(A multi-part recap of my recent September trip to Switzerland.)
On the second full day of my Rick Steves Switzerland tour, Kim and I packed our bags and bid the beautiful city of Lucerne a fond farewell. After spending three days exploring this enchanting area, we were both a bit sorry to leave. However, more Swiss adventures were beckoning and I was excited to see where our tour would take us next.
Foggy day at Lake Lucerne
After a short walk to a main road, our group met driver Eric waiting with his bus. For the first time, we all loaded up our luggage in preparation for today's trip. Gloomy skies predicted a repeat of the prior day's weather - thick, foggy clouds with an occasional rain shower.
Road walk to the fortress
Our bus headed due south of Lucerne for a short drive to the town of Stansstad. First on the day's agenda was a visit to Fortress Fürigen, a secret Swiss military bunker.
Selfie with our buddies Tad and Sayumi
Situated on the shores of Lake Lucerne Stansstad appeared to be a resort-y community, judging by all the fancy hotels and large sailboats anchored nearby. Since there wasn't any parking by the fortress itself, Eric parked the bus as close as possible, and our group ended up hoofing it the last half mile. However, it proved to be a pleasant walk along the lakeshore, via a sidewalk that transitioned into a narrow roadway.
Tony introduces our guides
As Kim and I walked along the road, we enjoyed excellent lake views, despite the opposite shore being obscured by fog. As we progressed further, a steep cliff began to rise vertically from the shore. The one-lane road we followed became shoehorned between the rock face and water. Since this road was still open to vehicular traffic, we all had to be on guard for the occasional passing car, flattening ourselves against the guardrail when one happened by.
Fortress Fürigen entrance
Our tour leader Tony led us to a small wooden shed nestled into the rocky cliff. This was the secret bunker's entrance. After a short wait, Tony emerged with our guides for the morning, two men who had worked in the fortress, and a lady interpreter. Due to the tight conditions inside, Tony split our group into two, with staggered starts. Each group was assigned one of the male guides and our group was also given the woman interpreter. Ours had the good fortune of going inside the bunker first.
Inside was a maze of tunnels
Our group's guide had worked in the fortress as a maintenance man during the 1980's. Although he apologized in advance for his poor English, I was able to understand nearly everything he talked about. And let me tell you, this man was a wealth of information!
I liked this picture
With the onset of World War II, Switzerland found itself sandwiched between two of the aggressor nations, Germany to the north and Italy to the south. Although the Swiss remained neutral throughout this conflict, their country's location made them ripe for a Nazi invasion. To defend themselves, a series of military bunkers were built into the foreboding mountains that ran through the center of Switzerland. The Swiss sited defense bunkers around all the mountain passes, their gunsights trained on protecting important road and rail routes. In the event of a front line collapse, these mountain fortifications would serve as safe refuges for the retreating armies.
Firearm display
After World War II, the Swiss renovated their fortresses to defend against a new threat - the Soviet Union and nuclear war. When the Cold War finally ended in 1990, the government decommissioned all the secret bunkers, and Fortress Fürigen was turned into a museum.
Machine gun on display
Our tour began walking through a series of dimly-lit tunnels. Several pipes ran along the ceilings, holding air circulation ducts and various other communication lines. Despite this ventilation system, the environment was damp, cool and musty. Our first stop was a room with chairs where we watched a short film about the history of the bunker. Then our guide showed us a few displays, exhibiting some of the weapons used by the Swiss soldiers who were stationed here.
Our group listening raptly
Trying to conserve space, shelves lined the walls of many of the rooms. One area held replicas of the ammunition that had been stored during wartime.
Underground kitchen
We learned 100 men had been stationed inside this bunker at a time. Our guide led us into the dining hall, past several rows of sturdy wooden tables and let us peer behind a glassed-in full kitchen. He then took us into the sleeping quarters - a very compact area with 50 beds and small cubbies for storing personal items. Half the men would sleep, and the other half would be on duty, so each person shared a bed with another solider. The mattresses were so close together! There was no privacy whatsoever, and I'm sure it was hard to sleep with that many men snoring and making other nighttime noises.
Bunk room - very close quarters!
The place even had it's own medical clinic. Part of the tour led us through a small infirmary, with a few beds where ill soldiers could rest and recover. There was an exam table and cabinets that stored various drugs and dressings. Although our guide told us minor medical procedures had been performed here, anything too complicated required transportation to a proper hospital.
