"Meet Claudia at 8:30 in lobby".
So, we did. Claudia was our guide for the day and she was excellent, filling us in on what make Luzern special and what life was like for her family.
First, we did a walking tour around the city
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| Culture Center (aka Opera House) with Mt Pilatus in background |
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| Downtown Luzern |
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| St. Leodegar in the Courtyard |
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| Lion Monument - dedicated to Swiss mercenaries who died fighting for French King |
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| Historic clock works from clock tower |
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| Clock tower in city wall |
Luzern's wall was built mostly for show and less for protection. Walls were less useful as weapon technology improved, but if a city wanted a good reputation, they needed a wall.
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| View from the wall |
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| wall viewers |
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| Wall tower |
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| another wall tower |
The covered bridges in Luzern have historic art work. Various scenes of Death making an appearance.
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| Reuss River drains the lake and level is controlled by a dam that constricts the flow, seen here. |
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| Spreuer Bridge over the Reuss |
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| Um...relief alfresco |
Scenes along the river
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| Iconic Kappellbrucke |
The walking tour ended and we headed for the lake boat. It will take us to Alphachstad and the cog wheel train to the top of Mt. Pilatus - the world's steepest.
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| Top of Mt. Pilatus as seen from town. |
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| We're on a boat! |
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| Headed for Alpnachstad |
When we got to Alpnachstad, we found out there was a two hour wait for out train. It was a national holiday and everyone and their cousin was out doing things, including Mt. Pilatus.
So, we sat down and had a lunch at the small restaurant nearby.
It was worth the wait.
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| The crowd at the cog wheel railroad |
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| Lunch! |
Finally, on the train. They run the railroad by fleeting, loading several trains and running them one right behind each other. They bunch up at the one passing siding on the route.
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| Chasing us up the hill |
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| Waiting to pass trains heading down the mountain. |
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| Passing |
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| The chase continues... |
Nearing the top of the mountain
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| Me at the top |
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| Mt. Pilatus |
When we started the day, the top of Pilatus was clear, but, by afternoon, clouds had rolled in. But, waiting several minutes, there were some nice gaps in the clouds and we could see all the way back to Luzern.
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| A peak through the clouds toward Luzern |
The way down was by a couple of aerial cable cars. The first was larger cars and the second had 4 seaters.
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| On the way down in the cable car |
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| Looking back up toward the top |
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| Change cable cars |
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| The ride the rest of the way down |
At the bottom we walked a bit to be able to grab as bus back to downtown Luzern.
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| Drinking water fountain - Bernese style! |
We walked around town for a bit before heading to dinner.
The river is lined with outdoor dining spots
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| Jesuit Church |
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| No clue. But he doesn't look happy. |
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| City scene - shopping |
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| Jesuit Church exterior |
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| Lots of fancy, story-telling art work adorns many buildings |
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| Clock tower |
Finally, we ate dinner outdoors at a nice "touristy" restaurant.
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| Aperol spritz, anyone? Cheers! |
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| Our dinner spot. |
After dinner, a stroll along the lakefront - looking for gelato.
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| Lake scene as the sun sets |
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| Evening view from the hotel |
Walking, boat, train, cable cars (2x) and a bus. That's enough for one day.
Tomorrow, tour says "Day at Leisure". We'll see about that!
