Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Every which way Luzern (and Pilatus)

 "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

Culture Center (aka Opera House) with Mt Pilatus in background

Downtown Luzern

St. Leodegar in the Courtyard

Lion Monument - dedicated to Swiss mercenaries who died fighting for French King

Historic clock works from clock tower


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.

View from the wall


wall viewers



Wall tower

another wall tower

The covered bridges in Luzern have historic art work.  Various scenes of Death making an appearance.










Reuss River drains the lake and level is controlled by a dam that constricts the flow, seen here.

Spreuer Bridge over the Reuss

Um...relief alfresco

Scenes along the river



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.


Top of Mt. Pilatus as seen from town.  


We're on a boat!

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.


The crowd at the cog wheel railroad





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.

Chasing us up the hill


Waiting to pass trains heading down the mountain.

Passing

The chase continues...



Nearing the top of the mountain







Me at the top

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.



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.


On the way down in the cable car

Looking back up toward the top


Change cable cars

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.  

Drinking water fountain - Bernese style!

We walked around town for a bit before heading to dinner.


The river is lined with outdoor dining spots



Jesuit Church

No clue.  But he doesn't look happy.

City scene - shopping

Jesuit Church exterior

Lots of fancy, story-telling art work adorns many buildings

Clock tower

Finally, we ate dinner outdoors at a nice "touristy" restaurant. 


Aperol spritz, anyone?  Cheers!



Our dinner spot.


After dinner, a stroll along the lakefront - looking for gelato.


Lake scene as the sun sets

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!

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