Luzern

Luzern was my first cultural trip at LAS. Everyone goes on cultural trips twice a year. In the fall we have Swiss Culturals, and for my first trip I went to Luzern. Russ, Tracy and I took a group of 10th and 11th grade girls. The idea is that they learn about the city and its culture. The students keep a journal in which they record what they did, where they want, what they thought and what they learned. They should also include photos, postcards, napkins, tickets, etc. When we get back to LAS, they have a day to work solely on their journals, and then they hand them in to be graded. This is a transcripted grade. So, here is my first LAS Cultural Trip! I don't have very many photos from here because I took most of them on a non-digital camera.

One of the first things we do on a cultural trip is take a guided walking tour of the city. Usually we visit some of the most important places and learn about the different aspects of the city's history. On our walking tour in Luzern, we visited the Jesuit Church. I thought the inside was absolutely beautiful. It wasn't as dark as a lot of churches are. Interesting fact....think that's marble? You would be wrong. It's some kind of plaster mixed with animal blood. To this day they still don't know how they did it to keep it from smelling. Animal blood or not, it was an amazing church.

Below is a picture of the lion monument. A picture truly doesn't do it justice. Before going to Luzern, I researched the city at www.luzern.ch and saw a picture of this monument. I was still astounded when I got there. It is much bigger than I thought it would be. It's a memorial for the Swiss soldiers who gave their lives protecting the French king.

Next door to the Lion Monument is the Glacier Garden. Formed from the pressure of water and rocks under the glaciers that used to be here, this is an interesting place to learn more about glaciers and what happens when they are gone. If you ever get to Luzern, you should see the mirror maze. We had a blast in it!

And last but certainly not least.....my main reason for choosing Luzern as a trip....the WAGNER MUSEUM!!! As soon as I found out it was in Luzern, I selected Luzern as my first choice. I don't have many pics, but I have one of some old bassoons and of the grounds at Tribschen.