Hergiswhat?

Yesterday we went with some friends to the small Swiss town of Hergiswil to visit the Hergiswil Glasi, a glass production company. There were also a museum, a ‘Phenomenal Glass’ exhibit, two glass shops, a big playground, and a nice lakeside café/restaurant as part of the Glasi complex.

The museum, which was free, was more entertaining than I expected. As you walk through the various sets, a narrator (in the language of your choice) tells you about the history of glass and the history of this particular glass production facility. Among other things, I learned that last century, it was popular to keep one’s liquor in a Schnapps Hund, a vaguely animal-shaped vessel with a pouring spout for a tail. At least I hope that’s a tail.



At the end of the museum tour we got to watch some grumpy-looking glass workers doing their thing. There was also a booth where you could do your own glass blowing.




The ‘Phenomenal Glass’ exhibit had lots of interactive things, including various musical instruments that had glass components. Surprisingly, neither the Urinophon nor the Bierophon has gained much popularity in musical circles.


As a wedding present, our friends had us pick out some glass we liked from the shop. Since no Schnapps Hunde were to be found, we settled on one of the signature pieces of the Hergiswil Glasi, a large tray with the outline of Switzerland on it. We also picked up some Tetris-piece-shaped interlocking candle holders, which promise to be hours of fun.

Outside on the lake, we played with these wacky interactive fountains.

We stopped in Luzern on the way home for dinner in what is becoming my favorite vegetarian restaurant in Switzerland. All in all, it was a nice little day trip. Good for kids, too - our friends' children had a fabulous time (except in the museum, where the little girl complained loudly that it was MUCH too boring).

Yet another day trip: Luzern

Last Sunday the weather was gorgeous, so we decided to go explore Luzern. We arrived just before lunch and headed directly to the ‘best vegetarian restaurant in Lucerne’, Restaurant Hofgarten. The food was yummy (if a little heavy on the sauce), and we enjoyed sitting out in the plant-filled courtyard.



Then we went over to the KKL (Kultur und Kongresszentrum Luzern), a large, modern building on the edge of the lake which houses, among other things, a museum and a concert hall. We poked around a bit and then enjoyed an espresso while watching dressed-up people stream out of the concert hall. Then it was off to the Rosengart Collection – a private collection of paintings by 20ith-century masters such as Picasso, Klee, and Chagall, assembled based on the personal tastes of a father and daughter who actually knew most of the artists. In particular, I liked their taste in Picassos.





We then spent most of the afternoon wandering around exploring the rest of the city, including its two beautiful wooden walking bridges and the pedestrian-only old town center. We also walked around on the medieval wall that used to surround the city. We climbed one of its towers and were rewarded with gorgeous views of the city and the sailboat-speckled lake.



We then headed back down towards Löwenplatz, which felt like the tourist-trap center of the city, complete with about a million souvenir shops, tour bus parking, and a restaurant called something like ‘Swiss Town’. We went in to see the Bourbaki Panorama, an ‘amazing’ ‘breathtaking’ 19th-century 360-degree painting of the Franco-Prussian War (the marketing was so funny, we couldn’t resist). The painting itself was OK, and we enjoyed the accompanying exhibit, which taught us a little bit of Swiss history in a relatively painless way.

On the way out we stopped at the bar downstairs for a beer and to catch the first half of the Mexico game on their projection TV. At halftime we headed out to see the giant lion carved in a rock that all our guidebooks claimed was a must. It was right next to Glacier Garden, which was unfortunately already closed for the day. It looked like just the kind of cheesy tourist attraction that would actually be fun to see. It has a hall of mirrors!



Next it was back to the pedestrian area, where we found a cute little bar where we watched the end of the game. By then we were famished, so we headed back to the river to scope out some of the guidebook’s restaurant recommendations. We ended up at a table on the small balcony of the restaurant Zunfthaus zu Pfistern, where we enjoyed the views and the food. Afterwards, we sauntered back to the train station and headed home.



We really enjoyed our day in beautiful Luzern. I’m beginning to wonder if Switzerland has any cities that aren’t adorable.