Pilatus (9/26/1981)

Saturday, September 26, 1981

Train day pass

Took the usual 7:52 train to Bern and changed to the 8:38 train to Luzern/Lucerne. It was standing room only and left 10 minutes late. A group of six men were having an interesting conversation in mixed Swiss-German and French. Arrived about 10:00 and boarded a train heading south along the edge of Vierwaldstättersee/Lake Lucerne that was covered by mist. I got off at Alpnachstad and walked across the street to the Pilatusbahn station.

Pilatusbahn station

I expected another funicular, but this was a rather steep rack railroad, the world’s steepest cogwheel railroad. At 11:00 the cars were full and we began the ascent. Along the way, gradients were posted, usually in the 30s, but up to a 48% grade. As we climbed through the forest we had glimpses of the mist-shrouded lakes below and across at snow-covered mountains. As we passed Alpine cow barns, the land became rockier. You could see cow paths intertwining along the steep mountainside. We began climbing through a series of tunnels cut into the mountain. About a half hour later we arrived at Pilatuskulm.

Pilatusbahn train

Rack rail

There is a very large old hotel (Pilatuskulm Hotel built 1890) and a plain round modern hotel (Hotel Bellevue built in 1963).

Pilatus Kulm Hotel

I went out on the terrace of the newer hotel and then began the hike to the Esel summit at 2,119 m/6,952’. The highest of Pilatus summits is Tomlishorn at 2,128 m/6,982’. The climb only took 10 minutes but really made me huff and puff.

Pilatus Oberhaupt

Oberhaupt with gallery windows

The clouds hid the sun, but you could still see snow-covered mountains to the south and look down on the spooky misty lakes that ran between steep mountainsides. They have been likened to fjords.

Vierwaldstättersee/Lake Lucerne

View towards Alps

You could also see a hazy view of the city of Luzern/Lucerne.

Hotel Bellevue

I took a 360 degree look around then returned to the hotel area to explore the panorama gallery, a tunnel around the edge of Oberhaupt/head or crown under the hotels.

Caught the 12:00 aerial cable car to Frakmüntegg.

Aerial cable car to Frakmüntegg

The ride was relatively placid, but suddenly it dipped at a greater angle. Roller coaster feeling! At Frakmüntegg, we changed to a smaller gondola aerial cableway.

Aerial gondola cable car

I had a 4-passenger gondola to myself. The ride was pretty long. As we neared a station, I prepared to get out. But the man took my gondola, pushed it through the station and sent me out the other side. We were only halfway down! I took the time to study a map of Luzern.

View from aerial gondola

Aerial gondola cableway

The cableway ended in Kriens, where I followed signs to the trolley bus to Luzern. I lost the signs, but found the trolley bus route by the overhead wiring. Walked to the next bus stop which had a route map, so that I could determine which direction to go for Luzern!

Trolley bus ticket

In the city I got off at Pilatusplatz/Pilatus Square, and walked the few blocks to the train station. The front of the train station has been converted into a shopping center with many tiny shops. The walkways were brightly painted with fairyland-type figures. I felt like I was in a children’s amusement park. I continued to the bridge over the Reuss River to the chestnut-lined Schweizerhofquai along the lake.

Schweizerhofquai

There were glass display cases displaying articles as advertisement. I could have continued along the waterfront in front of the hotels and casino, but instead walked along Haldenstrasse behind these buildings, seeing the delivery entrances. I walked and walked, passing the Dietschiberg funicular station. As the shore of the lake curved out, I arrived at the complex of buildings of the Verkehrshaus der Schweiz/Swiss Transport Museum. I bought the 6 CHF/$3 ticket and went first to the railroad museum.

Swiss Transport Museum ticket

There were locomotives that showed off their engines and a couple model railroad displays. The seats around the museum for resting were taken from railroad cars. Outside was a miniature steam train that kids could ride for 50 Rappen/25 cents.

Miniature steam rain

The old steamboat “Rigi” was used as a restaurant. Next the road transport museum with cars, wagons, sleds, motorcycles, and bicycles. The postal services museum was interesting and had a working model of a mail distribution plant. Also shown were stamps and postal bus services. The entrance to a small theater was the side of a postal bus and you pushed the familiar button to open the doors. The telecommunications museum covered telephones, radio, and television. There were several telephones where you could dial one of the many information numbers and hear a sample recording.

Outside were a couple airplanes and a train.

