Cruising around and through Europe Part 57: Across Switzerland and Lucerne part 1: About 2 ½ hours after leaving our hotel we got our first view of Lake Lucerne. We arrived in Lucerne...

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

About 2 ½ hours after leaving our hotel we got our first view of Lake Lucerne. We arrived in Lucerne about 30 minutes later for a short walking tour, some time on our own and a group lunch provided by Viking. It was an overcast day and threatened to rain.

One stop on the tour was The Lion of Lucerne rock carving. the Lion of Lucerne is a rock relief, designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen and hewn in 1820–21 by Lukas Ahorn. It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris. It is one of the most famous monuments in Switzerland, visited annually by about 1.4 million tourists. In 2006, it was placed under Swiss monument protection.

Mark Twain praised the sculpture of a mortally wounded lion as "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world."

“The Lion lies in his lair in the perpendicular face of a low cliff—for he is carved from the living rock of the cliff. His size is colossal, his attitude is noble. His head is bowed, the broken spear is sticking in his shoulder, his protecting paw rests upon the lilies of France. Vines hang down the cliff and wave in the wind, and a clear stream trickles from above and empties into a pond at the base, and in the smooth surface of the pond the lion is mirrored, among the water-lilies.

Around about are green trees and grass. The place is a sheltered, reposeful woodland nook, remote from noise and stir and confusion—and all this is fitting, for lions do die in such places, and not on granite pedestals in public squares fenced with fancy iron railings. The Lion of Lucerne would be impressive anywhere, but nowhere so impressive as where he is.”
— Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad, 1880

My previous post can be found at https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-805926-1.html, while the first post of this series (that includes a map of all of the places where we stopped) can be found at https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-801137-1.html

Next up: More of Lucerne

Our first look at Lake Lucerne

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Arriving in Lucerne
Arriving in Lucerne...

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The Lion of Lucerne
The Lion of Lucerne...

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Wandering around Lucerne
Wandering around Lucerne...

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NMGal Loc: NE NM

That lion is impressive.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

NMGal wrote:

That lion is impressive.

Yes it is NMGal, and it sure moved Mark Twain. Thanks for your comment.

Earnest Botello Loc: Hockley, Texas

Very good series, Dennis, the close-up of the lion is very impressive.

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

Longshadow wrote:

Thanks for the thumbs up Longshadow.

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

Earnest Botello wrote:

Very good series, Dennis, the close-up of the lion is very impressive.

Thank you Earnest, I appreciate your comment. I took that with my compact (fits in a shirt pocket) Canon G5X Mk II.

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

Great set Dennis which again brings back pleasant memories.

Horseart Loc: Alabama

DJphoto wrote:

About 2 ½ hours after leaving our hotel we got our first view of Lake Lucerne. We arrived in Lucerne about 30 minutes later for a short walking tour, some time on our own and a group lunch provided by Viking. It was an overcast day and threatened to rain.

One stop on the tour was The Lion of Lucerne rock carving. the Lion of Lucerne is a rock relief, designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen and hewn in 1820–21 by Lukas Ahorn. It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris. It is one of the most famous monuments in Switzerland, visited annually by about 1.4 million tourists. In 2006, it was placed under Swiss monument protection.

Mark Twain praised the sculpture of a mortally wounded lion as "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world."

“The Lion lies in his lair in the perpendicular face of a low cliff—for he is carved from the living rock of the cliff. His size is colossal, his attitude is noble. His head is bowed, the broken spear is sticking in his shoulder, his protecting paw rests upon the lilies of France. Vines hang down the cliff and wave in the wind, and a clear stream trickles from above and empties into a pond at the base, and in the smooth surface of the pond the lion is mirrored, among the water-lilies.

Around about are green trees and grass. The place is a sheltered, reposeful woodland nook, remote from noise and stir and confusion—and all this is fitting, for lions do die in such places, and not on granite pedestals in public squares fenced with fancy iron railings. The Lion of Lucerne would be impressive anywhere, but nowhere so impressive as where he is.”
— Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad, 1880

My previous post can be found at https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-805926-1.html, while the first post of this series (that includes a map of all of the places where we stopped) can be found at https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-801137-1.html

Next up: More of Lucerne

About 2 ½ hours after leaving our hotel we got our... (show quote)

Awesome photos Dennis!

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

Good set Dennis but the lion images really stand out.

Don

mvetrano2 Loc: Commack, NY

nice

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

srfmhg wrote:

Great set Dennis which again brings back pleasant memories.

Thanks Mark, I'm glad it did.

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

Horseart wrote:

Awesome photos Dennis!

Thank you Jo, I appreciate it.

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

PAR4DCR wrote:

Good set Dennis but the lion images really stand out.

Don

Thanks Don and the lion is an amazing piece of sculpture.

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

mvetrano2 wrote:

nice

Thanks mvetrano. I just posted another set at https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-806122-1.html