Bernese Oberland Untour - August 2000
by Lee Forstie, Oronoco, MN
August 23, 2000
Gail and I begin our Swiss Untour this morning in the Zurich airport. We are met by several of the Idyll staff. Our second-class 15-day Swiss Pass is validated. The efficient Swiss have located the train station on a floor below the airport terminal. Our train goes to Bern, where we transfer to a train to Kandersteg. There we are greeted by our landlady, Frau Ogi (Margarit). She leads us on a five-minute walk to our apartment, the Chalet Sonneheim. Our side of the street is flanked by two- and three-story chalets, all with the ubiquitous flower boxes in the windows and balcony edges filled with red geraniums in full bloom. Our ground-floor apartment has a living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. The rooms are small and the ceilings are low, but this is adequate for our needs. Our apartment comes stocked with milk, bread, butter, cheese and jam which are intended to get us through the first day. However, during our initial exploration of the town, we stop at the Coop for some additional supplies. Strolling back to our apartment, we gaze at the mountains which surround Kandersteg, and then we turn in from what has been a long day.August 24, 2000
Today is orientation. We have to be at the Restaurant Lötschberg-Zentrum in Spiez at 10:15 a.m. We catch the train from Kandersteg at 9:35 a.m. and arrive in Spiez at 10:03 a.m. The orientation is focused on reading the Kürsbuch (the rail, bus, boat and cable-way transportation schedule). This is necessary information to be self-sufficient travelers. The Kürsbuch for the train, lift and boat schedules is a thick paperback in fine print. The bus schedule is twice as big.We eat lunch at the adjoining restaurant. Don, one of the veteran travelers, invites us to come with him, his wife Joyce, and their friend Lois, and several other people on a boat ride around Lake Thun. We immediately accept. From the restaurant, we continue down the hill to the docks. Our craft is a restored 1905 side-wheeler named for the adjacent mountain range (Blümisalp). The main deck is the second-class area and is consistent with our second-class Swiss Pass. Standing on the bow, we delight in traversing the lake from one small community to the next. The folks who invited us along are continuing on to the city of Thun, but we depart at Interlaken West.
We have a few confusing moments in applying our new-found transportation skills. Eventually, we catch a train back to Spiez and then Kandersteg. Dinner tonight is Pizza Margherita at the Restaurant Antico outdoors beneath a vine-covered trellis. Sehr Gut!
August 25, 2000
The narrow Kander Valley (Kandertal) is ringed by mountains, some with glaciers and snow-capped peaks. The Idyll Dream Guide states that, “The Kandertal offers you a close encounter with some of Switzerland’s most famous mountains, easily accessible high hikes, wild rock-tumbled valleys and churning milky blue-green glacial rivers.” The village of Kandersteg lies in a strip of about 1½ miles along the valley floor. This village of 800 has 30 hotels. Nearly all commercial activity is along the main street which parallels the Kander River. Access to transportation is excellent via train, bus, cable way and chair lift.Virtually all descriptions of Kandersteg highlight the Oeschinensee, the lake above Kandersteg. As we prepare to strike out for the lake, Margarit tells us from her balcony that the President of Switzerland is visiting Kandersteg and Oeschinensee today. We hike to the chairlift, and soon we ride over the pines to the plateau far above. Then we follow the wanderweg to the lake - a 15-minute walk. At the top of the chair lift, and again at the lake, preparations are being made for the President’s arrival.
The lake is at the base of a snow-capped mountain. The deep blue color of the lake is tinged with green, reflecting its glacier-fed origins. We follow the wanderweg along the northern shore. This initial walk is through the forest - going up, but at a reasonable rate. Soon we find why the travel books mention the precipitous cliff on the northern shore. The climb is now steep. We finally reach a higher plateau. The vista from our picnic area is magnificent. While there, we see six paragliders, all with blue chutes, descending in a spiral formation to the lake. It may be for the benefit of the President, but we appreciate the spectacle.
We continue our hike upwards away from the lake. We stop at Unteregli, which consists of a hut that serves refreshments. We rest and then hike back down to the lake and then down to Kandersteg.
Tonight, after our sidewalk review of restaurant menus, Gail chooses the Hotel Bernerhof. We both order the tagestellar (plate du jour). After close study of the German phrases, we decide that we have ordered grilled salmon with a broccoli sauce, steamed potatoes, and cucumber salad. Some white wine and a meringue dessert top off a very classy (and tasty) meal.
