Europe 2014 - Lucerne, Bridge Silhouettes

The town of Lucern was amazing - though built as a city it was more like a theme park, as every time you turn your head there's another picture to be taken.  Are all towns in Switzerland like this?  Couldn't help but wonder...

Europe 2015 - Lucerne, Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge)

One of the first things we noticed was the Kapellbrücke, or Chapel Bridge as it's known in English.  Really a neat, convenient way to cross the river without the hassle of dodging vehicle traffic.  The picture below is the other end, looking across the river from where we were staying:

Europe 2014 - Switzerland, Lucerne Arrival

Now that our time in Italy was behind us and we'd adjusted a bit to the jet lag, it was time to board a train from Como, Italy to Lucerne, Switzerland.  As we soon observed, the difference between the two countries is striking.

Going the other way, as we crossed into northern Italy from Paris - destined for Milan and our first night in Europe - I observed unkempt farmhouses and poverty gliding by through the windows of our train, sadly reminiscent of what I'd known so well in Mexico.  I was a bit disappointed that the human landscape was dingy and depressing, here in Europe of all places.  Fortunately our accommodations were situated in the pricier areas of tourism, but even there lurking shysters were never far away, intimidating visitors out of pocket change and one time hassling me because I was carrying the Big Cahoona.  As stated in earlier posts, we had to be careful not to wonder off of the beaten path in the more populated cities that we visited.

Cannot imagine that happening in Switzerland.  As opposed to the slide into an atmosphere of caution and uneasiness, crossing into Switzerland was riding into brighter sunshine, incredible vistas and a safer feeling overall.  After arrival we walked to the hotel - the Radisson Blu, a distance of about two blocks from the train station.  In no time we were out exploring the neighborhood, and discovered that Switzerland is so nice that even their trees have chandeliers!

Europe 2014 - Como Picnic

On the last day of our time in Italy Allison planned a picnic for the three of us.  We had a good time shopping for the ingredients, and she and her mom spent some time assembling sandwiches and pastries such as the one shown above.  I was proud to see her take the lead in capping our time at Como with such a nice experience.

A nearby sparrow below also felt it a nice experience, though surely in a different way...

Europe 2014 - Como Ferry, Shoreline Town

Wanna go crazy doing a jigsaw puzzle?

All of the towns that we zipped past were so picturesque, so seemingly ideal.  Though it is certain that there are problems that follow humans everywhere, having scenes like this to enjoy every day surely enhances the quality of life within these abodes...

This is the last post from the Italy hiking experience.  It will rank as one of the highlights of my adult life.  Our daughter Allison remarked that this was definitely the highlight of our European trip that year.

Europe 2014 - Como Ferry, River of Life

An interesting observation of human settlement is our tendency to parallel the natural world, simulating its patterns influenced by forces such as fluid dynamics and gravity.  This view, captured once we were out in open water and moving along at a faster clip, shows a river of human life that appears to be cascading down, spilling into the sea (though in reality it probably went in the other direction).  See this post which shows the same thing from high above Taipei, Taiwan.

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Hike, Shoreline Mansions

Another couple of mansions captured while we were still close to shore on our way out.  As beautiful and extravagant as these are, this was but one of many lakeshore towns, and not even one that was all that famous so far as we knew...Bellagio, a few miles across the water, is much more of a hot spot.

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Ferry Ride, Clooney Mansion

While we were making our way out to open water, before reaching full speed, I stood on the deck with Big Cahoona in hand snapping away.

I was amazed at the quality of some of the photos that resulted, considering they were captured from a swaying, accelerating boat...giving full credit to camera quality.  This one ranks as one of my luckier shots, as in post-capture I was able to bring out more detail and adjust for the haze enveloping the hills beyond.  To top it off, research revealed that this is the very mansion owned by George Clooney!  To think that a man can own something like this...

Though this posting is actually better composition-wise, I had two 16x20's professionally printed that, because of the requisite dimensions, had a bit more of the lake included along the bottom.  One is tacked up in my cubicle, and the other was hanging on a wall in Allison's college apartment for a time.

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Hike, Hydrofoil Ferry

The plan was to take the ferry back to Como, our departure city where the hotel is.  From the end of our hike there were two ways to get there - the slow way (2 hours) on the ferry to the left, or the faster way (40 minutes) in the hydrofoil approaching from the center of the photograph.  We were hot, tired, and in no mood to do any more leisurely sightseeing, so opted for the faster method, which was a bit more expensive but worth it.

These hydrofoils were fascinating.  They get going about 30 mph, and at that speed are lifted above the water's surface with wings mounted underneath.  As you can see in the photo below, brackets are installed to prevent the captain or others from inadvertently damaging the unseen appendages:

Europe 2014 - Como Hike, Olive Oil in Lenno

My wife did considerable research on things to do on this hike.  Since she is a culinary artist, once we arrived at Lenno the primary objective was to find this place, an establishment that supposedly makes some of the best olive oil in the world.  We hiked around a bit, going up and down the hills and through the back streets, until finally asking someone at a restaurant where it was.  Because we had taken so much time to get there it was closed by the time we found this sign.  It was a small establishment, but it was obvious that the proprietors lived in this house, which was adjacent to the business.

