Mt Pilatus

- Boat ride on the lake
- Top of the mountain
- Top of the mountain
- Cable car ride down
- Chocolate fondue in Switzerland!

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Mt Pilatus

Another awesome day!  We did an excursion called the "Golden Round Trip".  First, a one and a half hour boat ride down the river.  Then a 30 minute cogwheel train (45 degree slopes) up to the top of Mt Pilatus Kulm.  Apparently it's named after Pontius Pilate because it was rumoured that his body was banished there after death.  For hundreds of years it was forbidden to climb this mountain because of evil spirits.  Finally, some monks climbed it, threw some rocks down into the river, and dispelled the evil spirits.  Now it's a big resort.  We took a trail that took us to the highest point, 7000 ft.  Lunch on a terrace overlooking the mountains.  Then Frankie insisted on going down the switchback trail down the mountain a ways, to visit the cows with cowbells.  There is something indescribable about hiking in the mountains while serenaded by cowbells. It is now Frankie's favourite sound in the world.  After that we went through a rock tunnel, and visited some panoramic spots that took lots of climbing.  Stair climbers must not sell well in Switzerland.  When we were done on top of the mountain, we took a gondola down through the clouds to the first station and got off.  There we went on a 1.4 km toboggan run down the mountain.  Once we hit the bottom, they towed us up backwards.  Then we took the cable car 25 minutes the rest of the way down the mountain and caught the bus back to Lucerne.  We headed over to some famous lion monument with lots of Japanese tourists, and the nearby Glacier Park with leftover potholes from the Ice Age, showing that Lucerne had once been covered by a glacier.  After the garden we stopped and bought a teeny cowbell for Max and a bigger one for Samson, we're sure they'll be thrilled!  We found a fabulous out of the way restaurant and used the absolute last of our swiss francs on dinner:  raclette (tiny boiled potatoes with melted cheese, yum) and a chocolate fondue, double triple yum.  They brought a pot of melted chocolate over a flame, and a bowl of fruit to dip into it.  Then when the fruit was done, spoons to finish off the chocolate!  One of the best meals we've had.  Another good dish they have in Switzerland is rosti, a potato cheese dish.  Mixed with meat or vegetables.  Generally meals have been the most frustrating part of our holiday because they are SOOO expensive, usually about $50 each.  And in Interlaken and Lucerne they charge $7.50 for plain tap water, that drives us crazy, especially when there are fountains spewing fresh mountain water everywhere.  So every morning we fill up from our hotel room and bring our own water.  Stupid.  And because the meals are so expensive, we have usually been sharing a plate.  Oh well.  We do have to compliment them on their transportation systems, though.  Extensive rail everywhere, designed to arrive just in time for connections.  Extremely punctual.  The city bus stops have electronic signs indicating how many minutes until each bus, and inside the bus is an electronic screen showing your route and the time until your stop.  So efficient.  And of course, we can't complain about the scenery.  By far the most beautiful country we've ever seen.  We'll miss the mountains and valleys and lakes.

This is the last blog, tomorrow we take a 2 hour train ride to Zurich and catch our flight home.  See you all in Canada!

Interlaken to Lucerne

- Getting ready to fly
- In the air
- On the way to Lucerne
- Walking through Lucerne

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Interlaken to Lucerne

This morning we went to the top of a mountain and we jumped off.  Literally.  We decided on a whim to go parasailing, and it was fabulous.  Just a little scary on takeoff.  But it really felt like flying.  Everyone should try it.  In the afternoon we took the "Scenic Golden Pass" train (2 hours) to Lucerne, which is much larger than the other places we have been so far.  We walked along the city wall built in the 1300's, and had a nice stroll along the river.  We visited a gorgeous monastary while the organist was playing.  It echoed through the whole church.  After dinner we stopped at the obligatory chocolate shop for a bite of dessert.  Yummy!

