Get Outta Town - Lucerne, Switzerland

NOT YOUR PARENTS TRAVEL GUIDE!

The beauty and majesty of the scenery surrounding Lucerne are apparent the first time Barbara steps out on the balcony of her hotel room and surveys the magnificent scene before her. Barbara joins Bjorn at his home where she sits down with his family to a typical Swiss brunch: cheeses, soufflés and apricot tart. After filling up, Bjorn guides Barbara around the picturesque city of Lucerne. They walk across Chapel Bridge, the oldest covered bridge in Europe, built in the 1300s. Unfortunately, much of it burned down in 1993 and had to be re-built. Still, it is quite beautiful with its elaborate, frescoed ceiling.

Summer in Lucerne means the constant temptation of snow-capped mountains on the horizon. After seeing the sights, it’s time to get serious about snowboarding. Barbara and Bjorn grab some gear from a local shop and head up the mountain. As they climb higher, the temperature drops to the freezing mark and it starts to snow. While Bjorn practices for a competition he’s entered in, Barbara receives a snowboarding lesson and chats with an Olympic snowboarder who won gold at Nagano in 1998. The, she watches as Bjorn competes in the snowboarding competition. He completes his runs and, although he doesn’t finish in the medals, he performs amazingly well for his first competition. Later, Bjorn and Barbara take the train up to the top of Mount Pilatus for an open-air rock concert under the stars.