The place even had a hospital
Winding through the dark corridors again led our group to the communications room and another large room full of generators that supplied energy to power all the bunker functions. This place was designed to be totally self-supported. Our guide pointed out that many of the tunnels had airlock doors. In case of fire or gas contamination, the bunker was designed to isolate any areas of incident, providing protection to the other soldiers inside. (Those ingenious Swiss thought of everything!)
Display showing how the big guns were operated
Our guide then took us by the most interesting part of this bunker - the weapons! A large fortification gun was set up, manned by three mannequins in uniform, complete with gas masks. (Apparently when this gun discharged it made the air extremely toxic.)
Airlock door
There was another decommissioned gun set up and this one allowed visitors to look through its sights and handle the controls. Each gun in this bunker was specifically aimed at an important strategic target - either a tunnel, road, railway, or mountain pass. The men assigned to each gun monitored their objectives 24/7 constantly scanning for signs of the enemy.
People could look through this large weapon
Kim is calling on the hot line
I couldn't imagine spending days down here!
But how had the Swiss disguised their gun portals to the outside world? For the grand finale, our guide led us back outside. Walking along the cliff, he pointed out a recessed area in the rock. One had to look closely to recognize the gun barrel exit point, cleverly disguised to look like part of the stone face.
Outer gun portal
Not only the gun portals, our guide showed us a "fake" rock panel cast into the cliff that was used as a hidden door to the underground fortress. The panel blended perfectly with the surrounding rock - it was an amazing match!
These were cleverly disguised
This military fortress was hidden so well that the nearby village and swanky resort had no idea that a large fortification was housed in the neighboring mountain, practically next door. During the height of World War II 20,000 of these bunkers, anti-tank obstacles, and other fortresses were concealed in the mountain walls of the Alps.
Our guide pointing out that some of this cliff is fake rock
I'm not a huge military history buff, so when I first saw this tour on the agenda, I wasn't super thrilled. But after walking through Fortress Fürigen, seeing its amazing construction, and hearing first-hand details from someone who had worked here, I was in awe of the industrious Swiss and the measures they took to defend their country. This tour was unexpectantly enjoyable and interesting.
Local police investigating a diesel leak in our bus
Upon completion of our fortress tour, it was time to travel to the next destination. But there was a problem. While everyone was in the bunker, driver Eric discovered our bus had a diesel leak. When we returned, Eric was talking to a maintenance person and two policeman. I learned that the Swiss take environmental issues seriously, so much so that there are special law enforcement teams assigned to investigate potential contamination incidents.
After a half hour of sitting on the bus watching discussions between the police and bus company, it was decided we would need to swap buses. A replacement was being sent to our location. Tony asked us all to hang tight for a bit longer. (And to keep everyone in good spirits, he handed out chocolate bars!)
Late lunch in St. Gallen
This little bus incident set our schedule back over an hour. By the time our replacement bus arrived, and everyone unloaded and reloaded their luggage, it was well past 11 o'clock. The day's planned lunch stop was in the town of St. Gallen, which turned out to be a nearly three hour drive from Stansstad. By the time we finally arrived, everyone was starving and many of us (me included) desperately had to use the facilities.
Tad and Sayumi enjoying their salads
After a quick walk through the town, Kim and I, along with our buddies Tad and Sayumi, bolted towards the first restaurant we saw. After ordering, I made a beeline for the restroom. The place advertised traditional Swiss food, so I ordered a sausage/spaetzle plate. Tad and Sayumi, trying to be healthy, ordered salads. Their salads were gigantic, laden with ham, eggs, and all sorts of stuff usually not considered to be salad material. (I guess the Swiss have a different definition of salad.)
Beautiful wooden cathedral door
The first day Kim and I were in Switzerland, I developed a large pimple on my left jawline, just below the ear. At the time, I didn't think much about it. That evening it started bothering me a bit, so I tried to squeeze the offending zit, hoping to make it go away quicker. Now three days later, it had grown in size and become so red and inflamed, that I was afraid the zit was now infected. On the bus ride to St. Gallen it started to really bother me, and I realized I should get it checked out. After my brush with a brain abscess three years ago, the last thing I wanted was another bad infection, especially in a foreign country. So upon reaching St. Gallen, I asked Tony if there was someplace I could go for medical advice. Tony suggested finding a pharmacy. Pharmacies were plentiful in most Swiss towns, and he thought they'd be able to help.
The St. Gallen cathedral was stunning!
