Mt. Pilatus

  Lucerne, Switzerland
Saturday, June 30, 2007

Up for breakfast and down the mountains to the city of Lucerne for some free time.  I am not feeling well at breakfast, even though this is probably the best spread we have seen yet.  I manage to get down some food, but the queasiness increases as the morning progresses.  A couple of folks on the trip have not been feeling well and I hope that I am not contracting anything from them.  It's a side thought, really.  I know exactly what has me queasing and I am trying very hard to control it.
 
Despite my stomach issues, in Lucerne I decide to get going to find the famed Lion Monument that was carved into the side of a stone wall in 1820/1821, commemorating the Swiss heroes who gave their lives at the Tuileries in Paris in 1792.

05 Lion Monument

I'll have to look up that event; I'm not very familiar with it.  Even though I have a map that I refer to regularly, I end up way past the monument and a lovely local lady notices my confusion and asks if I need help.  She speaks English well, and has me walk with her up a hill so she can point me in the right direction. 
 
The lion is quite impressive, I must say.  It is a bit melancholy as well.  If you look at the photo, you can see that it is a slain lion.  Not the way lions are typically portrayed and it touches you if you are into that kind of thing.
 
After my visit with the lion of death, I walk back towards town and up a street to find the famed Musegg Wall and its towers.  I find it, but the wall is fairly covered by other buildings on this side and it's not very interesting to look at.  I wind my way back down the hill and into the city center where the hustle and bustle is taking place.  My stomach is still not settled, but the walk and some alone time helped.  I am looking forward to the ride on the ferry on the lake, especially since the sun is coming out and it's proving to be a beautiful day.

06 Lucerne from the Dock

 
We meet at our scheduled time and location and hop the boat at Pier 2 to go around Vierwaldstattersee where I meet a lovely local couple with a very mellow Fox Terrier named Timmy.  We strike up a conversation and it turns out the gentleman is a transplant from New York who moved here 14 years ago and his wife is from Germany.  They are on their way across the lake to visit an organic farm and get some fruit.  They share their cherries with me. 
 
From the boat we take the steepest train in the world (sometimes at slopes of 45-48 degrees!) up the side of Mt. Pilatus.  It is one of the stunning mountains surrounding Vierwaldstattersee.  At the top there is a visitor center, a shop (of course) and some trails you can hike to various parts of the mountain.

15 Fortress

You can actually hike up the mountain from the bottom as well, but I imagine that is an all day affair, if not longer.  I decide to hike the 40 minute trail to the very tip top of the mountain.  The views of the lake from there are stunning.  The other side is not visible because it is completely socked in with clouds.  I generally do not have a fear of heights, but looking out over the edge the abyss of white fluffy cotton sends chills all the way to my toes.
 
After my venture to the other side, I work my way back to the visitor center and up the stairs to another look-out point.  From there I can watch a fellow with a parasail and a harness prepare to launch himself off the side of the mountain.  This practice is sort of like hang gliding, but the person sits in a sort of harness instead of being stretched out stomach down, and apparently there is a little motor that propels the person.  Very cool.  I add this onto my list of things to try someday.
 
After the walk to the top, I descend and run into Tiago, who is trying to round everyone up to get them on the gondolas for the descent down the mountain.  There are some stragglers and I can tell he is a little stressed, but it all works out in the end.  We make it down the mountain in our various pieces and the ride is just lovely.  There are two: the first is a high-speed gondola that holds 40 people and gets down in 5 minutes to the next gondola that holds only 4 people and takes 15 minutes back down to Lucerne. 

26 Gondola

SO beautiful.  I think one of my favorite things is that there are cows grazing on the hillside and you can hear the bells they wear around their necks tinkling as you ride.  

29 Swiss Cattle

I could even hear them through the clouds from the top of the mountain.  They have a distinct sound... much sweeter than the typical cowbells you think of from home.  It's like music.  It's Swiss.