Mt. Rigi, Swiss Cows and Dinner on Lake Lucerne

When you set out to visit Switzerland, you think first of the Alps--the mountains. (Well, maybe chocolate. Cheese. Swiss Army knives.) Since arriving in Lucerne, we had taken every opportunity to stand on our hotel balcony and look at the mountains: Mt. Pilatus to our right, and Mt. Rigi on our left. We took endless pictures of the mountains.

Mt. Pilatus

Today, we would visit Mt. Rigi and finally get "up close and personal" with a Swiss mountain. Finishing our lunch on the Ruess, we walk to the train station, and take a train to Arth-Goldau, and then transfer to the Rigi Bahn, the oldest cog railway in Europe (1871). Stopping just short of the top, we get off the train to take an easy hike through the fields and countryside before re-connecting with a separate line going down the backside of the mountain, taking us along a different route and to Vitznau on Lake Lucerne.




The center "rail" is for the cog on the
 railcars which prevents gravity from taking over on the steep climb and descent.

We start our hike

The weather was perfect. Clear, warm but not hot. The view was everything we'd imagined. As the path wound around, we heard them before we saw them: The cow bells! 

As Swiss dairy farmers send their cattle up to higher pastures in the summer, they use the bells to help keep track of the cows. But they are also symbolic. In Alpine cow culture, the best cows get the biggest, most impressive bells. Some of the bells are enormous! And the gentle sound of 15 or 20 bells all ringing in harmony has to be heard to be appreciated. We will never forget it.

Along our walk, we came to a field where we were able to come very close to the cows, and take these photos and video. We concluded that this must be "the most famous cow in the world" as she has ended up in thousands of tourists' photo albums! She seemed quite content to let us add her to ours too!

Of course, we brought home a souvenir cow bell to remind us of the beautiful music made by Swiss cows!

After our leisurely hike, we came to the train station where we would ride the cog railway back down Mt. Rigi on our way to the lakeside and Vitznau. While we waited for the train, we had the chance to visit a lovely little chapel tucked into a grotto in the rock. The spring outside the entrance is said to have healing powers.

We caught our first glimpse of para-gliders soaring and drifting in the updrafts. David was ready to sign up; Peggy wasn't so sure! You will see them more clearly in the embedded video below.

In Vitznau, we were able to see the cars on the roundhouse turntable getting ready to turn around and head back up the mountain.

But it was time now to board a paddlewheel boat to return to Lucerne. The boat, which is actually a side-wheeler, is over 100 years old and well maintained. We enjoyed our catered dinner of fresh fish and salad aboard and had time to see the other activity on Lake Lucerne as we made our way back to downtown.

It had been a LONG day, and we had now only to grab the bus, and then take our "easy walk--10 minutes--no problem" up the switchback hill to Hotel Royal.

We had to pack up and get ready for our first transfer, as we were headed to Interlaken the next morning!

Today's trip: Lucerne to Mt. Rigi to Vitznau and then across the lake back to Lucerne.

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Lucerne Old City Tour

After enjoying our new-found breakfast lifestyle, Day 3 started off with Andrea John giving us information on the history and political system of Switzerland. For those not familiar with it, the Swiss political system is strongly patterned on the American Constitution and Government, albeit with some modifications to suit their particular international situation.

Switzerland's Cantons

Swiss vote on everything - and often. Whatever laws are proposed, the Cantons must approve and that is done by mail and/or in-person votes by the citizens at the polls. If there is no majority by the Cantons, the law dies; if approved, it takes effect in the normal course of the schedule proposed in the bill. There are drawbacks as with any political system; however, the bright side of things, as it were, is the fact that there are consequences. Readily apparent is the system of approval by its citizens even though organizations and businesses may try to influence a particular proposal. In Switzerland, the people talk and the government listens.

One example of the independence exercised by the Cantons is that it took until 1971 for women to have voting rights country-wide, in part because of resistance from two of its smallest, most conservative Cantons.

Switzerland is well known for being staunchly neutral when it comes to international affairs, and despite pressure, does not participate in the European Union. However, this does not mean that the Swiss are not concerned with their own defense. Take a moment and look at the country through David's eyes. Those who know his background will gain some insight into its military history and present day standing.  In the early ages, young men of families often hired out to various clans, tribes and monarchs. To avoid combat with fellow countrymen, these paid conscripts came up with an emblem to distinguish themselves versus a member of opposing forces. Thus was born the Swiss white cross on a red background, now the country's national symbol.

