crosses the river at a diagonal.
Paintings are scattered through the bridge, hanging from the ceiling, that were added in the 17th century and which illustrate Swiss and local history. Unfortunately, Chapel Bridge burned in 1993 and only a handful of the 100+ paintings were saved.
In the middle of Chapel Bridge is the Water Tower (Wasserturm), which is part of what makes Chapel Bridge such a sought after photo. The water tower is an octagonal wooden structure built around 1300 and used for many things, including archives, a treasury, a prison, and a torture chamber. Now it houses a pretty good gift shop, which could still be viewed as a treasury to some and a torture chamber to their spouses.
Farther down the river is another wooden bridge, not quite as long, but also filled with paintings. While not as popular as Chapel Bridge, Spreuer Bridge is older, having been built in 1408, and is all original, unlike Chapel Bridge.
Spreuer Bridge also provides a view of the Water Spikes which are used to regulate the water level of the river.
Another landmark of Lucerne that demands attention is the Jesuit Church that looms over the water. The Jesuit Church was built in 1666 and was the first Baroque church in Switzerland.
Unlike the sparsely decorated Protestant churches of Zurich, the Jesuit Church is richly decorated with paintings and reliefs on the ceiling.
A short walk away is the Franciscan Church which is built in the Gothic style and contains the most ornate pulpit in Switzerland. The flag frescoes are very medieval and represent Lucerne’s conquests during the Middle Ages.
Farther afield is the Hof Church, a cathedral and Benedictine Monastery. This church has a picturesque façade with the aforementioned white-faced clock and gold hands. Hof Church is the most important Renaissance church in Switzerland and was rebuilt in 1645 after a fire destroyed the previous church.
Just up the road from Hof Church is the Lion Monument. So admittedly, we had never heard of the Lion Monument before, but it is a very famous monument in Switzerland. The monument is of a dying lion, being shot with arrows, carved out of the side of a hill of rock. It was created in memory of the death of Swiss soldiers in Paris.
Steps away from the waterfront, we found some unique squares surrounded by fresco-painted buildings. These squares are found along the right bank and include Weinmarkt, Hirschenplatz, and Kornmarkt.
Up on the hill above the town of Lucerne is Musegg Wall, Lucerne’s historic ramparts with nine towers. The building of Musegg Wall started in the 13th century. The start of the walk along Musegg Wall is near Spreuer Bridge at Nolli Tower. This round tower was built in 1513, but an archway for traffic was added in 1901.
From Nolli Tower, a trail leads uphill along Musegg Wall to Mannli Tower, Luegisland Tower, Wacht Tower, Zyt Tower, Schirmer Tower, Pulver Tower, Allenwinden Tower, ad Dachli Tower. While part of the trail follows along Musegg Wall, part of the exploration of the wall is up a tower and across the top of the wall. Mannli Tower is open for climbing and Wacht Tower provides entry to the top of the wall. The exit from the wall is through Schirmer Tower.
Day-Trip to the Mountains
A popular thing to do when staying in Lucerne is to take a day-trip to the mountains. The more popular trip is to Pilatus. Part of the reason for its popularity is because it has the steepest cogwheel railway in the world, traveling for 30 minutes up a 48-percent gradient. However, our trip to Switzerland was in April, and the cogwheel railway only operates mid-May to November. We could have still chosen Pilatus, but there was another option and we were torn.
We asked for some guidance at the front desk of our hotel, Hotel des Balances, and were told that, because of the time of year, we might want to choose Mt. Rigi because the elevation was lower and therefore it would not be as cold and might have better visibility. Another selling point was that that roundtrip would include three modes of transportation: boat, cogwheel train, and aerial cable car. Better yet, this entire trip would be covered by our Swiss Travel Pass.
We had already used our Swiss Travel Pass to travel by train from Zurich to Lucerne, but our trip to Mt. Rigi was when we really started to see the beauty of the pass, especially because our passes were for first class. We boarded the boat to travel from Lucerne to Vitznau and went up the stairs to the top deck, set aside for first class passengers. As we sat and drank our coffee and ate our chocolate croissants, we watched the scenery go by in the most leisurely fashion.