SwissAir plane

In front of the SwissAir plane were various sized wooden figures of pilots and stewardesses, but without heads. One could stand behind them for a photo. For 50 Rappen/25 cents you could board the SwissAir plane, which I did. Peeked into the cockpit, passed the galley and the luxurious seats, stuck my head in the lavatory, and deplaned. I entered the air and space building, going first to the basement for the navigation and tourism displays. Saw models of ships and dolls in traditional dress. “Panorama Switzerland” was a multi-slide show showing the country’s sights. Upstairs I passed the airplanes, helicopters, and hang gliders to go to the Cosmorama. An announcement had promised a show in a few minutes called Super Canard (canard is “duck” in French). Passed the spacecraft and spacesuit before entering the theater. The Super Canard was an army film showing off the precision team of five pilots who fly in formation. Wonderful views of Swiss mountains and lakes as a backdrop to planes swooping and looping, flying upside down, and straight down. Impressive subject if not an impressive film. An Italian family next to me left in disgust because the narration was in German. The theme song in English was Neil Diamond’s “Lonely in the Sky.” After the 20-minute movie I went to the Hans Erni Haus, an art museum of Erni’s paintings, lithographs, and sculptures, all characterized by Renaissance figures (well-rounded) and covered with lacy lines. I skipped the planetarium (later found out it only cost 50 Rappen/25 cents to enter!).

It was 15:00, so I took a trolley bus back into town. I bought the ticket from the vending machine for 80 Rappen/40 cents, and was going to try to validate it even though the ticket appeared too big for the slot. But then the bus came, so I hopped aboard. There was a uniformed man sitting facing backwards; was he a conductor? Was he going to check my ticket? I held the ticket conspicuously so that he could see I had one, but not so he could see it was not validated. He made no moves, so I boldly sat down right in front of him. A couple minutes later I got off at busy Schwanenplatz. Passed a policeman writing a ticket for a car parked in a bicycle parking lot. Walked to the Reuss River to view the long covered wooden bridge, the Kapellbrücke/Chapel Bridge (1333), with geraniums along one side.

Kapellbrücke/Chapel Bridge

Walked to Kapellplatz/Chapel Square with its Fritschibrunnen/fountain (1918).

Kapellplatz Fritischbrunnen/fountain

Fritschi is a character from a 15th century Swiss legend.
The square was full of bicycles and hippies. Continued along the pedestrian-only Kapellgasse/Chapel Lane to Kornmarkt/Grain Market. The Altes Rathaus/Old City Hall (1602-04, late Renaissance) was rather plain.

Altes Rathaus/Old City Hall clock

Next door was the Gasthaus/Inn zu Pfistern which had a painted façade with knights and curlicues.

Gasthaus/Inn zu Pfistern

The Rathaus had an exhibition of works by Günter Grass, who appeared to specialize in pen and ink drawings of old shoes and fish heads (later learned he wrote “The Tin Drum”). From a city hall window I could look out over the pedestrian bridges with the fancy wrought-iron railings over the river, and see the Jesuitenkirche/Jesuit Church (1666-77) across the river.

Jesuitenkirche/Jesuit Church

The Kornmarkt also had buildings with flower boxes of geraniums and wrought-iron signs.

Kornmarkt building

Kornmarkt clock

Walked up to Hirschenplatz to see an especially ornate gold and black wrought-iron sign. Next Weinmarkt/Wine Market with all the buildings with painted facades. Most of the paintings were of people, but one hotel had a floral design with curlicues. Weinmarkt did have a market of stalls of food and some flea market items. There was a fountain and a young boy organ grinder.

Weinmarkt

Weinmarkt hotel

Crossed Reussbrücke/Reuss Bridge and looked down at the covered wooden Speuerbrücke/bridge, which appeared to be over sluice gates.

Speuerbrücke and Zeughaus/Arsenal to the left

Saw the Zeughaus/Arsenal. There was a wedding party outside the Jesuitenkirche, so I hesitated to go in. Other tourists went in, and I followed. It was a beautiful bright white and gold interior with lovely peach-colored flowers.

Old town and Kapellbrücke/Chapel Bridge

I crossed back over the Kapellbrücke/Chapel Bridge and saw that up on the roof rafters were a series of triangular paintings depicting the history of Luzern, with a verse in each one. A couple were missing, but there are supposed to be 20 in total. I went in the old town to a souvenir shop that appeared to be staffed by Londoners as they hoped that you spoke English. I priced some items. Everything was terribly expensive, but of good quality and unique. I crossed over the Reussbrücke/Reuss Bridge, being passed by one of the mini-mini-buses that make free circuits around the city. Along Reusssteg there was a garage-sale type flea market. A dark fellow mumbled mumbo-jumbo in my ear as I passed his jewelry display.

Bahnhofplatz/train Station Square

I got to the Bahnhofplatz/Train Station Square in time to hear a tinkle of glass as one car turned into the path of another car. Not a serious accident but a rare occurrence. Caught the 17:00 train to Bern, and the 18:43 train to Biel.