On Saturday, the principal town squares of Lucerne were packed for the weekly market. Chris went out in search shopping excitement while I was working on the blog update from Mount Pilatus. The weather was perfect and the sidewalks were choked with alfresco diners enjoying the sunshine and blue skies.
View to our accommodation from across the River Reuss
In the afternoon, we joined a boat cruise on Lake Lucerne and listened to a lively commentary (in English) while doing a lap of the lake.
As we were approaching the wharf near the end of our cruise, I was bonked on the head by a wayward selfie stick. It didn’t really hurt but it did spur me on to grab a picture of Chris and myself enjoying the last of the boat cruise and the perfect weather and stunning scenery – and it was also the first selfie of this trip. 🙂
Lake Lucerne boat cruise selfie
Tomorrow we depart Lucerne by bus for Zurich; our final stop on this trip.
As reported in my previous post, Pilatus (Mount Pilatus) overlooks Lucerne and with the weather forecast proposing only -3 deg. C at the summit and blue skies, we set off with scarves, jackets, gloves and beanies excited to see some proper snow and ice.
Other than walking or climbing, you reach the summit (Pilatus Kulm) either via cable-car or via the world’s steepest cogwheel railway. Unfortunately, there was still too much winter ice and snow remaining and the railway was not yet open (in a few more weeks) and so we ascended via the cable-car route.
Annotated map of the Mount Pilatus
[table caption=”Plan of attack for Mount Pilatus” width=”600″ colwidth=”75|250|100|175″ colalign=”center|center|center|center”]
Sector,Transit between,Transit time,Difference in elevation m (feet)
1,Kriens – Krienseredd,10 min,546 (1\,793)
2,Krienseredd – Frakmuntegg,15 min,390 (1\,280)
3,Frakmuntegg – Pilatus Kulm,3.5 min,716 (2\,352)
[/table]
Sector 1 going up 1Sector 1 going up 2
At the end of sector 1, Krienseredd, we left the cable-car. This is an intermediate stop with restaurants, picnic areas and numerous walking trails leading away into the forest. After having a look around and taking some photos, we rejoined the cable-car for the next sector.
At the end of sector 2, Frakmuntegg, you have to leave the cable-car and change for the fully enclosed and larger capacity “Dragon Ride” gondola which only transits sector 3 to Pilatus Kulm every fifteen minutes. Like Krienseredd, Frakmuntegg offers restaurants and wonderful views both up and down. Aside from the walking trails that lead away, there was evidence of ski lifts and toboggan runs being shutdown for maintenance at the end of another season.
Frakmuntegg Icy Interlude
The final sector to the summit is brief but breathtaking – and stepping out onto the observation deck, once leaving the gondola, was awe inspiring (given Chris and I have limited experience with snow and ice).
Pilatus Kulm with Hotel Bellevue
And so we just horsed around for a bit…
Ice Queen ToppingThe Jester juggling three ice ballsThe Jester has one remaining ice ball
We observed a number of paragliders setting up and then launching themselves into the alpine skies after just a few steps down the slope behind Hotel Bellevue. (In the image above, you can see the canopy of a paraglider on the snow as the control wires are being sorted out.)
Paraglider 1Paraglider 2Paraglider 3Paraglider 4
From Pilatus Kulm, a nearby peak called Oberhaupt can be climbed, using steps – no pitons or ropes required 🙂 other nearby peaks were still closed. From there I was able to take a panoramic photo of the 360 degree view from the top.
We enjoyed lunch with an equally attractive view while listening to a trio of alpine horns and, then later, a duo of piano-accordions. The only things missing from the cultural overload was a cow-bell medley and some Swiss folk dancing.
Attractive view – Pilatus Kulm
We decided to beat the afternoon rush and departed just before 3 pm (the last gondola leaves at 4:30 pm and there was still a lot of people at the top).
Chris was ever alert for scenic pictures on the way down too.
Sector 3 going down – view to Lake LucerneSector 2 going down 1Sector 2 going down 2Sector 1 going down 1
We arrived at Kriens and were waiting for the bus to take us back into Lucerne when I realised we hadn’t used any of our warm weather items and that it actually seemed warmer at the summit and in no way was it -3 deg. C. This just goes to show that weather forecasts are never completely reliable – except for the part about the blue skies.
PS – We had to filter more than 230 images to prepare this post – digital film is wonderful. 🙂
Our transit from Bern to Lucerne was via a regional train that put our red rattlers to shame. While Lucerne is actually lower than Bern, (422 m above sea level compared to 540 m) getting there involved travelling up and over some attractive mountain passes that looked like picture postcards from Heidi.
Along the way, something unique happened – our tickets were inspected (or rather glanced at)! I am actually a little disappointed that it happened as I had planned to include in a future blog update the observation that up to that time, none (zip, zero, zilch) of our expensively acquired travel tickets had ever been checked (total cost in Switzerland till this time was AUD 379).
Arriving at Lucerne rail station just after 1 pm, we dragged our bags a short distance to our accommodation right on the waterfront. Nice work Chris!
Another room with a view – Lucerne
Looking towards Lake Lucerne, the Chapel Bridge and the octagonal water tower can be clearly seen. The Chapel Bridge is a covered wooden footbridge spanning the River Reuss at a diagonal. Named after the nearby St. Peter’s Chapel, the bridge is unique in containing a number of interior paintings dating back to the 17th century and is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, as well as the world’s oldest surviving truss bridge.
View from our window towards Lake Lucerne
Looking in the other direction, across the river past the Jesuit Church, Pilatus can be seen. Often referred to as Mount Pilatus, this is a mountain massif overlooking Lucerne and is composed of several peaks, of which the highest (2,128 m (6,982 ft)) is named Tomlishorn.
View from our window towards Mount Pilatus
We set off to enjoy the afternoon sunshine and explore our new surroundings, starting with a walk along the waterfront.
Boats at rest – Lake LucerneBoats in motion – Lake Lucerne
The Lion Monument (Lion of Lucerne) is a rock relief hewn in 1820–21. It commemorates the Swiss Guards massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris.
Lion Monument – LucerneThe Lion King – Lucerne
Running through the old city is the Museggmauer, an old city defensive wall featuring nine towers, four of which can be climbed. Alas, we missed them being opened by one day (1st April)! Some of the towers and a large section of the wall can be seen in the following image taken from the terrace at Château Gütsch, an upmarket hotel and restaurant located across the river and up a steep climb traversed by an inclined elevator.
A section of Musegg Wall – Lucerne
Château Gütsch also provided some great views of the city and part of Lake Lucerne.
Lucerne from Château Gütsch terrace
Continuing our walk, we found the point where Lake Lucerne turns into the River Reuss, behind a weir constructed between 1859 and 1861 to regulate the level of the lake.
River Reuss – Lucerne
Called the Reuss Weir (Needle Dam), the flow of water from Lake Lucerne is manually adjusted by the removal and insertion of timber panels (needles) creating an adjustable wall.
Reuss Weir – Needle Dam – Lucerne
The town hall clock provides a colourful time reference across the old city.
Town Hall Clock – Lucerne
With tomorrow’s forecast predicting good weather for Mount Pilatus, we decided that would be our next adventure destination.
