Goodbye Switzerland, Hello France

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On my free day last week I decided to take the train from Engelberg to Lucerne to take in some art. Lucerne is generally known for its music- Richard Wagner lived there for several years and they have a great concert tradition there. I had an agenda, however that involved seeing art. I packed a simple lunch of bread, cheese and salami and just barely made the 8:45 train from Engelberg to Lucerne.

The hour long ride was beautiful and I really enjoyed seeing so many community gardens in the little towns along the way. When I got to Lucerne I made my way to the Rosengart collection on Pilatusstrasse. The Collection was the life's work of art dealers Sigfried and Angela Rosengart. The father-daughter team focused mainly on modern artists like Picasso, Chagall, Klee and Braque. Their collection of Klee's paper works traces the development of the artist over a thirty year period. The collection's treatment of the work is fascinating. The Klee works are hung in order by year, and it really is interesting to see the language Klee developed in his artwork over time. I found that many of the Texas Modern painters of the 1950s and 1960s to have taken cues from some of Klee's work. My favorite piece, however was the one that the design of our engagement rings was adapted from. It was overwhelming to see that small beautiful piece so far from home. The musem was relatively quiet and I took my time there. I paused after about 2 hours to have lunch near the river that flows through the heart of Lucerne. After a quick bite I was back at the museum and used the afternoon to look at the works of Picasso, Kandinsky, Chagall and other notable modern painters. Finally, after nearly five hours in the museum (it really is a small collection, I just took a lot of time) I emerged from the cool rooms of the former Banc Suisse building and into the sunlight of Lucerne. I did a bit of shopping and bought a kelly green shirt from H & M, plus a pair of satin flats. I met up with some of my students returning home and took the train back to Engelberg.

That night, we all enjoyed a meal at a traditional swiss restaurant, and I had Rosti, a dish that featured scalloped potatoes, eggs and more cheese. Yum!

We were all a little sad to say goodbye to Switzerland, but were excited about our next day and our trip to France.

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