After a good night's rest we woke up this morning with rain still in the area. We glad to see the Morris' who arrived last night from Venice. Also good to see the Hashs' and Griffins' who were already in Lucerne. After breakfast the most hardy and adventurous of us left to meet our guide who led us to the main railroad station, where we took the short bus ride to Kriens to begin our day's adventure: traveling up in the panoramic gondolas that carried us up 7000 feet to Oberhaupt, the summit of Mt. Pilatus. Actually the summit was another short hike. The views of the alpine meadows and mountain streams, perhaps even thinking of Heidi, were spectacular, even with the fog and rain!
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| Grandaughter and Group Leader ascending to Mt. Pilatus |
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| The view from the Gondola |
Mt. Pilatus, by the way, was so named because (a) ancient Roman governor Pontius Pilate was rumored to have been buried there, or (b) it resembles the belly of a large man (perhaps Pilate) lying on his back - depending on which local legend you believe! After lunch, the decent to Alpnachstad on the world's steepest cogwheel railway with a gradient of 48% was amazing if not just a little scary, we took a boat ride across the lake back to Lucerne.
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| Cogwheel Railway Station |
We had free time to explore Lucerne's old town called Alstadt. It's narrow cobblestone streets that lead to centuries old buildings painted with frescoes; the Kappelbrücke (Chapel Bridge), a covered wooden footbridge dating back to the 1330s (rebuilt after a fire in 1993), with an octagonal water tower that was once used as a prison; picturesque squares like the Kornmarkt, Weinmarkt and Hirschenplatz; and the iconic Lion Monument, honoring the Swiss mercenaries who lost their lives during the French Revolution.
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| Chapel Bridge |
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| Lion Monument |
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| Restaurant in Altstadt (Old Town) |
And a typical cheese fondue dinner in Lucerne, so touristy! But a good plan some of us think!
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| Fondue and Toast! |
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