We train'ed down to Lucerne aka Luzern for the day with Jimbo. Mt Pilatus and the lakes are amazingly beautiful. Thanks Jimbo for guided tour!

We spent a couple hours at the top of Mt Pilatus. After the fog rolled in and the superlative views disappeared, we wandered into the self-serve restaurant for lunch. Bob took a 5 minute nap while we enjoyed being in the warm (fog is cold!), then we took nearly the last tram down.

	Coming out of the Luzern train station.	Can you say gorgeous area? Lakes, mountains, wow.	Famous covered bridge, with the usual flowers all over it.	Bicycles everywhere... like everywhere else in Europe.

	From the covered bridge, looking out to Lake Lucerne.	Ah mountains... like home in Colorado and yet not...		We took the "Golden Round Trip" tour of the area - a boat, the steepest rack railway in the world, the aerial cable car and the gondola ropeway around Mount Pilatus. Starting on the boat...	Keith and Sue with mid-morning coke and beer, on the boat.

	Jimbo	Stunningly beautiful area.	Little boat painted up like a paddlewheel.	Climbers all over the rock face.	Gorgeous!

	After the boat ride, onto the Pilatus-Bahn. The steepest cog rail in the world, with up to 48% grades.	Partway up, looking down at the lake.	Yes people do hike this. 5000+ feet vertical from the lake.	At least four sections of track and two red cars are visible ahead and above us. Can you spot them?	First train ahead of us comes out of a falling-rock-protection cover. Second train ahead on far left gives a good feel for the extreme steepness!

	We're above treeline already, at maybe 5000 feet above sea level. Implies it is really cold here even in summer!	Buildings at the top start to come into view.	Spectacular views.	Looking down the valley. The far left window is about 2/3 rolled down. At the bottom of the left window is the black cog rail track. Just to the right of that is the twisty grey hiking trail, which on the bottom right turns to zig-zag switchbacks (can you say steep)?

	Nearly at the top now.	Disembarking looking down the track. Wow steep.	On the other side of the mountain, the tram goes up and down.	Gorgeous, tho clouds are starting to roll in.	Band plays for local color.

	Overlook has incredible views here of the cog rail and hiking trail, with people on the hiking trail!	Wow.	Short trails lead up to local high points above the two hotels here on the main overlook area.	We'll hike up there next.	OMG gorgeous views.

	Jimbo.	Keith.	Jimbo and Keith		Helicopter tours

		Keith on the edge.		Keith and Jimbo, more fog rolling in.	Starting to obscure the far peak.

	Tons of cool weather observation equipment.	Looking down at the plaza and hotel on the left, other hotel is below us on the right.	Bob on Mt Pilatus.	Fun walkways all over, getting fogged in.	Keith

		Fog makes the light spooky.	Fog hasn't hit the other side yet, still spectacular.	Climb down into the fog... says the spider to the fly.	Both hotels visible here. Heck if you climb 5000+ vertical feet, you expect a hotel and beer at the top, right? If only Colorado peaks had that...

	Fog rolls in...	Bob		There are actually bicycles as well on the hiking trail.

	Hiking trail from the bottom ends here.		More stairs to wander.	Fog is starting to obscure the aerial tram on the bottom right.	Bob, Keith, Sue on Mt Pilatus

	Keith on the edge.		Jimbo and Bob	On a clear day...	Birds here have an interesting bright yellow beak and bright orange feet.

		Bob, and Keith on the edge.	Barely visible through the fog, there's a runway down there!	Zoomed in.	Taking the tram down, fun stuff along the way - zip lines, slides.

	Find the triangle house in the center, the dots below that are cows. We can hear the cowbells from here!	Now on a second tram heading down (too far for one cable to stretch so multiple trams take you down.)		All those trees and bushes between the houses are on terraces, not ground-planted.	Another hackney carriage!

	Back in Lucerne with the covered bridge.	Great pastries, rolls, pretzels at this bakery for mid-afternoon snack.		Stayed in Lucerne for dinner at an outdoor cafe here, then headed back to Zurich for the night.

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