August 26, 2000
Another beautiful day - bright sunshine and warm. Today we have an Idyll group trip to Riederalp for all who are interested. We board the train at Kandersteg at 8:25 a.m. Almost immediately, the train enters the nine-mile-long Lötschberg tunnel. We continue on to Brig. There we change to a local train and travel the short distance to Mörel in the Rhone Valley. A chair lift takes us up to Riederalp. After a brief climb by foot, we look over the edge and down at Europe’s largest glacier, the Aletsch Glacier. Looking in the other direction, framed between two mountain peaks in the distance, we see the Matterhorn with its distinctive outline. We hike along a ridge, with the Aletsch Glacier below us to our left. Eventually we turn to the right and angle down and past Blausee (Blue Lake). Our hiking destination is the city of Bettmeralp. On the way we have a steep descent down a hill. It is slow going, but, we stroll easily into Bettmeralp. Our group of seven goes directly to the first restaurant that we see, the Walliser-stube. I came primed for a Swiss lunch. The menu is in German, and my limited vocabulary is not sufficient. I consult with the waitress. Her English is good. With her help, I order the Käseschnitte mit Schinken. This is bread with ham and cheese on top. It comes with the cheese simmering and bubbling. The Swiss have apparently never heard of cholesterol. The meal is delicious. Seated outside at the edge of the restaurant balcony with the valley beautiful and far below certainly adds to the occasion.Fortified and rested, we stroll through Bettmeralp to a large gondola which takes us back down to the Rhone Valley at Betten FO. From there we train to Mörel-Brig-Goppenstein-Kandersteg. Conversations with the other Untourists are enjoyable and informative.
August 27, 2000
This morning our string of beautiful weather is interrupted. We have rain, wind and fog. We can’t see halfway up the mountains from our front door. And the fog continues to settle down into the valley. This is a perfect day for our hike as we won’t be going up a mountain. By the time we leave the apartment, the fog is near ground level. We take the train to Spiez. There we change trains for Interlaken East and then again for Meiringen. We have four minutes to transfer in Spiez and two minutes to transfer in Interlaken (this is never a problem). On our way to Meiringen, we travel along Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. Interlaken (as the name implies) lies between the two lakes.Our travel to Meiringen goes smoothly. Legend has it that meringue was invented here when a local chef used leftover egg whites to make a special dessert for a visiting general by the name of Napolean. We saw no statue of Napolean here, but we did find a statue of Sherlock Holmes, who is an honorary citizen of Meiringen. This honor came the hard way when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle sent Sherlock and his nemesis, Professor Moriarty, plunging to their deaths at Reichenbach Falls in Meiringen in The Final Problem.
A 10-minute walk brings us to the 101-year-old funicular below Reichenbach Falls. We ride the funicular up to the base of the falls and then walk to the top. The climb is steep, but the spectacle is worth it.
Below the falls once again, we slog our way through the rain and puddles to the east entrance to the Aare Gorge (Aareschlucht). Signs along the way keep us on the right path during the half-hour walk. The gorge, formed by the Aare River, is nearly a mile long. This remnant from the Ice Age is a natural wonder. We walk the length of the gorge on a wooden sidewalk which is bolted to one of the gorge walls just above the turbulent river below. Even if the sun were out today, few of its rays would reach the bottom of the narrow, twisting gorge.
The spray of the water in the gorge makes the rain seem incidental. An hour and one-half after entering the gorge, we exit on the western end. From here we walk along the bank of the river through a meadow. The rain has diminished to a drizzle. A short and pleasant hike brings us to Innertkirchen and the Hotel Alpenrose for lunch. On this Sunday afternoon, the hotel restaurant is busy and alive with conversation. As we strip off our rain-soaked gear, we see that the rest of the customers are locals - no tourists except us. Gail has the tomato basil soup, which is delivered in a huge tureen. I have the raclette - a generous amount of simmering cheese over bread, with boiled potatoes on top. When we did our trip planning, three food items seemed to be at the top of the list of traditional Swiss foods: fondue, Rösti and raclette. Seated in a comfortable restaurant having a delicious hot meal on this cool, rainy day is quite relaxing. The meal finished, it is time to go home. The rainy weather today has added an appropriate touch of atmosphere to our fascinating stroll along the Aare River.
