dinner on the river

we drove with MF in the car back towards his house in Langenthal.  on the way back we stopped for dinner in Luzern.  we walked by the Jean Nouvel concert hall, admired the incredible cantilever, and had some dinner.  we ate at a beautiful little cafe right on the Reuss River and the lights were twinkling and reflecting.

after dinner MF walked us around old Luzern and showed us around a little.  we walked across the river on the Kapellbrucke, or Chapel Bridge.  it is the oldest wooden bridge in Europe!  it is a covered bridge that has incredible paintings of different times in Luzern history.  its original use was to protect Luzern from attacks.  it had flowers all around it and it was beautiful in the evening light.  this bridge and the water tower connected to it are the most famous landmarks in Switzerland.

on the way back to the car we also walked quickly through Santiago Calatrava’s rail station.  I love traveling with architects.

rolling hills

I have heard the phrase “rolling hills” a lot.  but I don’t think I really had an idea of what that meant until I was in Switzerland.  I was transfixed looking out the window in the car.  it was so green.  shades of green I had never imagined before.  what was even more incredibly amazing than the color was how high up houses were built into the mountains.  you can’t get electricity up there and, gasp!, internet but they sure were beautiful.  J told me that a lot of times when you live in those houses there aren’t even roads and you have to climb up each and every time.

get ready

I have a lot to catch you up on.  since we went to so many different and amazing places, I am going to try a series of blog entries and also photos highlighting the various parts of my trip.

short summary:

1. seven hour drive to Liechtenstein
2. walk around Liechtenstein and visit modern art exhibit
3. two hour drive to Luzern to see Jean Nouvel’s Luzern concert hall, Calatrava’s train station and have lovely dinner on the water
4. one hour drive to Langenthal (where MF lives and where our Swiss office is)
5. stay overnight
6. morning visit to active villa construction site
7. work with MF at office
8. 2:30pm.  begin seven hour drive back to Koln
9. stop in Weil am Rhein to see architectural Mecca at Vitra campus
10. arrive at home to guests!

whew!  there are links for photographs of each leg of my trip.  do it.

excuses:

I promise to write a lot about my incredible road trip to Liechtenstein and Switzerland with D and J.

• I wasn’t able to use the internet hardly at all during our traveling

• once we got back I am lucky enough to have a friend from the GT architecture program and his wife visiting me

they are traveling all over Europe for over fifty days and just stopping in Koln for a few.  last night we went out for traditional Kolsch beer and had a grand old time talking about architecture and the things they have seen.  they are so adventurous!  they are even couch surfing and haven’t paid for a single hotel since they got moving nearly three weeks ago.  amazing!

• we are in the middle of crunch time getting ready to submit for a competition so I am even working all this weekend

but don’t worry.  over 200 photographs are coming your way.  and they are phenomenal.  I am hoping to have some time (hopefully several hours!) to blog some tonight.  cross your fingers!