How I Got There I travelled to Lucerne from San Marino with a few stops along the way. My first train was back to Bologna for 10 euros and took 1 hour. From Bologna I went to Milan for 43 euros. This train was also 1 hour. I stopped in Milan for lunch before purchasing tickets to Lucerne for 88 euros, with one change in Lugano. The train to Lugano from Milan took 1 hour 20 minutes and from Lugano to Lucerne was roughly 2.5 hours. My total journey time was about 6 hours, but with the sightseeing stops along the way, it seemed like nothing. I could travel the train around Europe forever! There is so much beauty to be seen from the train and it’s really nice just watching the world pass by as I’m on my way to my next destination. Accomodation Barabas Luzern The hotel I stayed at is in a very central location and is within walking distance to all of the center cities major attractions. The hotel is an ancient prison that has been renovated to a modern hotel. The hotel has 60 different prison cells offering single, double, and family rooms with a private bathroom. The library, offering a large amount of crime novels, is also bookable as a hotel room. Attached to the hotel is a Japanese restaurant called Izakaya Nozomi. The hotel staff is only on site from 7AM to 11PM. After that, I had to use my room key to enter the building. The only real big downfall to the hotel is that the rooms are very small, but I should’ve expected that for it being a jail cell. The prison was opened as the region’s first real prison in 1862. Until that time, most of the convicts were locked up in monasteries or towers. This new prison provided 55 cells, five of them especially for women. The prison closed in 1998 and was transformed into the hotel in 2018. Lucerne Town Hall This Renaissance-style building is worth visiting especially for the lively atmosphere of the surrounding marketplace. Chapel Bridge The Kapelbrucke is a covered wooden footbridge spanning the River Reuss diagonally. Named after the nearby St. Peter’s Chapel, the bridge is unique in containing a number of interior paintings dating back to the 17th century, although many of them were destroyed along with a larger part of the centuries-old bridge in a 1993 fire. Subsequently restored, the Chapel Bridge is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, as well as the world’s oldest surviving truss bridge. It serves as the city’s symbol and as one of Switzerland’s main tourist attractions. Jesuitenkirche Lucerne’s Jesuit Church is the first large baroque church built in Switzerland north of the alps. It is an expression of the Catholic Church’s 17th century struggle to regain spiritual leadership in the counter-reformation. Lucerne sees itself as the capital of the Catholic fraction of Switzerland in pre-modern times. Today, Jesuit Church is a major tourist attraction and serves as a concert hall while it has become almost irrelevant to local church life from a religious point of view. Spreuer Bridge The Spreuer Bridge is one of the two covered wooden footbridges in the city. Water Spike The water spike is a needle dam, which is designed to maintain the level of flow of a river through the use of thin “needles” of wood. The needles are leaned against a solid frame and are not intended to be water-tight. Individual needles can be added or removed by hand to constrict the flow of the river. Musegg Wall The Musegg Wall is part of the town fortification system. From April through October, you can walk along the wall to get a better view of the city. Since I went in December, I could only wall along the wall from below. Lion Monument The Lion Monument, or the Lion of Lucerne, is a rock relief designed by Bertel Thorvaldesen and hewn in 1820 by Lukas Ahorn. It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris. It is one of the most famous monuments in Switzerland, visited annually by 1.4 million tourists. In 2006, it was placed under Swiss monument protection. Mark Twain praised the sculpture of a mortally wounded lion as “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world.” Other Recommendations Since I was only in Lucerne for a day and it was super foggy, I did not get to experience much of the beauty that I saw when doing my research. One thing that I would do if I went back would be the Hammetschwant Lift, which is the highest exterior elevator in Europe. It connects a rock path overlooking Lake Lucerne. I would also go to Hedegg Castle, Meggenhorn Castle, or take a cruise on the lake if it were warm enough.
