September 6

September 6th (sunny and warm)
Woke up to about 3 degrees; all activity in a heightened state in order to get warm. After our breakfast, I packed a lunch and we took a short bus ride into Lucerne. We were immediately taken with its charm including the Chapel Bridge which we found out from some locals was destroyed in 1993 by Swiss hooligans who set fire to a barge underneath the 1300’s wooden structure. 95% of the bridge was totally destroyed along with about 70 period-paintings. One thing to note is that the river running through Lucerne is absolutely crystal clear.
Georg enjoyed using his new “old” camera again. We spent the day walking over bridges, along ramparts, through cobblestone streets and once in awhile sitting and watching the people go by. As mentioned to us by Rudolf, the kids’ vacations throughout Europe are scheduled in staggered times in order to decrease traffic congestion. At this time, the Swiss kids in this area are back in school. Kids, like anywhere else -- some are adorable and others you could just kick in the ass.
Items to note about Switzerland that we found interesting: 20% of the population are non-residents. That has a potential of some political unrest down the road. Also, was interesting to note that the Swiss nation, even though being neutral during two World Wars, is at a very high state of preparedness for its own defense. There are concealed, strategic bunkers at every pass and bottleneck. Every bridge is built with an internal, explosive charge which can be detonated at any time if the nation is invaded. Additionally, 90% of all the citizens have gone through the military and carry, or are in possession of, semi-automatic weapons and ammunition in their homes. That being said, the murder rate is nowhere near what we have in Canada even though there is `gun control’.
After dinner, we took advantage of the internet, went for a last long walk along the lake, watched some men fishing, played cards and went to bed.