Lucerne, Switzerland {our fifth and possibly favorite city}

Lucerne or Luzern is one of the most beautiful tiny Swiss cities.  Its nestled up near the alps and sits over a lake.  I love it there, in terms of differences between Geneva and Luzern they're practically the same.  I'm not sure exactly why I didn't care for Geneva and why I love Luzern, it might be because of the lake, maybe the view of the mountains {but Geneva had both of those too} maybe it's because I have friends there {but I loved it last time, before I knew my friend lived there}.  Anyway, here's our photos, maybe they can explain it better than I can...

Maybe it's because after a full day of trains we ended up on this party bus by ourselves from Geneva to Luzern. 

When we arrived in Luzern, Husband wanted to walk to the hotel since it was along the water, but I quickly declined since the bag and baby were so heavy, instead I found a bus stop and opted to wait 30 minutes for the next bus.  He wasn't happy about it, but I was! It was the best decision, I would have never been able to walk all that way.  And our hotel was adorable, so it was worth the wait.

we stayed at the Hotel Seeburg.

The room was small but adorable and we woke up to this amazing balcony view!

We ate breakfast at a little cafe just around the corner from this monument with my friend from high school and her husband. This lion is a memorial to the last mercenaries of Switzerland.  It's a reminder as to why they remain neutral.  I got it tattooed recently both because I love it artistically and because it's a constant reminder to not fight other people's battles.

After hanging out at the monument for a bit we went on a little hike in the Swiss countryside {about a five minute drive out of the city}

Sonja was reluctant to give up the nearby playground to explore the forest, but I think after a few minutes she started to enjoy it.

My friend Jade offered to hold Vera, and she let her! It was such a relief to not have a kid on me.

Once we were out of the woods we walked around the farms...

Claudio introduced us to some cows.

After documenting all these adorable creatures we headed back to the city for lunch.  Then we grabbed some groceries, and took a quick nap only to meet up again with Jade and Claudio at their adorable home.

Isn't she the best hostess?!

And let's talk about their amazing all white kitchen!

We opted to combine two traditional Swiss meal which was actually very untraditional, and cheesey.

We had fondue and raclette.

It was probably the best meal of the trip.

And that was our day in Luzern.  I wish we could have stayed longer, and now that we have friends there I imagine we'll be back sooner than later.  Thanks again to our amazing hosts!