When booking a safari in Tanzania, you should do your research in order to get the best price. Majority of the guides are offering the exact same packages, but will vary in prices. For example, Tanzania Host Experience (partners with IVHQ and Tanzania Volunteer Experience) charge a ton compared to other companies. They know that they have incoming volunteers every two weeks so know they can profit a lot by marketing at the orientation. I did a 3-day (2 night) safari that had the same inclusions for about $400 cheaper than what they would charge for 4 people. Instead of paying $970, we paid $580 per person. It was unfortunate that we weren’t in the big group with the rest of the volunteers going that weekend, but $400 is a huge difference! The price included park fees to Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater, campsite fees, camping equipment (tent, sleeping bag, mattress, pillow), a professional driver/guide, transportation in a 4-person safari jeep, cook, and all meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner – which I may add were delicious!). We contacted Aron on WhatsApp at +255 757 522 522 and setup a meeting on the Tuesday before we went. Our tour guide was Moses and you can contact him on WhatsApp at +255 764 688 005. We also met him the Friday before we went. The company is currently working on a website. However, they have been safari tour guides for about 10 years. We read good reviews of Aron online and also heard about him from volunteers from another organization in Arusha. I recommend contacting them in advance to discuss itinerary and prices and then booking after you arrive and compare other local companies. Although I wasn’t with the large group of volunteers that went through THE, I enjoyed having a small group for this experience. It certainly had its benefits. For one, the car ride was much more spacious. We also could make more requests to the guide with a smaller group instead of trying to please 15+ people. However, if you do go in a large group, most of the vehicles will end up splitting off anyways so it will still be enjoyable. Day 1: Arusha to Serengeti On the first morning, we were picked up at our accommodation in Arusha and headed straight for Serengeti National Park. On the way, we stopped to pick up our cook, camping supplies, and food and then at African Galleria in Manyara for a quick bathroom and coffee break. This is a professional gallery that deals in antiques, art, Tanzanite and other gems, clothing, custom made jewelry, and additional souvenirs that you can purchase. The total drive to the Serengeti park entrance took about 7 hours. Once we arrived, we had lunch at the park entrance while our guide got our park entrance pass. While eating lunch, you will see lots of beautiful birds and amphibians. You will also realize how many rats scurry around scavenging for food. After you are finished eating, you can take a 5-minute hike uphill to get a great view of the Serengeti plains. The Serengeti is one of the most famous parks in Africa and is synonymous with wildlife and classic African scenery. It is Tanzania’s oldest park and a Unesco World Heritage Site. It is home to the spectacular wildebeest migration and offers top-class wildlife viewing throughout the year. After lunch, we put the jeep roof up and departed on our first afternoon game drive! We spent several hours getting excited by each and every animal that we came across. Be warned that you will get very very sandy/dusty! I recommend bringing sunglasses, a safari hat, or anything else to shield your eyes and face from the sand. As the sun was setting, we arrived at our campsite and set up the tents while dinner was being prepared. The dinner was phenomenal! Our cook, Kagere, made some delicious meals! Our meals included popcorn or peanuts to start, followed by soup and bread. Our main courses included meat, salad, pasta, quiche, and French fries. For dessert was a platter of fruit. The meals that I had this weekend were the best I had during the entire month I was in Tanzania. Shout out to Kagere!! I was pretty impressed by the campsite facilities. There is one building where the chefs do the cooking and another building for visitors to eat. Table and chairs will be provided by your tour guide. There are also western toilets and shower facilities available, which I was not expecting. However, you will need to bring your own toilet paper (this goes for pretty much everywhere in Tanzania). There are also mirrors in the bathrooms. Camping in the Serengeti is an incredible experience! After dinner, two of my friends saw a leopard not far from the bathroom facility. A guide was shining a torch on it. Be sure to take a few moments to look up at the sky and admire the starry night sky. In the middle of the night, we heard hyenas and lions. Don’t worry too much because there is always someone on patrol throughout the night. Day 2: Serengeti to Ngorongoro Breakfast is served at 6:30AM so that you can set out on your morning game drive right away and watch the sun rise over the Serengeti. We drove around for several more hours seeing different animals than we had on our first game drive. Anytime that you wish to stop, you can just let your guide know. If you didn’t see any big animals yet, their goal will be to find them for you. This is the morning that I got my favorite shot of a male lion walking up on a hill with a hot air balloon rising up behind him in the background. It was a magical moment! After the morning game drive, we went back to the campsite to have lunch and load up the car with all of our camping equipment. After
