Day 10 – Mt Pilatus and Lucerne, Switzerland

What a difference a day makes. Woke up early and decided to take a walk along Lake Lucerne. The clouds were almost covering the mountains, but you could see them trying to peek through. The ducks and swans were still sleeping on the water.

Our Hotel - Grand Hotel Europe

sleeping swans

View of Lucerne

Mute Swans

Today was the day we were going to Mt Pilatus. We boarded a bus to take us to the small village of Kriens. There we got in a small gondola that held four people. We took a 30 minute trip up the mountain.

The mountain is referred to as Dragon Mountain - many myths abound about
Dragons that once flew around the mountain

small four person gondola

route we would take up the mountain

At one point we could hear small bells and realized it was coming from the goats grazing in the pasture below us. Then we heard louder bells that were attached to cows grazing below us. The houses looked like typical Swiss homes nestled in the mountains. The countryside was a lush green. There was a small road winding back and forth below us and we saw groups of people walking up the steep mountain.

We exited the small gondola and got in a larger 30 person gondola that proceeded up the mountain. We had been passing through the clouds, but then we broke through the ceiling and were greeted by the bright sun shining off the snow covered mountain peaks.

cool rainbow surrounding the gondola's shadow

There used to be a hotel here. It burned and only the chapel remains

Finally we arrived at the top. There was a hotel and several restaurants, cafeteria and gift shop. We walked up the stairs and stepped outside. It was Winter!. 32* and at least 4” of snow covered the ground.

There were two trails leaving from the end of the roof. The right one was steep and went to the top by a cross. We chose the less steep, longer path to the left. The steps were snow covered and icy in spots, but there was a guard rail to hang on to. At the end of the path there was a small tunnel through the rock. We tried climbing down the stairs, but they were very icy and we were afraid we wouldn’t be able to get back up. Took a couple pictures looking out the other side. Luckily for us, there were a couple of guys and their kids coming down and they helped pull us up out of the tunnel to the stairs.

Going back down the path, Nan made a snow ball and attempted to throw it at me. Later she was making snowballs and trying to hit people in the tunnel, with no luck.

She then scooped up the snow to make a snowman. I made a snow ball and put in baggy to bring down off the mountain. There were lots of trails all over the mountain below us. We wished that we had had more time to explore, but it was time to go down.

Once back in town, we decided to head downtown to explore. We walked along the Reuss River that flows through town emptying Lake Lucerne. We were told about a restaurant up on the hill, so we decided to find it.

We found the funicular at the base of the hill and it was only a short ride to the top. We sat in the bar and had a drink enjoying the beautiful views.