Decorated hotel facade, Lucerne (backblip)

How to choose the photo of the day when there are 500 of them taken during a wonderful and inspiring escapade?  

There are a great deal of the older houses (as old as the fifteenth century)  which are beautifully decorated. This was my particular favourite because of the warm soft tones that were used. I included a few branches of a nearby tree because it just seemed to blend in so well!
This is the main entrance to the Hotel Waage (Hotel des Balances), the other side of the building overlooks the River Reusse with views on the surrounding mountains. The most well known are Mount Pilatus (2.128m/ 6.982 ft) and Mount Rigi (slightly less high). The views are spectacular.

The English romantic, dare I say 'visionary', painter J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) loved coming to Lausanne to paint. His favourite subject being Mount Rigi.  We were so lucky to be able to visit the Kunstmuseum (art) where there was a wonderful exhibition of Turner's paintings that he painted in Lucerne when he visited many times between 1802 and 1844). There was a huge poster that could be seen from the train station next to the museum saying: "Welcome back Mr Turner".  The artist's works have been lent by the Tate Gallery in London.

Lucerne and the surrounding area is a wonderful place to visit and there is masses more to see and more history to learn. A historic guided tour will be on the agenda and going up one or two of the mountains by cog-wheel train and slightly nerve-wracking suspended cabins called 'Gondolas' !