Switzerland, Day One.

Last week were able to take advantage of the biggest perk of my job...we flew to Switzerland!  It was the first time we have taken the kids on a long trans-oceanic flight, so we were a little nervous about how they would do.  They really surprised us with how awesome they handled it...my children are becoming quite the little travelers!  We arrived in Zurich, then took a train down to the dreamiest little Swiss city: Lucerne.

We stayed at a hotel right on the lake, called the Seehotel Hermitage.  I still can't get that incredible view out of my head.  It was so relaxing to gaze out the floor-to-ceiling windows, taking in the beautiful scenery, while lounging in our room.  I was kind of bummed that it was cloudy while we were there, because on clear days you can also see the Swiss Alps right out the window.  Oh well, maybe next time!  Oh, and our hotel didn't skimp on the toiletries...we were spoiled with L'OCCITANE products, which I LOVED!

Unfortunately, we wasted most of our first day sleeping.  When we woke up and realized it was dark (I was so mad at myself), we decided to make the best of the situation and take a walk into town.  The buildings looked beautiful at night, especially the churches.  The photos above were taken at the Hof Church, which was built in the early 1600s and is now the main cathedral for the city.

We really enjoyed looking around at the gorgeous art and architecture.  The kids even found some things they loved...like these elephant statues!

My favorite part of Lucerne at night was the Chapel Bridge.  This covered footbridge crosses the Reuss River and was originally built as a fortification to protect the city from attacks.  It was constructed in the 1300s, making it the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe!  17th century paintings can be found along the interior of the bridge, depicting Catholic saints and some of Lucerne's history.  A 1993 fire caused a lot of damage, but the bridge and some of the artwork was restored by the city.  The tower actually served as a prison at one time...pretty interesting, right?!

Swans were definitely in abundance here.  Who doesn't love swans?!  More Switzerland pictures to come...so stay tuned!