So after finishing my lunch, I left Kim at the restaurant and went in search of a pharmacy. They were easy to find, thanks to Google maps. A quick walk brought me to the closest one. I had hopes the pharmacist would just give me something to heal my infection and I'd be on my way. However, when the woman at the counter examined my angry pimple, she recommended seeing a doctor. The lady phoned ahead to an urgent care, and wrote down their address for me.
Very ornate altar area
Although the urgent care was only a 10-minute walk away, I didn't think I had enough time to for an appointment. My group was due to meet up in 20 minutes and board the bus for our final destination, the town of Appenzell. There was no way I could get to the urgent care and be seen in that amount of time. What to do? I texted Tony with my dilemma. He asked me to meet him in 20 minutes to discuss.
Ceiling view
With a bit of time to kill, I decided to catch up with Kim, who was checking out the nearby St. Gallen Cathedral. The town's most famous landmark and UNESCO World Heritage site, Tony told us that it was one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Switzerland. I met my friend at its ornate wooden door. Having already looked around, Kim raved about the interior and enthusiastically led me inside. Oh, this cathedral definitely lived up to the hype! The ceilings were painted in exquisite detail. An altar area was decked out in gold accents surrounded by lavish furnishings and sculptures. A magnificent pipe organ anchored the back wall.
The cathedral had a lovely clock tower
After a whirlwind tour of the St. Gallen cathedral, and another photo-taking session of its exterior, Kim and I headed back to our tour group's designated meet up place. Arriving a few minutes early gave me time to capture a few more pictures of this pleasant town. The downtown core streets were pedestrian-only which made for enjoyable strolling and window-shopping. Kim noticed there were quite a few watch stores. After admiring their wares in the display windows, she contemplated buying one as a Swiss souvenir - that is, until she looked at the prices!
More exterior details
Finally our group gathered and Tony returned. He'd called ahead to Appenzell, and unfortunately the village was so small, there wasn't a doctor on duty. If I needed medical care, it would have to happen in St. Gallen. Since the group was on a schedule, and couldn't wait around for me, Tony suggested I go ahead and visit the urgent care clinic, and catch a train to Appenzell when I was finished. My head started to spin - catching a train by myself in an unfamiliar place seemed overwhelming right now. Our assistant tour guide Lisa, seeing the dazed expression on my face, offered to accompany me. I can't tell you how grateful I was!
Statue outside the cathedral
So we all walked back to the bus, since it was on the way to the urgent care clinic. Lisa told me instead of taking a train, she was going to ask our bus driver if he was willing to come back and pick us up. Not only did Eric agree to return when my appointment was over, on the way out of town, he dropped Lisa and I a block from the clinic.
St. Gallen was a lovely town
So I got to experience Swiss healthcare. Not exactly what I expected I'd be doing here in Switzerland! Upon checking in with the clinic's reception desk, I discovered that the Swiss don't understand American slang words like "zit." (I ended up pulling off my band-aid and showing them the problem.) After a short wait, I was ushered in to see a doctor. The young male doc didn't take my temperature or any vitals, and after looking at my ugly blemish, declared he wanted to do an ultrasound to check for an abscess. Thankfully the ultrasound didn't indicate any deep infections, so the guy sent me on my way with a tube of external antibiotics. I was relieved that the infection didn't appear to be serious, and happy to avoid taking oral antibiotics. Since I had to pay out of pocket, I was also pleased the visit only cost about 150 Swiss Francs (about $185 US).
Sticker shock!
Once I was done with my appointment, Lisa called Eric to come and get us. Appenzell was about 30 miles from St. Gallen, and I was so grateful to Eric for his willingness to do this extra driving. I offered to buy him a beer at dinner that night (I probably should've bought him several beers for such a big favor!) I also appreciated Lisa volunteering to stay with me during my doctor visit. Her presence was a comfort, since seeking medical care in a foreign country had been a bit stressful.
I finally made it Appenzell
It was after 5 pm by the time Lisa, Eric, and I arrived in Appenzell. Since the downtown core streets were pedestrian-only, Eric dropped us off several blocks from the hotel. I was grateful to Kim who had shlepped my suitcase, along with hers, this entire distance to our hotel room. After a quick stop at the hotel, Lisa and I went to meet up with the rest of our tour-mates, who happened to be in the middle of a yodeling lesson.
Just in time for a yodeling lesson
Yes, a yodeling lesson! It doesn't get much more Swiss than that! Lisa and I found our group gathered in the basement of the local chamber of commerce building where two of the locals were instructing everyone in the fine art of singing loudly across mountaintops.