August 28, 2000
Fresh snow tops the mountains this morning, no doubt the result of yesterday’s all-day precipitation. During orientation, we signed up for the group activity today. The Kandersteg attendees gather to board the train at 8:35 a.m.. A 15-minute ride puts us in Frutigen where we disembark. We join with more of the group for the bus ride to Reichenbach. There, we collect a few more people and board a smaller bus for the winding, uphill ride to Tschingel. The road is narrow and full of switchbacks. The bus driver toots his multi-note horn as he approaches each blind curve. At Tschingel we change to a yet smaller bus. The road now is very steep and narrow as it corkscrews its way up the mountain. We stop at Griesalp. The path is unchanged, except we now move upwards on foot to our destination - the cheesemaking hut. Our host family has 29 cows. From May to September, the cows are kept in this high alpine meadow. The farmer milks the cows twice daily. His wife uses the milk to make cheese, which she also does daily. She makes two kinds, a soft cheese called mutschli, which has a shelf life of about three months and a hard cheese which has a relatively long shelf life. Our host, a young woman with two small children, demonstrates how she makes the cheese. We get a lesson on Swiss farm life as well.Our Idyll guides have talked the owners of a local restaurant into serving us lunch on this day when they are normally closed. The Berghaus Golderli is alongside the road we hiked up this morning. We stroll back down the mountain. At the restaurant, places are set on the balcony which overlooks a valley far below. Mountains rise high above the opposite end of the valley.
During our train travels and also on high alpine hikes, we have seen sections of forest that were flattened. We inquire why. Our Idyll guide explained that a severe storm hit parts of Europe on December 26, 1999. The damage is widespread. The conservation-minded Swiss are busy harvesting the downed trees for the lumber that can be salvaged. We are told that this effort will produce a 10-year supply of lumber for Switzerland.
An option is offered to the group after lunch. Walk down to Griesalp and get the bus (an easy, short walk downhill) or hike to the bus stop at Tschingel, past what is described as “The Amazing Cataracts.” Most choose the latter as do we. The group hike is fun, and the cataracts live up to the pre-hike publicity. The footing on the path is wet and slippery at times, but the forest and the falling water sluicing through the rocks are well worth careful walking. At the Tschingel bus stop, we are offered a new option. A 1½- to 2-hour hike will take us to Kiental. If we leave now, we have time to make the hike and catch the last bus of the day off the mountain. Gail and I are among the group that begins the hike post haste. Our instructions are clear, and it sounds easy. Still, along the way we inadvertently abandon an easy downhill walk along the river for one that traverses a high, steep hill. The last part of the uphill trek is through a farm pasture with cows for company. It has become important to watch where you step. There is no sign of a trail other than a splotch of white paint with a red vertical stripe through it on a small rock near the top of the hill. We straggle to the top, open a fence gate (and then make sure it is properly closed), and exit onto a small road. Here we begin our long downhill walk, which we complete in time to catch the bus.
August 29, 2000
A clear morning offers the prospect of a fair-weather day. An excursion to the Junfgraujoch (“The Top of Europe”) requires such a day. This should be one of the most exciting days of our trip. Certainly it will be the most expensive. We have read much about the Junfgraujoch, and today we will experience it.We get our normal 8:35 a.m. train out of Kandersteg to Spiez. Another train brings us to Interlaken East. This is familiar ground. Now for something new. We take the train for Lauterbrunnen. Some care is needed here. Some of the cars on the train go to Lauterbrunnen; others go to Grindelwald. The train is split in two along the way at Zweilütschinen. As we are forewarned, this is not a problem.
We arrive in Lauterbrunnen and marvel at the Lauterbrunnen Valley. It is narrow and is contained between the sheer, high mountain walls on either side. The last part of the train ride into Lauterbrunnen was via cog (or rack) railway. The cogs between the narrow-gauge railway tracks provide a sure grip on the steep grades. At Lauterbrunnen we take a small cog-railway train for the steep, winding trip to Kleine Scheidegg. The discounted price, because we have a Swiss Pass, is 106 Sfr. In Kleine Scheidegg we board the train for the Jungfraujoch. This train ride takes 50 minutes and brings us to Europe’s highest-altitude railway station. The train follows a tundra-like surface for a short way and then enters the mountain. The rest of the trip is through a tunnel carved through the mountain to near the peak. We make two five-minute stops along the way, at Eigerwand and Eismeer. Here, viewing windows are cut into the face of the mountain. Our destination is reached at the 11,333-foot level. We step out onto the snow-covered surface. At this location, there is perpetual winter. The view of the surrounding mountains, massive glaciers, and the valleys far below is awesome.
