Gotthard Tunnel (9/20/1981)

Sunday, September 20, 1981

Awoke at 8:00 and went to check out at 8:30. Of course the reception desk was closed. The maître d' told me to pay in the dining room. It turned out breakfast was included, so I had rolls with butter and strawberry jam, and tea. I paid for my breakfast and the room as if paying for a meal, via the waitress.

The sun was out when I left, so I took some photos.

Painted facade

Katharinahof Hotel

Rathaus/Town Hall (1900)

At the train station I caught the 9:56 single-car train to Biberbrugg. At 10:00 I boarded the train to Arth-Goldau which made no stops as it climbed up through the “accumulating” mountains. Today I could see snow-capped mountains. At the Arth-Goldau station I saw the Rigibahn station with its blue cars. I took the 10:45 express train towards Italy. Again I sat on the wrong side of the train, since the valley was spread out on the other (right) side. We passed Schwyz and stopped in Brunnen before following the cliffs along Urnersee/Lake Uri. At the end of the lake we began climbing along a valley. When we passed Wassen, I looked across the train to see the famous church of Wassen (1734-1742) above us, surrounded by a cemetery and lots of tourists. We plunged into a tunnel, and when we came out, I was surprised to see the Wassen church, this time on my side of the train! Apparently the tunnel was a near circle. We plunged into another of these tunnels, to come out to see the church for the third time, but from 200m/660’ above the church. The church is actually famous for being seen three times from different perspectives as the train goes through the spiraling tunnels. There is a third tunnel just beyond Wassen.

Began to see a lot of roadwork, and the distant approaches of the Gotthard Auto Tunnel. We stopped at Göschenen of the Gotthardbahn Tunnel/Gotthard Railway Tunnel. It took us 10 minutes to go through the 15,003 m/49,222’/9.3-mile tunnel that opened in 1882, and come out at Airolo. I got off the train here. It was as if a cloud was sitting right in the town, since it was so foggy. While I ate my lunch, a group of American tourists were returning to an American Express Neoplan tour bus sitting in front of the station. They seemed to be near the end of the tour, because I heard comments about how they couldn’t wait to get back to ham and eggs breakfasts and golf. A couple in typical motorcycle gear of leather jackets, elastic cummerbunds, and motorcycle boots also came out of the restaurant. Most of the people here seemed to speak Italian. Italy is just over the next mountain ridge.

After checking out the bronze bas-relief memorial by the Ticinese sculptor Vincenzo Vela commemorating the laborers who died building the tunnel in the 1880s, erected in 1932, I caught the 12:32 local train to Luzern.

Fallen workers of Gotthard Tunnel Memorial

It was amazing to see the difference in the weather at the two ends of the Gotthard Tunnel.
The train was fairly empty, so I was able to switch sides to take photos of each time we passed the Wassen church.

Approaching Wassen

Seeing the Wassen church from above

Passing the church at a lower level

A better view of the church cemetery

Goodbye, Wassen

At Arth-Goldau I changed trains to Biberbrugg, and then to Wälenswil. In Zürich I caught the 16:13 train to Biel, arriving at 17:45. The Italians here were out for their Sunday window-shopping strolls.