While traveling, we did note the presence of the military. Numerous airfields dot valleys with widely spaced earthen covered bunkers for ammunition storage. Bridges carried wiring conduits which ended, apparently going nowhere. Pre-wired explosive charges. Small units practiced with their version of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle equipped with a 30mm cannon. Doors of various types are set into many mountainsides leading to caverns carved out for military defense.  Daily air patrols are flown to border limits by fixed and rotary wing aircraft.  In fact, during both World Wars, Germany was bluntly told that should they consider attacking Switzerland or through Switzerland that they would pay a terrible price. Their words were heeded by everyone; Switzerland remains neutral to this day. The embedded short video tells the story more completely (and gives you a quick preview of our future stop in Interlaken.)!

After our morning "class," we set out, following the duck, on our tour of the Old City of Lucerne.

Andrea pointed out the oldest house in the city, a wooden chalet so typical of Swiss architecture.

Next, we visited the "Lion Memorial" which pays tribute to those mercenary soldiers who were killed defending Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI during the French Revolution.

The translation is "Glacier Garden" and "Lion Memorial"

Probably the most iconic image of Lucerne is the Chapel Bridge which dates to the 14th century, although today's bridge is a restored version that was built when the old bridge was heavily damaged in a fire. The medieval paintings on the roof supports show the history of the city, but also reflect life's precariousness given the Black Plague with a series showing death visiting the citizens of the town, regardless of their station.

The highlight of our tour was our visit to the Jesuit Church, built in the late 17th century as part of the ongoing struggle for dominance between the Roman Catholic church and the Protestant Reformation. Of course, David's background at a Jesuit seminary made it of interest, and its Baroque elegance is stunning, but what really took our breath away was the accidental discovery that a choir was rehearsing in the sanctuary as we visited, and their voices filling the space were--literally--heavenly.

The Jesuit Church is on the left

Along the way, we caught a brief glimpse of a 19th century "Cyclorama" or Panorama painting. We live so close to Gettysburg, and are very familiar with that painting which depicts the famous battle during the American Civil War, but this painting is of an 1871 battle in which General Bourbaki and the French Army crossed the Swiss border during the German French War of 1870-71.

Our last stop of the morning was for lunch in a charming restaurant, Des Alpes, right along the Reuss River where we could catch our breath, enjoy some more delicious Swiss food, and get ready for our afternoon's trip to the top of Mount Rigi. 

That story will wait for another day, but we leave you with a nice overview of Lucerne's Old City.

Lucerne and the Swiss Transport Museum

"The Duck"

Our second day in Switzerland began with lectures on the history of the Cantons (states) after an early breakfast at 0630 hrs. Flakey croissants, butter, jams, sliced meats, cheeses, muesli, strong kaffe, fresh orange juice and pure mountain water fed by glaciers are laid out for our meal. No eggs, bacon and hash browns here; we're in Europe and many of our dining companions have already been up earlier for a morning walk. 

David and Andrea

Two interesting lectures were given by Andrea John, one of our hosts (pictured), and a local retired newspaper reporter, Peter Frey. Covering everything from the banding together of ancient tribes, various alliances and the formation of governments up to the present day, it was both informative and helpful. In our upcoming travels we would experience the four languages of Switzerland; Swiss German, French, Italian and Romansch. Both our presenters, who are Swiss, are so proud of their country, and that enthusiasm is infectious. We can't wait to start discovering!

Debb and Rauati

So we are thankful to take a walk down the hill, following the Duck to the bus stop, and then a quick bus ride to the Swiss Transport Museum. Lunch there reminded us of the Pennsylvania Dutch connection to Switzerland; the potato, apple and pasta casserole was absolutely delicious. 

The museum staff along with our two other leaders, Debb and Rauati, led us through the various displays of rail, bus, boat, and aircraft. Outdoors was a charming children's area with ships to pilot, trucks to move dirt with, and a miniature driving range designed to help kids learn about highways.

Children's activity area

Of course, David, got a chance to operate the train simulator before we left for some free time touring the city shops.

Swiss aircraft history

How do we look as pilot and
flight attendant?

Dozens of vintage vehicles
displayed on gigantic shelves

Getting to various parts of the city is easy, fast and enjoyable. We could take the walking path all along the lake shore; electric buses run every nine or ten minutes; or, if further out, a local train will whisk you into the shopping district.

