Spending a bit of time in Lucerne is always nice. Tucked in next to a lake and in the shadow beautiful Swiss alps, it's a picture perfect town, even in winter. The last time I visited Lucerne, we were lucky enough to actually stay overnight in the old hotel at the top of Mt Pilatus - so I had high expectations and fond memories. This time around, we stayed in the suburbs, a little bit of a commute away from the city centre.

We caught a bus into town in the early hours of the morning, and strolled around for quite a while. It was eerily quiet then too, and though we passed a few people headed for work, the tourists hadn't yet emerged from their hotels or bed & breakfasts. In the beginning, it was so foggy that you couldn't even see Pilatus towering over the town, but it cleared up nicely as the day progressed. The Lion Monument is always a must in Lucerne (can you see the pig?) as are all of the kitschy Swiss shops - chocolates & macaroons are to die for in this town. 

Having explored the town on foot, we wandered over the Chapel Bridge, meandered around the maze of back streets for shopping, and then had a coffee overlooking a farmers market that was going on next to the lake. So many locals were out walking with their babies or with their dogs, it was just the most comfortable and relaxed place - completely opposite from our previous stop in Paris. For lunch, I went for the traditional fondue: wow, that was some strong cheese. That was followed by a sausage and potato dish that I practically inhaled, it was so good.