This trip has been incredible. It is impossible to describe the beauty of the mountains. We retrace our steps home, tired, but delighted in what we have seen.
August 30, 2000
Morning in the Kandertal is shrouded with clouds on the mountain tops and some fog in the clefts of the mountains. Our plan for the day is the Schilthorn, so clear weather is a must. The weather is marginal. Our only weather forecast for the day is a short discussion with the next-door neighbor. From his balcony, he raises his palms upwards and shrugs - who knows? Our brief time here limits our options. We decide to go. The trip as far as Lauterbrunnen is the same as yesterday.We take the tunnel from the train station in Lauterbrunnen and exit to a funicular. The ascent of ½ mile to Grütschalp is near vertical. From there we begin one of the more famous hikes in the Bernese Oberland - Grandfather’s Walk. We hike through the forest on this high mountain plateau. Occasionally we can look at the Lauterbrunnen Valley far below. We see the sheer granite walls on the other side of the valley. On the opposite plateau, we see Wengen where we passed en route to Kleine Scheidegg yesterday. Finally we break through the trees and see a most astounding sight - the clearly etched and easily identifiable trio of the Jungfrau Massif - the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. In English these mountains would be the Ogre, the Monk and the Young Woman. The story goes that the Monk is placed in the middle to protect the Maiden from the Ogre. We stand, stare and admire God’s handiwork.
We catch the train (which shuttles between Grütschalp and Mürren) at Winteregg and ride the short distance to Mürren. High above the Lauterbrunnen Valley, Mürren is perched on the edge of a cliff. The view of the valley below is stunning. Like Wengen, Mürren can’t be reached by car.
Mürren is the highest inhabited village in the Bernese Oberland and is the access point to the Schilthorn. The Schilthorn is reached by gondola. The TV monitor at the gondola lift station shows a temperature of 8 degrees C at the Schilthorn. We board the gondola (44 Sfr with a Swiss Pass discount). The gondola has an altimeter, an indication of what is to come. The long gondola ride finally comes to a halt, and we exit. This is not the Schilthorn, we find. We are at Birg, an intermediate stop, a mountain peak below the Schilthorn. Another gondola, this time going nearly straight up, takes us to the Schilthorn.
Light snow is falling from the clouds just above us. How lucky we are! The view across and down is unobstructed. Some 200 mountain peaks are visible from here, in addition to the many glaciers and the valleys below. One can hike to and from here. Indeed, we see some people on the trail. This is not for us. We circle the outside railing several times basking in the magnificent views. Then we retire to the warmth of the revolving Piz Gloria Restaurant.
The return via gondola from the Schilthorn to Mürren seems to go quicker than the trip up. At Mürren we take a different gondola down, first to Gimmelwald and then to Stechelberg. Back on the floor of the Lauterbrunnen Valley, we hike along the river until we reach the path to Trümmelbach Falls. These are the only glacier waterfalls in Europe inside a mountain and accessible for viewing. We take a lift up inside the mountain. From there, a stairway, tunnels and observation points are cut to provide access to view the water twisting and thundering down from above. This is glacial melt from the Jungfrau Massif. The water is forced through the twisted vertical gorge with incredible velocity.
The walk from Stechelberg to Lauterbrunnen is known as “The Valley of the Waterfalls.” It is touted to be Switzerland’s equivalent to walking the Yosemite Valley floor, but with more waterfalls. In addition to Trümmelbach Falls, two other waterfalls drop from great distance. Just before Lauterbrunnen is the bridal veil Staubbach Falls, one of the five highest in Europe.
