Day 17 – 6/3

Lucerne – Mt. Pilatus

This morning we took a short walking tour of Lucerne . We stopped at a huge statue of a lion with a spear in its back. It is to commemorate the soldiers who died defending Marie Antoinette. Next we walked to the center of town for souvenir shopping. We also got two free collectable spoons from local gift shops. I had to go back and get mine later because I did not know about them and did not bring my vouchers.

I picked up a sandwich for lunch. It was a tomato, mozzarella an basil panini and it was one of the best things I've eaten since I've been here.

Around noon, we boarded a ferry to Mt. Pilatus. People used to believe that Mt. Pilatus was inhabited by dragons and haunted by the ghost of Pontius Pilate. It was forbidden to climb the mountain until an exorcism.

The views of the Swiss Alps and the surrounding towns from the boat were absolutely amazing. I have so many pictures to upload when I get home. The water in Lake Lucerne was so clean and blue. Everything was so beautiful!

When we arrived at the base of the mountain, we took a train to the top. The track was originally built in the 1800s and most of it is still original. Again the views as we ascended the mountain were beautiful!

The weather conditions today were rare for spring. The top of the mountain was above the cloud line. So as you looked out from the top, you could see the Alps surrounded by the milky ocean, as the call it, of clouds. The view was absolutely breathtaking. Pictures will never do it justice.

To descend back down the mountain, we took a cable car that was specially designed for the Mt. Pilatus. It is the steepest in the world at 48 degrees. We stopped at the second level from the top to toboggan down part of the mountain. Its supposed to be a thrilling attraction, similar to the luge in the Olympics. Unfortunately, it was closed today. We continued down the mountain in another cable car until we reached the stop where the bus was meeting us.