Once we arrived in Vitznau, we boarded the cogwheel train, not the steepest in the world but still unusual and fun, and chugged up the mountain to the peak, Rigi Kulm, at 1797 meters above sea level with views of 13 lakes and countless mountain peaks.
After spending time at the peak, we hiked down the mountain, following signs in order to take the scenic route down to Rigi Kaltbad-First. Here we boarded the aerial cable car down to Weggis, then boarded a boat back to Lucerne.
Lucerne Hotel
We stayed at Hotel des Balances, a former Guild Hall and what surely must be the best hotel in the city, even if it’s the only one we stayed in. Hotel des Balances truly is in a prime location right on the Reuss River.
Our glorious room was on the top floor with a spacious balcony overlooking the river, Chapel Bridge, and the Jesuit Church. Hotel des Balances also has a fine-dining restaurant and lounge with a riverside terrace.
We loved everything about the hotel, the gorgeous room, the most comfortable bed in Switzerland, the delicious restaurant, and the lounge with its specialty cocktails and live piano music.
But our absolute favorite part was sitting outside on the balcony and drinking in the views, watching the people and swans, and sometimes listening to the music of street performers across the river.
The hotel also happens to be one of those fresco-painted buildings.
Lucerne Restaurants
Rathaus Brauerei, located under the arches of Lucerne Town Hall, provides views of Chapel Bridge and tastes of artisan beers brewed using the pure water of Mount Pilatus. The unfiltered house beer is golden yellow, cloudy, and tangy. Rathaus Brauerei also brews seasonal beers, including a wheat beer, a Christmas beer, and a March beer.
One of the nicest fine-dining establishments in Lucerne is Restaurant Balances at Hotel des Balances. Chef Andy Fluri is a 14 Gault Millau point award winner. Menu items can be ordered ala carte and five and seven-course menus are offered as well.
For more traditional fare, we dined at Wirtshaus Taube. Wirtshaus Taube takes regional dishes and makes them just a little bit modern, though my e riese schweinerei, similar to chicken cordon bleu but with pork, was as homey as you can get.
Our two days in Lucerne were like living in a fairy tale, from our gorgeous hotel to the quaint and picturesque town to the mountain views of snow, lakes, peaks and green that only Switzerland can provide. Lucerne is worthy of at least a night or two and will be a precious memory indefinitely.
Thank you to Hotel des Balances and Switzerland Tourism for hosting our time in Lucerne and making this post possible. As always, all opinions are our own.
Thank you to Hotel des Balances and Switzerland Tourism for hosting our time in Lucerne and making this post possible. As always, all opinions are our own.
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5 Great Hikes in Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory
Oregon is one of America’s most beautiful states when it comes to nature. When we spent a long weekend in Oregon City, our main goal was to spend as much time outdoors as possible. There is a multitude of hiking trails of varying difficulty available to visitors to Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory. The five Oregon hikes that we chose provided a nice sampling of what Oregon has to offer hikers.
Mt. Hood National Forest Mirror Lake Trail
The Mirror Lake Trail within Mt. Hood National Forest is a 2.1-mile roundtrip hike with an elevation gain of 1,400 feet. 2.1 miles doesn’t sound very long, but it felt longer because there is quite a bit of uphill, especially when approaching the lake. The trail is shaded by a forest of tall trees so you can stay cool even in the middle of summer.
The views of the lake are worth the climb. Be sure to walk around the entire lake. We found the best views to be at the halfway point around the lake. Walking around the lake adds another half-mile. Part of the trail around the lake is a wooden plank walkway crossing the wilderness terrain. As the name implies, the mirror surface of the lake creates a picturesque reflection of Mt. Hood.
Mt. Hood National Forest Trillium Lake Trail
The Trillium Lake Trail is a much easier lake trail at 1.9 miles around the lake with no elevation gain. The trail is a mix of flat compacted earth and wooden boardwalks. This trail also provides views of Mt. Hood. As the trail crosses through wetlands, there are also bird watching opportunities.
Trillium Lake is a popular place for people to enjoy the shore and water sports like kayaking and paddle boarding. There is a campground along part of the lake. When we hiked the trail the beach on the dam was completely filled because it was a holiday weekend.
