Luzern

Throughout Luzern, so many of the buildings have crazy, wild paintings all over them. Loving it! Wish more buildings in Brisbane were like this!

The postcard view of Lucerne (“Luzern” in German) almost always includes this triad: Mt. Pilatus (2,132m/7000ft), the 14th-century Kapellbrücke Bridge, and its Wasserturm (‘Water Tower’). The “Golden Round Trip” offered to tourists is, well, touristy, but you MUST do it--from the foothills on the city’s edge, you take a series of gondola cablecars up to the summit of Pilatus for 360-degree Alpine views, then the world’s steepest cog railway down the other side of the mountain to the edge of the lake, and finally a leisurely boat ride back to Lucerne. It’s impossibly, almost ridiculously scenic. (Almost ridiculously expensive, too...but worth the cost.) End the day with a beer by the bridge as the skies over the Alps turn golden... http://www.pilatus.ch/en/

The quaint town of Lucerne, Switzerland. is conveniently located below/opposite the astounding Mt. Pilatus. From our hotel (which sat at the end of a one-way street, winded around a hill-side, and provided much anxiety for the inexperienced driver), Mt. Pilatus was visible in all of its glory at every hour of the day. A tea appreciator in the biggest way, I felt that the only way to soak up the stunning view was with a cuppa. Love it.

Purchasing a watch can be as mundane or as thrilling as you want. Bargain hunters might be content with searching the web, selecting a model based on an image and having it delivered to their doorstep. However, buying a watch in Switzerland is another experience all together. The romance of going to the source of world-class watches, the sensation of one-on-one attention in luxurious boutiques and the feeling of finding that perfect timepiece is one to treasure. For this there are a few places to head. In Geneva the main shopping street is Rue du Rhône, and holds in its midst countless watch-making jewelers including Chopard, Cartier and Patek Philippe, the latter of which also has a museum offering an insight into the country’s craftsmanship. In Zurich, nothing is more traditional than the oldest watch shop in the country Beyer— located on Bahnhofstrasse. Also here on this fashionable street is Bucherer—home to some of the most expensive watches in the country. This traditional family business has stores in most major cities including its birthplace Lucerne, and is known to have an extensive array of Rolex models.