The main instructor was a man named Martin, who was dressed in traditional clothing. Martin didn't speak English, so he had a woman assistant who acted as translator. Martin was a character. You could tell the guy loved teaching groups to yodel. He had enough enthusiasm for everyone - which was a good thing, because most of us were less than thrilled. The room was extremely hot and stuffy, it was the end of a long day, and we all just wanted to go to dinner.
Martin divided my tour-mates into groups, men and women. Each group had a different part. When we all yodeled together it was supposed to be harmonious. But....we sounded truly awful. After a lot of separate practices, Martin deemed us ready for the big final performance. He had three volunteers hold ceramic bowls with spinning coins inside. Another local tradition inspired by bored shepherds, this sound was supposed to be part of the "music." I thought it just made a horrible racket (to accompany our dismal yodeling). If you dare, take a listen to the above video and you'll hear how bad we really were.
Selfie with Martin, our yodel-master
After it was all over, Kim and I agreed we'd actually had fun, despite our less-than-stellar performance. Martin was such an entertaining (and patient!) teacher, before departing I asked him for a selfie. I'm laughing in the above picture because Kim was jumping up and down in the background, trying to photobomb us.
I found my hiking boots!
Our yodeling lesson finally over, everyone walked the short distance through Appenzell's cute, colorful storefronts to the hotel. Hiking was apparently a popular pastime here, as I spotted a ton of outdoor gear stores along the main drag. I even found one that carried the same brand of hiking boots I wear!
Local brew
We ended the day with a nice group dinner in the hotel dining room. True to my word, I made sure to buy Eric a beer, and also ordered a bottle of the local lager for myself. It had been a long, exhausting day, and I hoped a good night's sleep might begin healing my facial blemish.
(A multi-part recap of my recent September trip to Switzerland.)
Sorry for the long lapse between posts - I've been traveling again! But I plan to hang around home for most of November so maybe I'll be able to churn out more recaps from my Switzerland trip. (Fingers crossed!)
Flower-decked Chapel Bridge
Sooo.....the first full day of my Switzerland tour began gloomy and rainy. But the show must go on, and so it did! Starting with a guided walking tour around the beautiful city of Lucerne.
Lucerne waterfront
Our tour group had an excellent local guide, a woman named Ursula. She was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the town. After meeting up at one of the local fountains, she led us onto the nearby Chapel Bridge. Although Kim and I had traversed it many times over the past two days, this was the first time someone had explained it's history.
Artwork on the Chapel Bridge rafters
The Chapel Bridge was built in 1365 as part of Lucerne's fortifications. It provided a connection between the two opposite banks of the Reuss River. It has the distinction of being the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe. A symbol of Lucerne, it's also one of Switzerland's top tourist attractions.
Jesuit church
During previous walk-throughs I'd noticed paintings nestled in the bridge's triangular roof trusses. This artwork was created in the 17th century to depict events from Lucerne's history. Sadly, in 1993 a devastating fire destroyed nearly two-thirds of this 205-meter long bridge. Of the 111 paintings in the roof trusses, 86 of them were burned either partially or fully. Only 30 of the original paintings were salvaged and restored.
The town clock tower
Thankfully the bridge was reconstructed in 8 months to its former glory. Since a discarded cigarette is thought to have caused the blaze, all smoking is now banned on the Chapel Bridge.
Jesuit church facade
After reaching the other side of the Chapel Bridge, Ursula led our tour group back into the rain and along the river a short distance. She stopped in front of an ornate building which happened to be the Jesuit Church. The pedestrian bridge we had just crossed was named after this chapel.
Artwork above a church door
According to Ursula, the church's interior was spectacular. Hoping to give us a look, she tried the door but it was locked tight. Someone joked that it appeared the priest must be on vacation.
Huge flower column
However, the building's facade was stunning. As our group gaped at the ornate exterior, I tried in vain to capture some of it's glory with my camera, while dodging raindrops.
Chapel Bridge tower
The church's position on the waterfront provided a nice view of the Chapel Bridge and it's tall conical-roofed tower. This tower was built 30 years before the bridge construction. Ursula stated that over the years it has had many uses - most infamously as a prison and torture chamber. Nowadays a portion of the tower houses a gift shop, a much more cheerful function.
Reuss River needle dam made of wooden paddles
Beyond the Jesuit Church, Ursula led our group further along the river until we came to a unique dam-like structure. A line of wooden paddles was strung across the river, holding back the water. This "Needle dam" was used to maintain the water level of nearby Lake Lucerne. Depending upon how much water was necessary to hold back the lake determined how many wooden paddles remained in the flow path. The narrow paddles, or needles, were removed or added (by hand!) to constrict the river's flow.
