Making the most of a Swiss visit

Last week, my sister and her husband were visiting from the U.S. The weather could not have been any better -- it was sunny and warm all week. We wanted to make sure they got a true Swiss experience while they were here, so for example, we made sure to see some cows up close, tour a castle, have some fondue and visit the Alps. It's hard to get to a lot in a week's visit, but we sure covered quite a bit.

One of the highlights of the visit for me was a day in Lucerne and a trip up to Mt. Pilatus. Lucerne is becoming one of my favorite places to visit in Switzerland because there is so much to do and see. We have been to the Transportation Museum that is outstanding; the glass-blowing factory and museum at Hergiswil is also well worth a visit. With my sister and brother-in-law, we were able to browse quickly through the Saturday morning market before heading to the train station for our day on the mountain.

To get to the summit, we took the world's steepest cog railroad up. The grade is as steep as 48%, and winds through tunnels and by rock faces. The train (known as a "zahnradbahn" in German, where zahn means teeth) was originally operated by steam and opened in 1889; it has been in electric operation since 1937.

Mt. Pilatus Summit

Once on the summit, the view was outstanding. We could see Lucerne and the lake, along with other mountains in the distance. Pilatus is considered the northernmost branch of the Alps, and at 2132 meters (nearly 7,000 feet), it is actually one of the smaller Alpine mountains.  There are at least 12 significant mountains with altitudes over 4000 meters (~13,000 feet).

On the way down the mountain, we took a cable car and gondola, with two stop-overs. One breakpoint had a suspension ropes course, and an Alpine slide. Willem and I watched the others as they rode down the Alpine slide, which looked like a lot of fun! It is a 1350-meter slide that runs down a steel chute, and then the riders get pulled back up with a J-bar type lift. Our final stop on the way back down from Pilatus was a huge playground to continue to tire the kids out. It was a busy day, but all of us really enjoyed the trip. Pilatus is also somewhat related to the Easter season; the mountain was actually rumored to be haunted by the ghost of Pontius Pilate in the 15th century.

We really enjoyed having family in town for the Easter week holiday. We hadn't seen my sister and brother-in-law since their wedding last August, so it was great to spend some quality time with them. I wish it didn't have to end! We look forward to seeing them and other family members this summer.

"Goodbye! Adieu. Auf Wiedersehen. Gesundheit. Farewell!"
-Willy Wonka