August 31, 2000
Don has made reservations for five of us on the 10:40 a.m. mini-bus to the Gastern Valley (Gasterntal). The only unfortunate aspect this morning is the weather - rain and heavy overcast. I step out the front door and peer up to the balcony of the chalet to the right. My daily source of weather information is having his morning cigarette. After the customary greetings, I ask him about today’s weather. As we don’t speak a common language, this exchange does not involve many words. Like yesterday, I get the palms raised to the sky routine. The body language delivers the news that we should not expect any immediate relief from the rain. In addition, he points to his wall, holds up both hands with fingers outstretched, lowers the hands, and holds up one hand with a thumb and a forefinger sticking out. I gather that he has an outdoor thermometer and that the temperature is 12 degrees C, a cool morning. So, with raincoats, umbrellas and our trusty backpacks, we stroll to the bus stop outside the bahnhof.The bus ride from Kandersteg to Seldon at the far end of the Gasterntal is an adventure. The rain continues as we (the driver, seven passengers, and a large dog) head down the Kandertal. After several miles, we turn and enter the Gasterntal and begin a moderate climb. The road is one-way. Apparently times are posted for travel up and travel down. A section of the road is three-fourths of a tunnel. Rock is on the top, inside edge and bottom. The outside edge, which drops abruptly to the river below, is open, except for a short stone wall. The mini-bus has less than a foot clearance on either side as it squirms its way up the hill, around the never-ending curves, and across bridges. The river is always nearby. Eventually, the road goes through the forest and across fields and reaches Seldon, which consists of one building (a restaurant) and the end of the bus line.
Despite the low-hanging clouds, fog, and rain, we have a delightful walk back. The high cliffs on either side of the valley (sometimes with the tops hidden by fog), the waterfalls, and the forest are remarkable. The star attraction, however, is the Kander River as it races downhill. The rock-strewn path of the river changes direction seemingly every few feet.
Back on the trail after lunch at the Hotel Waldhaus, the river drops even more sharply. The power and spray of the torrent surround us. We have to leave the trail and return to the nearby road for a short stretch. A footpath bridge on the trail has been demolished by a huge rock which has fallen from above. Returning to the trail beyond the bridge, we continue down the rocky and slippery path. As the river begins a more level flow, we enter the green valley beyond Eggenschwand. Soon we come to a two-way road and the bottom access to the Sunnbüel cable car. We could return to Kandersteg by bus from here, but we choose to walk the rest of the way home.
September 1, 2000
Grandmother took her walk today. When we awoke this morning, the fog was already starting to lift from the Kandertal. A few high clouds floated among the tops of the mountains visible from our front door. Gail (who is a grandmother) has decreed that we are not risking uncertain weather for our trip to Männlichen. Today is the day. We board the customary 8:35 a.m. train from Kandersteg. Three trains later we arrive in Wengen. Today, instead of riding the train up to Kleine Scheidegg, we get off and meander until we find the cable-car lift station. We are hoisted up to Männlichen while enjoying the view of the Lauterbrunnen Valley, Mürren perched on the shelf across the valley, and the entire Jungfrau region of the mountains.We linger at the Top Station to admire the view. Then, we turn and walk upwards to Männlichen Gipfel (the Männlichen peak). From here, we see the world - cities, lakes and valleys below; waterfalls plunging into the valley and glaciers stopping just short of doing so; and mountains in abundance. While there, small clouds move in and engulf some of the scenery and, at times, us. We retrace our steps to the Top Station.
The hike we now begin, Grandmother’s Walk, is described in our hiking guide as “one of the most famous footpaths in the Alps.” The path is high, but easy walking. Still the trail signs describe it as a Höhweg with the red and white markings, designating difficulty of some type. Nonetheless, people of all ages are strolling along the trail and enjoying the walk. Grindelwald is on the left in the distant valley. We walk toward the Eiger, and shortly before reaching Kleine Scheidegg, we directly face the famous north wall of the Eiger. Descending to Kleine Scheidegg, we stop for lunch - traditional Swiss again, sausage and sauerkraut for Gail and sausage and Rösti for me. While eating outdoors, we watch the clouds drifting across the Jungfrau Massif.
The walk from Kleine Scheidegg to Wengen is magnificent. The clouds have passed, and during the first part of this hike we are beneath the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Junfgraujoch is clearly visible. We turn often and look. A short time later, high across the valley, we see the Schilthorn. Eventually, we drop below the tree line and soon enter a dense forest. The grade down becomes steep. And it stays steep. By the time we reach Wengen, our legs are weary.
