寒假第二份英文作業/06/2019.01.21-2019.02.08/邱申晴

第一週

Lucerne:The Pocket-Sized Switzerland

If you are looking to satisfy your wanderlust and get the most bang for your buck when visiting Switzerland, Lucerne may be your best bet. The city is blessed with colorful buildings and magnificent views of snow-capped mountains—a perfect backdrop for beautiful Lake Lucerne. Its central location also appeals to people who want to explore more of Switzerland and Central Europe.

Lucerne goes crazy for a few days every year for Fasnacht, a Christian celebration known as Carnival in English. Fasnacht is celebrated for three days and has been compared to Mardi Gras in Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans. Unlike these celebrations, it commences on Fat Thursday, which is traditionally the day when Swiss eat the lard from fatty sausages and butter reserves set aside from the winter. It is also the last Thursday before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, a Christian tradition that involves 40 days of fasting.

Fasnacht is when the people of Lucerne love to let their hair down. Guggenmusik marching bands and floats parade down lantern-lit streets while revelers dance and party in bizarre masks and costumes. It is not only a celebration, but also a sure way to scare away the gloomy winter spirits and welcome in spring. Swiss cities like Bern and Basel also celebrate Fasnacht, but many argue that no one does it as well as Lucerne, where the sights and sounds of thousands of participants are guaranteed to give visitors the time of their life.

第二週

Lucerne:The Pocket-Sized Switzerland

When Lucerne is not celebrating Fasnacht, it is a thriving tourism hub drawing people from all over to its picturesque▼ surroundings. It has also been popular among the famous. This is where Germany’s most famous poet and writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, gained inspiration from his regular visits. Queen Victoria, during her reign in the 19th century, also came to Lucerne to escape the burden of ruling the British Empire. To follow in their footsteps, take a walk by the Reuss River. It fills one with a profound sense of nostalgia▼, especially after crossing the Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge), which was built in the 14th century, to the well-preserved, medieval▼ old town.

Kapellbrücke was built to help fortify Lucerne’s defenses and is the oldest wooden footbridge in Europe. In the 17th century, 158 triangular paintings were placed along the interior of the bridge. However, a fire in 1993 destroyed almost the entire bridge. Only 30 of the original paintings could be fully restored. These days, Kapellbrücke and the nearby Water Tower provide Lucerne with an iconic image that has become the city’s most photographed location.

Another landmark is the Lion Monument, an enormous sculpture of a dying lion carved into the face of a cliff. After visiting Lucerne in 1878, Mark Twain, in his autobiographical travel book, A Tramp Abroad, described the monument as “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world.” It was carved between 1820-1821 and commemorates the 800 Swiss Guards who were massacred while guarding the Tuileries Palace during the French Revolution. In the Latin message above the lion, it reads, “To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss.” With so many places to explore and amazing festivals to experience, Lucerne will not disappoint.