Another view of this unique dam
Here's another view of the needle dam, so you can see what the downstream side looks like. (See the above image)
Spreuer Bridge
Past the Needle dam, our group continued along the waterfront before ending up at one end of Lucerne's other covered pedestrian bridge, the Spreuer Bridge.
Spreuer Bridge tower
Our guide had a wealth of information about this bridge too. It was constructed in the 13th century to connect the riverbank to mills in the middle of the river. Due to it's downstream position (the farthest bridge downriver), this was the only bridge allowed to dump chaff into the river. The chaff, called Spreu, is why this bridge has the name Spreuerbrücke (or Spreuer.) Destroyed by a 1566 flood, it was rebuilt together with a granary at the bridgehead.
My tour group admiring the Spreuer Bridge artwork
As with the Chapel Bridge, the Spreuer Bridge also has paintings under its roof trusses. Of the 67 original paintings, 45 have survived. These pieces of artwork depict a more somber subject - death.
Rafter paintings in this bridge dealt with death
Although the paintings seemed dark, (skeletons were a common theme) Ursula explained that in the 17th century, death was a very common occurrence. High infant mortality, low life expectancy, frequent wars, and no doctors to speak of all contributed to the large death rate.
Another grim painting
On to more cheerful subjects! From the Spreuer Bridge, Ursula led our merry group back to the river's opposite shore and through the "old town" shopping district. The streets were paved with large cobblestones and many of the buildings ornate and colorful.
Admiring a colorful building
Ursula pointed out a mauve colored building covered with paintings. The artwork depicted all types of subjects, from Bible stories, local businessman in times past, and Greek mythology, just to name a few.
Building artwork close-up
Although our guide explained a lot of the paintings, too much time has passed and I don't remember much of what she told us!
Our guide telling another interesting story
Our morning walk happened to coincide with garbage day in this area of the city. Huge rubbish containers lined the street by every storefront. Large garbage trucks barreled down the narrow cobblestone lanes, and when my tour group saw them coming we hustled out of their way.
Walking through town
Ursula pointed out another interesting mural on a nearby building. This artwork depicted a dinner party, however all the women, although wearing female clothes, were drawn as men.
Another interesting building mural
There were so many interesting things to see in old town Lucerne! I wish I remembered half of what Ursula told us. It was a great tour, and we had a most excellent guide. After bidding Ursula a fond farewell, our group had a half hour break before we had to be back in the fountain square meeting place for the second portion of the day.
Altdorf town square
After being escorted to our tour bus, and meeting our driver Eric, we were spirited away towards the opposite end of Lake Lucerne, destination the tiny village of Altdorf.
William Tell statue in Altdorf
Altdorf's claim to fame - this is the place where Swiss folklore hero William Tell famously shot an apple from his son's head. The main town square had a large statue commemorating this event.
This town loved it's local hero!
In the early 14th century, William Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow. A newly-appointed regional governor, Albrecht Gessler hung his hat on the Altdorf village Linden tree, and demanded all the townspeople bow before it. Tell visited Altdorf with his youngest son, and refused to bow to the governor's hat. For this offence, Tell and his son were arrested and set to be executed. However, hearing of his prowess with the crossbow, Gessler told Tell he could redeem his life by shooting an apple off his son's head in a single attempt. Tell then pulled out two arrows and expertly split the apple with the first. Gessler asked Tell why he had pulled an extra arrow from his quiver and Tell replied had he killed his son, he would have used the second arrow to kill Gessler.
Altdorf intersection
Furious at Tell's answer, Gessler ordered Tell imprisoned for life. Loaded onto a boat that would carry him across Lake Lucerne to a dungeon in a nearby castle, a large storm came up on the lake. Afraid the boat would sink, the guards asked Tell to help them guide the boat. After removing his shackles, Tell navigated their boat to a safe landing spot. Once ashore, Tell leaped out and ran away. He then returned to Altdorf and assassinated Gessler with the second arrow.
Lovely view from the boat dock at Flüelen
In modern times, Altdorf continues to commemorate Switzerland's favorite folk hero, building a theatre in the middle of town to perform the William Tell legend. Colorful banners with crossbows hang everywhere. The village is quite pretty, boasting many colorful buildings and surrounded by large snowy peaks.
Our ferry arriving
After a visit to the famous Williams Tell statue, and many photographs, Tony our tour leader, led the group to a nearby Coop grocery store for lunch. The store's upstairs had a large cafeteria that served good food. (This was to be a theme throughout our tour - Coop stores could be found everywhere in Switzerland, and they were a reliable source of inexpensive lunch items.)
