We had our first “gentle start” we did not have to be at breakfast until 7:15 and were on the road at 8:15
Down the hwy to the Black Forest!! (Hofgut Sternen) for CAKE. We stopped at an old coach inn, where the young Marie Antoinette’s carriages stopped for the evening on her way to Paris there was also a cuckoo clock making centre and we learnt how the carving of the clocks was simply something for the farmers to do on the long dark winters, of course, boys being boys there was a bit of “mine is better than yours” so began the tradition of elaborate carved work .
Lunch was of course Black Forest cake ( and a hamburger and chips). Bern had warned is that real Black Forest cake that is here may be drier than we get at home. Obviously we have good Black Forest cake everywhere I have been in Aus because now I know they are all pretty good 🙂 the only difference was a thin layer of shortbread biscuit on the base of the cake.
From the Black Forest , we drove onto Switzerland. Reaching the German / Swiss border we had to stop and Bern & Mario had to pay our road tax for Germany . Bern explained that they tax us on how many kilometers we have done on the country, how big the bus is and how many people on board. To pass from Germany cost €150.00. Then just a couple of hundred meters down the road we had to stop and pay Swiss road tax, slightly cheaper at €18.00
A little further down the road, we came to the Rhine Falls. These falls are simply stunning.
We arrived in Lucerne and Mario dropped us off at the Lion Monument.
Lion Monument -Lucerne In 1792 an entire regiment of Swiss Guards were slaughtered while guarding King Louie the 16th in France. One of the members of that regiment was on leave and at home in Lucerne when the awful news arrived. Understandably he was devastated that all his friends had died. Many of the men came from this region and it was suggested a monument be erected in their honour. The Swiss did not want a statue that showed the “failure” of their guards, but would allow a monument to be built out of the city. This monument was designed and built in a small wooded area on the outskirts of the old city. ( it is now almost in the middle of the town but still in a quiet tranquil little park away from the busy town) The inscription over the cave says Loyalty and Honour of Switzerland The lion lays dying in the cave with a broken arrow in his back, but even is death he is seen guarding France, as his paw lies protectively on the shield with the Fluer de Lis. A shield with the cross of the Swiss flag is also seen. The report of the guards massacre had mentioned they were “slaughtered like pigs” so if you look at the cave itself you will see it is in the shape of a wild boar. The boar’s snout is on the bottom left, follow the cave up and you will make out the boar’s ear above the lions head and the rest of the cave in the boar’s body..
From the monument we walked a short way to our hotel.
Our excursion tonight was a Swiss Dinner and folksong show. We had cheese fondue, a lovely veal scallions dish and ice cream for desert. The show was very entertaining with yodelling singing and the long alpenhorn .
We were back at our hotel at 10:00 ready for another day in Lucerne tomorrow.
Cuckoo clocks 
The whole side of the building is a cuckoo clock 
German tax stop 
Lion monument – Lucerne 
Cake!! 
A Long way from home 
Swiss Dinner
