Zug has an old town (Altstadt) on the lake and we live about a mile north of that. I knew that old Swiss villages are beautiful and quaint and full of history and character, but Zug's Altstadt was soooooooooooooooo much more wonderful than I had expected. Being it's Sunday and most of the shops were closed (with the exception of a few restaurants), it was so quiet. It was drizzling a little, and it was so enchanting. We found the old Zug castle that is now a museum actually open. (Shock!) It was so interesting to see artifacts from Zug dating all the way back to medeival times and we also got to hear all about the history of Zug at an interactive diorama of the city as it was in 1730. The city used to have a wall around it that was demolished during the 19th century (boo!) but some of the towers are still standing.
Anyway, we fell in love with Zug and can't wait until we have visitors so we can show you how wonderful this little Swiss village is! Here are some pictures of our jaunt today. (You'll notice Fabio and I aren't in any of them...that's intentional. We weren't looking our best...we'll, I wasn't anyway.)
Don't worry everyone. If you're craving Chinese while you visit, we can satisfy that craving for you! And you can still feel like you're in Switzerland. Oh, and there is a Juanito's Mexican Restaurant too. Fabio says we're not going there because he is sure they won't serve free chips and salsa. Good assumption since you even pay for water at restaurants here. I told him my half birthday is coming up and I want to eat there for my half-birthday dinner. He laughed, but, I'm serious!
Every Swiss town I've seen so far has a clock tower like this.
The Altstadt as seen from the waterfront. Oh, and right on this spot, we also saw a ferry that you can take out on the lake and have lunch or dinner! There is a full on restaurant on board. If anyone wants to come visit, we can make this part of your tour!!!
There are funky fountains like this all over. Who commisioned such an interesting fountain? What's the story behind it? (This was Fabio's and my inquiry while observing it.)
I want to stay in this hotel! Isn't it dreamy?
This is the castle...if you look closely, you can see it's foundation is leaning on both sides!
A view of the Altstadt from a castle window.
This is one of the old city wall towers left.
6 comments:
It appears that Switzerland (specfically Lug) has a new unofficial PR - Emalei!
All looks fantastic...
Nice...when I was a kid we visited a place called Solvang in Calif. A little town, trying to pay homage to its Swiss/Danish ancestors. Its nice to see they did a decent job. These pics remind me of that place, at least a little.
Why can't I live in Switzerland?
I'm starting to save my pennies right now for airfare, a few nights at that dreamy little hotel, and a guided tour (by you guys, of course!).
Hey Collette, I heard on The Today Show this morning that altho most major airlines will be cutting back on their domestic flights next week the same is not true of international flights due to international treaties that won't allow them to. (Em's dad could probably give you ALL the details.) As a result, this particular industry consultant said now would be a good time to fly to Europe, etc.
However, from the sounds of things, once there it ain't cheap. If they charge for water with dinner imagine what they charge for dinner on the water. But I'm thinking the view would be worth it. Maybe Fabio can treat Emalei to the dinner cruise for her upcoming half-birthday and then she can let all of us know if it's worth it.
I am loving Zug from a distance. How are the temps there? It looks a little overcast; is that normal this time of year? Is this anywhere near where Fabio served his mission? Are you planning to study a new language or do you think you'll be ok with English only for now?
Keep the pics and descriptives coming. Have you told us large Zug is?
Aunt Beth
Makes me want to visit for SURE!!!
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