Amazing mountains rising from Lake Lucerne
When lunch was finished, everyone reboarded the bus for a short trip to the nearby town of Flüelen. Here we were to catch the local ferry boat to another Swiss historical point of interest - Rütli Meadow.
On the boat!
Flüelen was another adorable Swiss village. On the shores of Lake Lucerne, steep peaks rose skyward from its banks. Lush, green meadows surrounded the town's buildings - white church steeples, clock towers, and storybook wooden houses. I only wished the weather was better - the clouds and fog hid much of this stunning scenery.
Storybook village as viewed from our boat
Our ferry boat arrived, and we all piled on board. It was about a half hour journey to Rütli Meadow and I passed the time taking photos of all the spectacular scenery.
It was an adorable place!
We passed several fairy-tale cute villages perched on the lake's shoreline. Every one had a tall clock tower, some attached to a slim, white church steeple. Charming wooden houses dotted the countryside. These buildings were surrounded by some of the greenest meadows I've ever seen. It was almost autumn and the vegetation was still sporting spring-like shades of green.
Mountains and village
After a couple of stops at nearby villages, our boat came to the dock at Rütli Meadow. Tony gathered us at the bottom of a steep hill and told us we had a short hike ahead. He then started up the asphalt trail leading to the famous meadow.
Hiking up a steep hill to Rütli Meadow
Tony wasn't kidding. The trail was steep. All of us huffed and puffed as we slogged slowly up the path. But at least it wasn't raining for the moment. And the scenery was stunning.
Wonderful views from the trail
As the trail began to flatten, I thought I smelled hay and manure. Cattle up here? Then I rounded and corner, and there in a small pasture were about a half dozen shaggy Highland cows.
We walked by a few Highland cattle
I never did learn what the small cow herd was doing up there, but those hairy bovines sure were cute! And a few of them posed for my camera.
Cute hairy cow
Not far from the cow pasture I spotted a large, gnarly, multi-trunked tree and Swiss flag on top of a small hill. This I soon learned was the famed Rütli Meadow, birthplace of Switzerland.
Rütli Meadow, the birthplace of Switzerland
On August 1, 1291 representatives from the three original Cantons (what the Swiss call states) gathered in this meadow and founded a new country by pledging loyalty oaths to the new confederation. From this day forward, Rütli Meadow became known as the "birthplace of Switzerland."
Exploring the meadow
Everyone from our tour group wandered around a bit before Tony gathered us together to tell a story about the country's founding. Then we lined up for a quick group photo. The rain began to fall again, so we took that as a sign it was time to head back to the boat.
Our guide Tony talking about the history of Rütli Meadow
A really fancy ferry boat pulled up to the dock. This was our ride back. Once aboard, I hung out on the outside deck admiring the scenery before the rain intensified enough to drive me back inside. The boat continued across the lake to another town, this one called Brunnen, where Eric and our bus was waiting.
A very picturesque place to start a new country!
It was now late in the afternoon, and traffic was heavy. The road our bus took back to Lucerne was narrow and had many areas of road construction to navigate. So our return trip wasn't very speedy.
Group photo
To pass the time, Tony played some music over the bus intercom. Since we'd all just visited Altdorf, the William Tell Overture was part of his playlist. Listening to this song, I couldn't help thinking of a quote I'd heard long ago - "An intellectual is someone who can listen to the William Tell Overture and not think of the Lone Ranger."
Now, back to the boat!
Besides listening to Tony's musical selections, the other entertaining part of our trip back to Lucerne was spotting port-a-potties. "Toi-Toi," was the name of a local portable toilet company, it's logo prominently displayed on the door of each potty. I thought the name was so funny, I kept saying "toi-toi" whenever we passed one. (Kind of like a game of "slug-bug" without the punching.) There were a lot of construction zones and each had at least one outhouse. I'm sure I drove Kim crazy by the end of that trip!
Our very fancy ferry
Finally our bus reached the outskirts of Lucerne and from there it wasn't long before we were dropped back near the hotel. Dinner was on our own that evening, so Kim found a nearby brew pub that was oddly showing American football games on it's big screen tv's.
This portable toilet name made me laugh!
Kim and I had a great three days in the beautiful city of Lucerne. But tomorrow our tour was traveling to another Swiss city, the mountain town of Appenzell. Hope you'll join me for the next chapter of my trip - and I promise this one will posted much sooner!
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