Interlaken

- Cowbells on the mountain
- The top of First Mountain
- Stroll along the river in Interlaken

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Interlaken

This morning we took the train from Zermatt to Interlaken Ost, about two and a half hours. This is a city built between two large lakes. Another upgraded room. In the afternoon we took a train to the resort town of Grindelwald and took a cable car to the top of First Mountain. A t the top we hiked around and enjoyed the panoramic views while being serenaded by numerous cow bells on cows. The trails here were much easier, many even paved. When we arrived back in Interlaken, we went for a stroll and accidentally found a funicular (train pulled up a 64% grade hill by a cable) and took it to the top of Mount Harder where we had a panoramic view of both lakes. Afterwards we enjoyed a nice stroll along the river and a walk through town.
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Zermatt

- Climbing Gornergrat
- Lunch at the top of the world
- Brrr...
- Inside the ice palace
- Gondola

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Zermatt

Morning: we took a train up the Gornergrat Mountain, and got off at the Riffelberg Station, altitude 8471 ft. We intended to hike up to the next station, Gornergrat, passing Lake Riffelsee, where the reflection of the Matterhorn is reflected. We got turned somewhere along the way and our easy one and a half hour hike turned into 4 hours, a gorgious path overlooking a glacier, and then a gruelling climb straight up a mountain. Anton figures a good 60 degree slope. We finally reached the top and were rewarded with a nice ridge hike and a restaurant where we ate on the terrace overlooking the glacier and the mountains. It was so stunning it almost didn't look real. That point was 10,210 feet high, so we climbed almost 2000 feet today. Then we took the rail back down to our next destination.

Afternoon: we took a cable-car ride up to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise (12,739 ft). We were a bit surprised to see skiers and snowboarders going up the mountain, but when we got up there, there was tons of snow and it was SOOO cold! Zero degrees C and a wind of 43 km/hr. We were at the top of the glacier that we had seen earlier on our hike. There was an ice palace at the top with ice sculptures and a fun little ice slide. We wished we had dressed warmer, but when we got back down to the town of Zermatt, it was sunny and 17C. We watched an alpenhorn demonstration and had to move for some girls leading their goats down the street.

Pictures will follow later when internet becomes available.
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Glacier Express

- First class seats
- View from the train
- View of the Matterhorn from our hotel room
- Eidelweiss

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Glacier Express

Today we took a 7 and a half hour train ride across the alps on the 'slowest express train in the world'.  When we booked, they only had 2nd class available, but 2 Australian girls got kicked out of 1st class because their Rail Passes were only 2nd class, so the conductor himself moved us to 1st class.  We had a nice little table and 2 seats across from each other, and huge picture windows.  There were alot of little Swiss villages in valleys between mountains.  We figure the only difference between the Glacier Express and a regular train through Switzerland was the fact that there were no transfers, you could get a hot lunch, and there were headphones with running commentary.  Our final destination was the tourist resort of Zermatt, high up in the alps where cars are not allowed.  We walked through it this evening, and it seemed alot like Whistler, only Swiss.  Lots of tourist shops (we picked up some tees and good hiking shoes for tomorrow, the runners didn't quite do the job).  We walked through a cemetary where every tombstone told which mountain the person had died climbing or descending.  Our hotel is very fancy, and we got upgraded to a suite because the hotel is full.  We have 2 full rooms, a sitting area in between, and 2 balconies, one of which looks right out onto the Matterhorn.  Too bad we're only spending 2 nights here!

Swiss National Day

The Swiss really know how to celebrate!  Around 9 pm we heard what sounded like a parade outside.  We looked out our hotel window, and there was a police car with loud music leading all the townsfolk down to the lake.  Like the Pied Piper.  So we decided to head down and see what was up.  What an experience.  Lanterns lit around the lake.  Dueling church bells for 15 minutes.  Real bells.  People everywhere lighting off their own fireworks around the lake.  Giant teepees being burnt across the lake.  At least a dozen bonfires on the mountain.  Very Lord of the Rings.  And then real fireworks.  Everywhere.  You never knew where to look.  Going off all around the lake, off building roofs, everywhere.  The mountains being lit up like lightning.  The fireworks echoing through the valley.  Wonderful.  Sorry, took the wrong camera for pictures!

Swiss National Day in Swiss National Park

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Swiss National Park

I can't believe we climbed another mountain!  We swore off them after Mt Fuji, but when in the Swiss Alps......  Today we made our way via train and bus to the Swiss National Park (the only national park in Switzerland) and took a 4 hour hike around Mt Margunet.  The base was at an altitude of 6161 ft, and the top was 7638 ft.  That's where we were huffing and puffing while all the nationals flew by us.  At the bottom we followed another nice little trail along a ravine, and made it back to our hotel in time to share a plate for supper.  We've discovered that we're not keen on spending $75 for a meal anymore, so we're going to share plates.  Switzerland is very beautiful and very expensive!