Switzerland's Lucerne: A picturesque town that is carnival of old and new

Town amalgamates traditional Switzerland of quaint riverfronts with modernistic performance venues

A vague feeling of disbelief overcomes me as I walk across the old Chapel Bridge in Lucerne. Beyond lie the lovely Swiss Alps, and beneath, the River Reuss glows in all hues of jade. With wooden gables painted with ancient frescos, extravagant masses of petunias flanking its sides and a riverfront lined with traditional buildings, the wooden bridge seems to draw me into the pages of a fairytale.

How can a place be this picturesque? The disbelief lingers as we cross over to have a late lunch at the old Rathaus brewery, hungry after a morning of lazy hiking in the