September 2, 2000
A day of rest at home.September 3, 2000
Clouds are bunched just above the mountains this morning. The fog is patchy and tucked into the mountain creases. The temperature remains cool. As we plan to be on or near a lake today, we don’t need high-altitude visibility.Three minutes, our allotted time for disembarking the train at Interlaken East and boarding the boat, is more than sufficient. The boat dock is across the street from the train station (the ever- efficient Swiss). We board the D S Lötschberg. The Lötschberg is an old steam-driven side wheeler. An opening in the partially enclosed main deck is a window to the engine mechanism. The ancient hardware is mostly stainless steel and brass. It is spotless, not a trace of grease. Two glass portholes, one on each side, provide a look at the side wheels.
The Lötschberg gets underway from its dock in the narrow channel at Interlaken East. The ship soon leaves the channel and plows into Lake Brienz. Frequent stops are made as the ship zig zags its way along the long, narrow lake. We depart at the third stop, Iseltwald. We came with recommendations for two possible lunch sites - the Hotel Bellvue and the Hotel Chalet du Lac. A lunch based on the lake’s trout is one of our objectives. Gail checks the menus (not an easy task as they are written in German). She concludes, “Chalet du Lac".
The Chalet du Lac is jammed with people dining in the first room we enter. In another dining room, we are given seats at the end of a long table, the other end of which is occupied by a family. This is a nice place - very comfortable. We both order the salmon trout. The meal is superb. Coffee and ice cream follow. My ice cream is the house specialty. The base is a boat formed from hard meringue. Loaded with two different ice creams, one flavor of sorbet, five or six different kinds of fruit slices, whipped cream and topped with red currants and slices of almonds - I didn’t know if I should eat it or just admire it. Well, that’s not quite true.
Our walk following such a meal started slowly. We trekked along what our hiking guide calls “The Enchanted Forest: Giessbach to Iseltwald.” Except, we were doing it in the reverse direction. The path is about four miles long. The trail undulated along the shoreline, often near the water and occasionally heading sharply up 50 to 100 feet, and then dropping back down. On the inside edge of the trail, tall pine trees lean against the steep flanks of the high cliffs.
We conclude the walk at Giessbach. There we board their 1879 vintage funicular for the ascent to the Grand Hotel Giessbach and the base of the Giessbach Falls. The falls are majestic. After viewing them from several levels, we descend on the funicular to the boat landing. The first boat to arrive at Giessbach is headed toward Interlaken. We board and are pleasantly surprised that we are on the D S Lötschberg again. We stand at the rail as the ship backs down the long channel into its berth at Interlaken East. There we cross the street and take the now-familiar trains home.
Gail suggests that for our last dinner in Kandersteg, we return to the Italian restaurant. The staff there by this time recognizes us and gives us a warm greeting. When we finish, the hostess brings us two complimentary glasses of grappa. This provides warmth for the walk home in the cool evening air.
September 4, 2000
Idyll is hosting a dinner party at Aeschi for all the Untourists in the Bernese Oberland region. Local musicians provide traditional Swiss music, complete with singing and yodeling. The dinner serves as a nice farewell to our visit.September 5, 2000
Our last morning in Kandersteg and change is in the air. The sky is clear. Not even a trace of fog can be seen in the valley. We say goodbye to Margarit. I fetch the cart from the shed and load our luggage. As I pull the cart onto the sidewalk, my weather consultant sprints from his house to shake our hands and say, “Auf Wiedersehen.” We check our luggage in at the bahnhof. The trip as far as Meiringen is familiar. There, we go up and through the Brünig Pass. We recognize the clacking sound of a switch to rack railway. The train cruises into Lucerne in the early afternoon.By going to Lucerne we avoid having to leave Kandersteg at 6 a.m. tomorrow and then rush through tight connections to arrive at the Zurich airport on time. In addition, we have time to look around Lucerne this afternoon. We check into the Hotel Krone in Altstadt (Old Town). The hotel interior is modern and comfortable. Altstadt has narrow, winding, cobblestone-covered streets. The buildings reflect a different era. Lunch is alongside the River Reuss at an outdoor table under the trees.
Frommer’s Switzerland 2000 Walking Tour is our planned route for the afternoon. Two highlights are ...
- Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge), the symbol of Lucerne
- Löwendenkmal (Lion Monument)
September 6, 2000
A short predawn hike along and then across the Reuss River brings us to the Lucerne bahnhof. From here the train takes us to Zürich Hauptbahnhof (main station) and then to Zürich Flüghafen (airport). A short time later, Swiss Air has us homeward bound.THE END