Someone on this tour is blessed with some impossibe weather charming skill. Here in Lucerne it has been raining for days right up to this morning when it suddenly went away and the sun shone through. We arrived from Flroence in the early afternoon and caught a slow sunny cruise across the lake landing in Lucerne itself around 4pm. The captain was busy selling his beers throughout the cruise giving Max and Emerson a crack at the helm, Emerson tried to fishtail, but Max righted the course for the dock.

We took in the story of the Lion statue standing across the pond from the magestic carving, 10 years in the making. The statue represents the loyalty and strength of the Swiss guard that were slaughtered in their valiant and unecessary protection of Louis 16th and Marie-Anntoinette.

I'll admit that Lucerne was up there with Mannheim for me, I didn't know what to expect, so I expected very little. This place is gob smackingly pretty. Its a postcard, from the minute you see them the mountains beckon you up. Today as the sun set the orange light tinged the snow across the tops of the mountains, it must inspire thousands to don cape and paintbrush each year.

Tomorrow we're heading up one of the mountains, wahoo!