Mt. Hood National Forest Barlow Trail
The Barlow Trail was the least picturesque of the hikes we took, but what makes it interesting is that it was once part of the Historic Barlow Road, one of the final legs of the Historic Oregon Trail. The trail is .6 miles one-way with a 100-foot elevation gain. The trail is rustic and rocky in places because its historic characteristics are being preserved.
Mt. Hood National Forest Little Zigzag Falls Trail
The Little Zigzag Falls Trail is a short half-mile one-way hike that leads hikers 100 feet uphill along a stream with a destination of a very pretty waterfall. Because the trail is shaded and follows along running water, the temperature stays very cool. The hike is easy and short and the return is far greater than the effort required.
Molalla River Trails System
The Molalla River Recreation Corridor has 20 miles of trails. However, unlike the Mt. Hood National Forest which has in-depth descriptions of each hike on their website, the online documentation of the Molalla River Trails System is a bit lacking, which made it hard for us to choose our trails of choice. However, as we started hiking the trails system, we ran into two ladies on horseback who were kind enough to provide us with suggestions that turned out to create a beautiful hike.
The most popular trailhead is the Hardy Creek Trailhead, but after our conversation, we left that trailhead and chose to start our hike at the Annie’s Cabin Trailhead, which can be easy to miss as it consists of a yellow gate part way up a hill and an unmarked dirt parking area across the street. The good news is that the trails themselves are well-marked, so we were easily able to create a hike made with a combination of trails using a picture of the South Trails map that was at the trailhead.
We started with the Yellow Gate Trail, took a right on Huckleberry Trail and passed Annie’s Cabin. We left the main trail and followed the much narrower Fern Creek Trail, which passes through a fern forest. We eventually met up with the Loop Trail, which we followed until it met back up with the Huckleberry Trail, which we followed, under the shade of towering trees, back to our starting trailhead. As was true with the other trails we hiked, the Molalla River Trails System is almost completely shaded.
A recreation pass is required for hiking trails within Mt. Hood National Forest. It is possible to buy a day pass or an annual pass, depending on how many days you will be hiking. A parking fee may be required by the Bureau of Land Management when hiking in the Olalla River Recreation Corridor, though during our visit all we saw was a voluntary donation box partway into the hike. Most of these hikes in Mt. Hood National Forest are snow-free in the summer and fall months. Visit the closest U.S. Forest Ranger Station before setting out to see if any trails have unexpected conditions.
Thank you to Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory for hosting our long weekend in Oregon City and The Territory and making this post possible. As always, all opinions are our own.
Things to Do In Oregon City and Mt. Hood Territory
We spent the Fourth of July weekend in Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory for some well-deserved communing with nature. While only a half-hour’s drive away from the city of Portland, The Territory feels a world away with its small towns and a wide range of outdoor activities. For our four-day visit to Mt. Hood Territory, we hiked, kayaked, and checked out fun and interesting things to do in Oregon City.
Hiking Trails
The main reason for our trip was to spend some quality time outdoors. In Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory there are plenty of hikes from which to choose. Most of them can be found in Mt. Hood National Forest. There are short hikes, long hikes, easy hikes, and difficult hikes. We chose a mix of hikes that took us to lakes with views of Mt. Hood, a remaining section of the Oregon Trail, and a waterfall. Another great place for hiking in The Territory is the Molalla River Recreation Corridor. The Molalla River Trails System is a collection of 20 miles of trails through forests and fern groves.
Kayaking
During the summer months, ranger-led kayak tours are offered along Estacada Lake in Milo McIver State Park. We’d never heard of a ranger-led kayak tour before. Estacada Lake is the perfect spot for kayaking. We paddled our way along the smooth water, sliding under shady trees, along the length of the lake down to the bridge and back.
Special Events
Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory has festivals and activities year-round. During our weekend in Oregon City, we participated in two fun and very different events.
One event that happens throughout the year is Field & Vine’s Dinner in the Field series. Each multi-course meal is served at a different place each time in Oregon’s wine and farm country. Ours was held in a field surrounded by alpacas at Alpacas at Marquam Hill Ranch.
