Our packs were starting to feel heavier, there were more people on the streets, and the sun was getting hotter. But all was well because we had seen what we wanted to see, so we went back to the train station and found the next train bound for Luzern. While we were waiting for this train, a woman asked me (Merilee) if I needed help because I was looking around. In all honesty, I probably looked lost and pathetic! What a nice woman for stopping to ask if I needed assistance. We thanked her and assured her that despite all evidence to the contrary we did actually know where we needed to be. :)

Because of our age (being older than 25) we have to ride first class with our Eurail Pass . But that turned out to be rather nice. The car was sparsely populated and marked as a quiet zone. This suited us fine. We watched out the window as the countryside and towns alternated before us. Sometimes we would go through dark tunnels and our ears would pop with the pressure. Announcements came over the speaker in friendly tones, first in German and later in English. One thing I noticed, first in Zurich and then again in between Zug and Luzern, is what looks to be a community garden, but with lots of little buildings on it. They look too small to be dwellings, but to call them sheds makes them seem industrial and impersonal. I will have to see if I can get a picture when we go back through to Zurich.

By the time we got to Lucerne we were very hungry, and decided that it didn't really matter what the local time was, we needed to eat some lunch. We went to the Hug Bakery and splurged on sitting by the waterfront and being waited on. We both got club sandwiches and fries. (Feeling more hungry than adventurous, at this point.) We drank a Sprite and lots of water.

We had talked about using our Eurail Pass to cruise around the lake a bit, but were feeling pretty tired at this point and opted to head for our hostel and see if we could drop off our bags at the very least. (We weren't supposed to be able to check in until a few hours later, at 4pm). We wanted to pay cash for our room to avoid fees, but because of our unexpected lunch splurge, we didn't have the cash on hand anymore . We looked for a Bancomat (ATM) as we walked across town to the Backpacker's Hostel. By the time we got there, we still had not found anywhere to get cash, so we continued looking. Finally we decided to go see if we could find the gal that works at the hostel and see if she could give us directions to an ATM.

God bless her soul! When we stepped in and told her that we needed to know where to get cash she said, "First you need a place to put your bags, no? The cash is not the first thing you need." And boy was she right! She went on to tell us that we could not check in now, the office was not open, so we could not pay now. She would give us the keys to our room and our sheets, and we would pay later. Besides feeling certain that this woman was a saint, I instantly overcame my hesitancy about the shower being "down the hall" and helped myself to all the conveniences my deposit (driver's license) had just secured for me. After a nap, we were starting to feel downright human again! ;)

We decided it was time for dinner and tried our hand a second time at grocery shopping . This time we focused on individual ingredients instead of pre-packaged food, and were able to come back to the hostel with a baguette, some prosciutto (ham), fresh cherries and a bar of Swiss dark chocolate. While we were shopping a thunderstorm had rolled in, and we walked "home" in the rain. I was thrilled that it was cooling off a bit. When we got back, we helped ourselves to the kitchen cutting board and knife to cut up the baguette, and then sat down to our meal.

While enjoying our dinner we decided to FaceTime my parents who are visiting the Lipperts down in Mississippi. It was so nice to see familiar faces and have a quick chat with them! If any of you want to FaceTime or Skype us, send us an iMessage or an email and if we have access to WiFi we would love to chat!

After I had washed up the borrowed plates and labeled our leftover ham for storage in the common refrigerator, we went for a walk in the park just across the street . While there were less sunbathers than there had been in the afternoon, there were still plenty of people picnicking, swimming, biking, and even a gal slack rope walking. I toyed with the idea of Geocaching some, but there were lots of Muggles around, so I gave it up.

All in all, I think we have done well and made the most of our first day. :) But lest you think that it was all sunshine and photo opps: despite my best efforts at trying to stay hydrated I've been dealing with dizziness most of the day, Bryan managed to scratch his eye which bothered him for a number of hours, my legs broke out in hives for goodness knows what reason, and at different points throughout the day we were both hot and exhausted. We experienced difficulty getting dairy-free food for me first on the flight and then reading German labels at the Coop (a grocery store). I stood on the wrong side of the escalator (the right side is for standing still - the left side is for passing), Bryan had difficulty opening the door on the train, and I forgot to weigh my produce and print out a label before going to the busy checkout line. I don't think either of us used any German phrases today as we'd planned... but tomorrow is a brand new day and we will get to start it out in Europe with a full night's rest. I am sure it will make a world of difference. Since, in spite of all these little things we managed to have a great day, I am even more excited for the rest of our trip to come!

I had actually stayed in this Hostel before back in 2003. I had remembered it being clean and quiet, so it seemed like a good place for our first stay. Despite it being a hostel, we had a private room, although with two single beds. Hostels really aren't ideal from a privacy standpoint, but they fit our budget and are often as comfortable as any hotel or B&B. They usually offer one huge perk - a kitchen. In all of the hostels we stayed in we were able to use the kitchen to prepare meals and really save on our food budget. This worked out great early on in our trip when we were being really careful about our spending.