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  Lucerne with Bob, Anna, Loren and Pam We left the Herja the morning of May 26th. Paul & Shirley headed for the Italian lakes and Loren, Pam, Ann & I were bused to Lucerne in central Switzerland. We stayed at the Radisson a block from lake Lucerne. Since we got there at 10 am and our rooms weren't ready, Viking had a walking tour arranged for us. Tucked between the lake and the Swiss Alps, it is a very picturesque city.     We had lunch on our own and then headed out for another stroll around town. There were many colorful store and restaurant fronts. We were told there is not much crime in Switzerland. All males are required to spend one year in military service and continue with training. They all have they're military rifle at home. If they don't want to do military service, they are required to spend 2 years in community service. The murder rate is very low. But the teen suicide rate is high. This seems to be because of the system of test they mus...
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May 30, 2025 Homeward bound Lago Maggiore from the air What a day!  Up at 2:00 AM to clean up and do the final packing. At 3:00 Conny knocked at our door and we schlepped the luggage down to the lobby.  She had a breakfast bag (more like a feast) for each of us! We said our goodbyes and were loaded into a black Mercedes Van to take us the 45 minutes to the Milan Airport. Checking in was a breeze, the airport was very unbusy. We made our way through security and were at the gate before the coffee shop opened.  We finally got our coffee at 5:30. The Milan airport is not huge, but it is big. Our gate was just a door to a waiting bus which took us to our plane. We had good seat and were off on time with our luggage verified by the Lufthansa app. We had a great view of Lago Maggiore as we hopped over the Alps to Frankfort. In the picture we can identify the 2 Islands we visited and the approximate area of our hotel.  It is a treasured picture. Frankfor...
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  May 28, 2025 Weather clear and low 70’s Good morning! After a good breakfast (and a restful night) we boarded the bus to Lago Orta, another glacial lake in the series here in Northern Italy. We were treated to outstanding views along the way. Church with a view Because of the mountains, the route took a little over an hour and we were de-bussed in Pella.  There we boarded a water taxi to the Isola di San Giulio, or the Island of Saint Julian.  The Isola di San Giulio He was a Fourth Century missionary monk here in the North.  The legend has it that the island in the lake Orta was inhabited by a dragon and many snakes. St Julian spread his cloak on the lake and with his staff as an oar, paddled out to the Island, killed the dragon and told the snakes to leave, which they did. St Julian’s Legend St. Julian was credited with building 99 churches and when he got to this island, he determined it would be his last, the 100 th . There is archeological evidence o...
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  May 27, 2025 Weather partly cloudy and 70’s Sunrise over Lake Maggiore We were up at 6 to get ready for a full day of adventuring.  It stormed during the night, so that made everything greener and more conducive to touring. The breakfast was good, typical European buffet. They had a machine that made fresh squeezed orange juice and a device that injected Pistachio or chocolate crème into a croissant.  Going on an adventure After breakfast we met our guide at 8:30 and boarded a boat to Isola Bella.  This is the home of the Borromeo Family. Yes, that Charles Borromeo who was so instrumental at the Council of Trent. There was a painting of him as a little boy in the palace.  For Palace it was. The unassuming outside Model of the campus We walked through many rooms each in the baroque style of the times. We took a lot of pictures. Here are some: The Music Room Napoleon slept here One of a series of rooms they called caves Another picture in the cave...
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