Our meal consisted of gruyere cheese focaccia, warm spinach salad, crushed Yukon potatoes, Oregon ling cod, grilled brocollini, Cascade Farms beef short ribs, and buttermilk panna cotta, accompanied by wine from Alexeli Vineyards.
Another special event we attended on our long weekend in Mt. Hood Territory was the Molalla Buckeroo PRCA Rodeo. I’ve always wanted to go to a rodeo and I was excited that my first rodeo would be such a historic one. Rodeo events have been happening here since 1913, and the operation became official in 1925.
The Molalla Buckeroo features a number of traditional rodeo events like bareback riding, barrel racing, bull riding, saddle bronc, steer wrestling, team roping, tie-down roping, and the beloved donkey races. There was even a rodeo clown. I was surprised by how exciting a rodeo can be. I was on the edge of my seat. But I can’t lie, I was cheering for the little steers that got away. Don’t tell the cowboys.
For information about future events, check Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory's event calendar.
McLoughlin Promenade
For a nice walk and views of Willamette Falls and the old abandoned mills along the river, follow the McLoughlin Promenade. The McLoughlin Promenade was first constructed in 1938 as part of the Works Progress Administration project created by President Roosevelt in order to provide employment to unemployed Americans. (Mt. Hood’s Timberline Lodge was also built as part of that project.) However, the land for the promenade was first donated to be used as a promenade in 1851 by Dr. John McLoughlin.
Oregon City Municipal Elevator
The Oregon City Municipal Elevator is a 130-foot elevator that connects the upper McLoughlin neighborhood and promenade to the lower downtown Oregon City, making it the only "vertical street" in North America. This is the second elevator in this spot as the first was built in 1915 and was water-powered. The current elevator was completed in 1955 and has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Oregon City Municipal Elevator is one of only four municipal elevators in the world.
Oregon City Main Street
While in the heart of Oregon City, Main Street offers a nice little stroll. There are a number of restaurants, boutique stores, and craft beer and wine tasting shops.
Historic House Museums
Oregon City is Oregon’s first city. It was established in 1829 by Dr. John McLoughlin. Dr. John McLoughlin was originally a medical doctor from Canada. He moved to Fort William to practice as a physician, but became a prominent fur trader and later became known as the Father of Oregon. Oregon City is the end of the Oregon Trail and Dr. McLoughlin helped travelers along the Oregon Trail navigate the river and gave them food if they had no money.
Today visitors to Oregon City can visit the McLoughlin House as well as graves of the Father of Oregon and his wife Marguerite. Neither the house nor the graves are original to the site, but were moved in order to be preserved. The house used to be on the Willamette River but was moved up the hill in 1909 on rollers with one horse and a circular pulley system.
The house was opened as a museum in 1910. The house features a number of the McLoughlin’s furnishings and photos, including things like a horsehair couch and the oldest item in the house, a quilt from the 1700s.
Next door to the McLouglin House is the Barclay House, which was owned by Dr. Forbes Barclay, physician, mayor of Oregon City, superintendent of schools, and coroner, and his wife Maria Pambrun Barclay. The house is now used as offices for the National Park Service and is where tours of the McLoughlin House begin.
Just a couple blocks away from the McLoughlin house is the Stevens-Crawford House, one of only a few historic homes in Oregon City that have never been moved. The Stevens-Crawford House was built in 1908 by Medorem Crawford and his wife Mary-Elisabeth. Medorem was a wagon master, guiding pioneers along the Oregon Trail. He was also a friend of Abraham Lincoln and later one of his pallbearers.
Much of the house has been restored to its original condition and can be visited on a guided tour.
Willamette Falls Heritage Trail
A number of these things to do in Oregon City can be found along the Willamette Falls Heritage Trail. Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory launched a downloadable app which shares stories about the region’s history through a self-guided tour of 30 heritage and cultural sites in Oregon City, West Linn, and Lake Oswego.