After traveling so many miles - several of which were on foot - to get there, we were not to be deterred.  I went up to the house and knocked on the door.  When the proprietor answered I explained that we were from Texas, and had come a long way to their humble establishment, and could they please open up at least enough to sell us a few bottles.  Though he wasn't very eager about it, he got the keys and opened the shop, even giving us an encapsulated tour of the facility and press that was utilized in making the oil that we were about to buy.  After about 20 minutes our charm did its work and he was laughing and full of stories by the time we thankfully shook hands and said Chao.

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Hike, Lakeside Restaurant

Further into town looking back from whence we came.  Are those apartments in the white building, with the flowered balconies?  What a way to get your day started, with the view afforded from those windows!

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Hike, Views from Destination

These are a couple of views of the town once we (finally) arrived.  A very touristy place.  Note the boat in the middle foreground, an example of which was featured in action here from a recent post.

Europe 2014 - Como Hike, Destination Village

This was the first sighting of our destination.

Europe 2014 - Como Hike, Stone Sentry

We were walking for something like four hours and had gone through three our four villages when we passed this scene close to the terminus of our hike.  Very hot, but the weather was good.

Europe 2014 - Como Hike, Lonely Shoe

Europe 2014 - Como Hike, Lonely Rose

There's something special about those who stand out from the rest of us...

Europe 2014 - Como Hike, Tiny House

Is this a Tiny House...or the European version of a Double-Wide?  Intriguing lifestyle, and one in which I would have been totally comfortable in my earlier, single life.

Europe 2014 - Como Hike, Cemetery

I guess cemeteries have to be a bit different around those steep hills...

 

Europe 2014 - Como Hike, Church Belfry

The intricacies of the mechanisms in church belfries caught our attention while walking around...

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Hike, Dead End

At times we would reach a dead end, retracing our steps to look for the familiar blue-and-yellow signs, or ask a local how to get back on track.

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Hike, Street Lamp

The trail took us through lots of winding turns, down narrow alleyways and over many hills.  Often we would see things over the top of a rise, not knowing what awaited at its crest...

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Hike, Lakeside Rooftops

Speaking of those vistas, how would you like to see this on your daily commute?

Or this...

Or this...

Or turn into this driveway after a hard day's work??

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Hike, Typical Doorway

Alas - and it appears the people were a bit shorter too!  This was typical of doorway height...Allison said she found the same thing in the villages of rural France.

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Hike, Narrow Alleyways

One of the greatest allures to these little European villages is the narrow streets and alleyways, built during the days of horse-drawn carts and oxwagons.  Some, such as the one below, were evidently built only for human pedestrian traffic.

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Hike, "Trail" Head

There was a hike recommended online that wended its way through several lakeside villages, starting here in Colonno.  Sometimes there was a bit of guesswork to stay on the "trail", but in most areas all we had to do was look for the blue and yellow signs such as the one below.

Because of the stunning scenery and quaint atmosphere of these little towns, this will be one of the most postcard-ish series in this blog.

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Church, Velvet Cross

Snuck this one in as a parting shot on our way out.  Allison gave the shawl back and we re-emerged into the bright sunlight of the plaza outside.

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Church, Sanctuary Chairs

Everywhere they go, photographers - even amateurs such as myself - look for patterns.  The people-less sanctuary was accommodating in this respect, with Glowing Edges below as a bonus:

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Church, White Candles with Edges

Moments later and only from a slightly different angle these guys were compositioned into their own frame.  Then a little trickery in Photoshop yielded the image below:

Europe 2015 - Lake Como Church, White Candles with Red Glass

Candles are beautiful things, especially in the relative darkness of a cathedral.  One of the top ten photos in my collection is this one, shot at Notre Dame, and this one is right up there, also shot at the famous cathedral in Paris.

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Church, Organ Pipes

This one was snapped for my little brother Mike, who's crazy about organs and organ pipes.

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Church, Dome Interior

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Church, Stained Glass (glowing edges)

Yesterday's post with glowing edges, full color.

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Church, Stained Glass

Inspired by this post taken in France some time back, I played with the outer ring, making it black and white as seen below:

Europe 2014 - Lake Como Church, Staircase Metalwork

The subject here, of course, is the metalwork on this staircase.  When I lifted the camera to snap the picture, the face of the priest in the confessional underneath was visible.  Before shutter release however, through the lens, I could see him very slowly lean back until he was fully hidden behind the wall, leaving only the pages of his Catechism visible in the frame.  Very, very discreet, but mission accomplished.