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!