This morning we were up pretty early again because today was mostly a travel day. I am so glad we are leaving Nice today because it was stormy. (What's interesting is that yesterday, our tour guide told us Nice gets as much rain as London. However, it rains more often in London with less accumulation. In Nice it doesn't rain that often, but when it does, it really comes down.) When I woke up the sky was dark, the trees were swaying, and I knew a storm was-a-coming. By the time breakfast was over, it was torrentially pouring. Or more like monsooning. If that happened yesterday I would have been so upset, but it didn't, so booyah! I got my incredible beach day on the French Riviera and am so grateful to have had it. What a difference a day makes.
The ride out of Nice was insane with the rain coming down. Trees were falling, streets were flooding, and it was actually kind of scary. It took us a while to get out because a fallen tree was blocking the street and lots of gapers block for a turned truck on the road. It was quite a short, powerful storm. The rain continued on though the ride and into Italy and Switzerland.
While driving through Italy, we passed Lake Como right before the Swiss border. I gave George Clooney a big wave as the bus passed and snapped a quick couple of pics. Then we hit the Swiss border and the bus had to stop. This was the first country border with a legit stop. Perhaps this is because Switzerland isn't part of the European Union. I was really hoping to get a stamp on my passport from Switzerland at this stop (not to mention each other country visited) but that clearly hasn't been happening. I guess I will settle with just getting my England stamp.
We had our lunch stop at a comfort stop in Switzerland. The views from there were pretty cool. It was as if we were up in the clouds. They were so close to us it was as if I could reach out and touch them, but no dice. The food here was gourmet again, similar to the stops in Germany, but more expensive. When it was time to leave lunch, it was torrential downpouring again. It was ridiculous how hard it was coming down. However, the one plus was that when it rains in the Swiss alps, water falls start to occur and to see them along the mountains was pretty awesome. I didn't grow up with mountains. nor do I live by them now, so I am constantly in awe of them.
It was still raining when we arrived in Lucerne around 4:00 which really irritated me. I hate going out in the rain and getting wet when I have things to do. This was obviously no different. We have been pretty lucky this whole trip that this is the first rain we have experienced, but I was still bitter. One thing that put a smile on my face were signs all over town advertising a Blue Ball Festival. I was in hysterics. Were they for real? Um, yes they are. Clearly it has a VERY different meaning here. I obvi had to take a picture which cheered me up. Before heading to the hotel, we made a stop at a famous carved stone Lion in town. The town of Lucerne is half moderne and half medieval and it looks like its going to be really cool to walk around tomorrow.
After relaxing for an hour or so at hotel we had a boat cruise around Lake Lucerne. Thank god it had stopped raining at that point. It was cool out too which was a a treat at this point. I even had to throw on a hoodie and my scarf. Although still cloudy, being on the lake and having all the mountains was gorge. From there, we went to dinner and a show at a Swiss Folklore restaurant called Stadtkeller. The meal started with authentic cheese fondue. Yum! I would have licked that hot pot clean had it been socially acceptable. The fondue was followed by a salad and then with veal in a mushroom sauce and grated fried potatoes, which were equally delicious. During dinner, the show featured Swiss folk music, yodeling, flag throwing, alphornblowing and many other Swiss musical traditions. It was pretty fun to watch (although about 45 minutes too long). The guys on stage were very talented and I was def impressed. Like the Marchfelderhoff in Austria. This is a place I would definitely recommend to others for an authentic experience and good meal while in Lucerne.
When the show finally ended, we walked back to the hotel. It was nice out and I am hopeful for a nice day tomorrow! Like I said, I don't do ran well, so hopefully this was a one and done deal with the bad weather. I'm ready to see Lucerne for real tomorrow!
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