Mt. Pilatus from our hotel balcony

Lucerne shopping district

One thing you always hear about Switzerland is that it's expensive. Our presenter Peter explained that Swiss salaries are higher than in most of Europe, so if you're Swiss, it evens out. But in American terms, things are a bit pricey! Even a couple of Big Macs and some fries will set you back $40. Our leaders steered us to a couple of the most popular department stores that carry everything from foods to clothing to outdoor patio items and we went there first when we needed to pick up a snack or something simple. We found there is a Migros and a COOP in every town! Of course there are wonderful specialty shops with everything from paper goods, antiques, bakery items, shoes and clothing.

Some of our best experiences came from shopping and sometimes bargaining. A combination of David's German, Peggy's French, the shopkeeper's English and sign language resulted in what would have been a genuine friendship had we stayed in the country. And we got a great price as well!

We ended our day alongside the River Reuse waiting for the bus to take us to our stop for a "short walk--no problem--back to the hotel."

The Chapel Bridge

From time to time, we are going to imbed some short YouTube videos into our narrative. We decided early on that we would try and take pictures of things we wanted to remember, but we would also rely on the "professionals" when that could add to the story.

Today, the Swiss Transport Museum:

Our Tour Begins...

The hardest part of any trip is getting there or getting back. Connections, unruly children (I do love kids and "been there done that.") and equipment breakdowns can set the tone for a miserable vacation if you let it.

Our honeymoon started out great until the gremlin gnome caught up with us. He's the one with the black hat you never see in the ads. Thunderstorms in the area; mechanical problems (twice) with the aircraft left us sitting in our plane for almost four hours on the ramp at Dulles in Washington, D.C. Nonetheless, we finally got underway and were movie-d to death on a lengthy flight across the ocean.

Switzerland was a refreshing contrast! Clean, neat, efficient and signs in at least three languages. We followed those signs to an inter-terminal train, cleared passport control and emerged to find Rauati, one of our Road Scholar leaders, holding up a recognition sign of welcome. Assembled with others arriving from different locations, we had our first introduction to our companions and . . .  The Duck.

Perched atop a small umbrella, the duck led us across the way to our train and first day's destination. Zurich to Lucerne. As we noted throughout our trip, public transportation was the order of the day and literally the best way to get around this beautiful country. 

A short note about Swiss public transportation. When your train or bus is scheduled to depart at 12:01, it leaves at 12:01! Missed your train? Don't worry; another one will be along shortly. Just look up at the convenient sign that tells you exactly how many minutes to the next one (and all the others serving that stop/station) including the end destination. When on the train, look at the automated sign that shows your location, the next stop, and the time to the next destination. Why didn't they think of that back home?

When we got to Lucerne, we first heard the phrase that would become the subtitle for our whole trip: 

"It's just a short walk--10 minutes--to the hotel. A little uphill. No problem." 

We found out that there are two directions in Switzerland but the vast majority of them are "up." 

The Hotel Royal

On arrival at the Hotel Royal, we were given our rooms and had a light lunch. More about cuisine (one of David's favorite pastimes - cooking and eating) a bit later. The afternoon was for unpacking and relaxing before a welcome drink and evening dinner and orientation.

A paddle boat on Lake Lucerne

Lucerne, Switzerland's "Sleeping Beauty" came together in 1291 AD and still functions with buildings that stand from the early 1600's. It sits astride a lake with swans and shuttle boats (part of the Swiss transportation system) fed by the river Reuss with a breathtaking backdrop of the snowcapped peaks of Mt. Rigi and Mt. Pilatus. 

Lucerne's Chapel Bridge

The old city, marked by the Kapellbrücke or Chapel Bridge, blends in with a most modern and thriving metropolis that is as clean and fresh as the mountain air we are breathing. Shops with names of international fashion moguls mix with quaint little bakery and chocolate stores where tantalizing aromas assail our taste buds and beckon us with assortments of gastronomic delights.

The view from the hotel was breathtaking. Someone was watching over us--our weather was gorgeous throughout the trip! Beautiful bright skies and pleasant temperatures enhanced our senses, often taking our breath away as we rounded a curve or crossed a bridge or entered a plaza. 

During dinner, we met the others on the trip, and got a preview of our upcoming itinerary.

Starting with the evening meal, we were introduced to the Swiss healthy lifestyle; salads with light dressing, moderate portions, slices of bread (butter is only served at breakfast) and light desserts of fruit or flan or small portions of ice cream adorned with the Swiss flag symbol. Kaffe here is dark, aromatic and usually taken black or with cream. More often than not, a demitasse of espresso replaces the "cup of Joe" afforded in American diners and restaurants.

Fresh mountain air wafting through open balcony doors and comfortable down filled duvets on our beds lulled us to sleep anticipating fifteen days packed with wondrous sights, sounds, and memories.

Today: Zurich to Lucerne

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