Oregon City Restaurants, Breweries and Distilleries
McMenamins Oregon City
We came into town on a late flight and there aren’t many restaurants open late at night around Oregon City. There was one place open, however, and that was McMenamins Oregon City. McMenamins is one of Oregon’s largest craft breweries. What makes them unique is that they take historic buildings and turn them into brewpubs, breweries, music venues, and hotels. McMenamins Oregon City is housed in a historic church with pew seating.
Oregon City Brewing Co. and OP Wurst
Another one of Oregon’s craft breweries in Oregon City is Oregon City Brewing Co. Their logo is pioneering beer for the pioneer city. The brewery is family-owned, started by Bryce Marrow along with his father and father-in-law. The brewery serves not only its own beers, but also beers and ciders from other breweries. We tried the Elevator Ale, the brewery’s flagship IPA, and the Creamy & Dreamy pale stout, a deliciously smoky stout best first tasted with the eyes closed as the pale color makes one forget they're drinking a stout.
Connected to Oregon City Brewing Co. is OP Wurst, allowing craft beer drinkers to accompany their brew with a top-of-the-line frankfurter. Olympia Provisions started Frankfurter Friday in 2012 and it became so popular they opened OP Wurst, specializing in craft hot dogs.
Tony’s Fish Market
Across the street from Oregon City Brewing Co. is Tony’s Fish Market, a family-owned market that’s been around since 1936. Rome had a hankering for some oysters and I was curious about the smoked salmon candy, which turned out to be something like beef jerky made with smoked salmon.
Stone Cliff Inn
Stone Cliff Inn is a restaurant made of logs looking out over the Clackamas River. The restaurant is known for its recipes prepared from scratch. Stone Cliff Inn is also known for its appearances in the Twilight movie. We made a meal of appetizers after our kayak tour. Rome, as always, was crazy for the oyster shooters. I was impressed by the unique flavors of the smoked salmon cakes. The salmon is smoked on site.
Pho Thi
It was hard to find a restaurant open on the Monday before the Fourth of July in Oregon City. We passed Pho Thi and Rome was ready to go in, but I was a little suspicious of a Vietnamese restaurant on Main Street of Oregon City. But I checked for reviews on my phone and found they were good, so in we went. Pho Thi turned out to be a delicious choice serving Vietnamese food like pho and bun cha that brought us back to our time in Vietnam.
Arch Bridge Tap House
Just around the corner from Pho Thi in downtown Oregon City is Arch Bridge Tap House, named after the arch bridge just down the street. Arch Bridge Tap House is a great place to relax, possibly in a window seat, and enjoy a craft beer. There are even games if you’re looking for a little more excitement.
Trail Distilling
Trail Distilling is the First City’s first distillery since Prohibition. It is a family-owned operation by a couple who wanted to get into the alcohol business, but didn’t want to open a bar because they like to go to bed early. Trail Distilling makes rum, vodka, and gin, and will soon be making rye whiskey with rye from a family farm. We visited the distillery because I love a good craft gin and Trail Distilling’s Trillium Gin did not disappoint with its fourteen botanicals, especially the barrel-aged gin.
Oregon City Hotel
For our long weekend in Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory we stayed at the Best Western Plus Rivershore Hotel. Most rooms have a balcony and river view. Our room was one of the larger rooms with a king bed and living room area with couch, chair, and business desk. The hotel has a pool, hot tub, and restaurant, the Rivershore Bar & Grill.
We ate breakfast each morning at the Rivershore Bar & Grill to fuel up for our hikes each day, and each morning the restaurant was full. It’s clearly a popular spot with the locals because there was even a bridal shower held on the deck.
Just across the street from the hotel is Clackamette Park which provides a walking trail along the river.
Sometimes when we tell people we are going on small trips like this to some random place in the US, they’re surprised because it isn’t exotic. But every time we are reminded that little trips like this are so much fun. Oregon is such a beautiful state with good food, good beer, good wine, good spirits, good hikes, and some of the best scenery. A vacation doesn’t have to be exotic, far away, or expensive to be great. We can see ourselves traveling to this part of Oregon again.
Thank you to Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory for hosting our long weekend in Oregon City and The Territory and making this post possible. As always, all opinions are our own.
Thank you to Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory for hosting our long weekend in Oregon City and The Territory and making this post possible. As always, all opinions are our own.
