Bürgenstock (10/1/1983)

Saturday, October 1, 1983
The weather has been nice, foggy/misty but sunny and warm. At 9:30 I went to the hospital to varnish the platform swing we had built, then headed downtown, arriving at the Swiss Pioneers stand at about 11:00. The club members were gone to change, but Schwester Susanne was there. The Swiss Pioneers came out to perform and I took a photo. The lady from Sterilization at the hospital came, as did Jan B. Herr S said he would stop by, too! I left to drop off film at ABM and went home.
Later I took a “new” route to the train station along the Schüsspromenade, and caught the 13:23 train to Zürich. The train was crowded, but I saw a man reading Der Stern (a German magazine), and asked in German if the seat next to him strewn with newspapers was available. He gathered the papers and I sat down. Later near Grenchen the man pointed to a hot air balloon, speaking French. Then he said “gefährlich/dangerous” in German. Strange! I got off in Olten to change to the 14:32 train to Luzern, arriving at 15:15. I managed to catch the 15:20 boat, and a half hour later I disembarked at Kehrsiten-Bürgenstock. I bought a half-price ticket for 4.70 CHF/$2.30 for the funicular and boarded. I was in a compartment with older Americans who were on a tour and staying in hotels in Bürgenstock. They talked of needing a map! I peeked at one of their itineraries to see the trip was “The Great Swiss Railway Adventure!” Hmm…

View up from Bürgenstock

We curved up a ridge and soon arrived in Bürgenstock, basically a community of a few ritzy hotels. There were a couple modern storefronts, a golf green looking square with a fountain, and lots of flowers.

Bürgenstock main street

Square with fountain

I headed to the left past a large hotel with waiters in tuxes out on a terrace café, and what seemed to be a wedding party. Farther there was a kiosk with weather instruments and a jewelry display. I had hazy glimpses down the cliff over the water to the other side of the Vierwaldstättersee/Lake Lucerne.


Vierwaldstättersee/Lake Lucerne

Boat landing

Then I saw the Palace Hotel Shopping Promenade with expensive boutiques. I thought that was the end of the road, and headed back the other way, passing rows and rows of rosebushes and a lady with four designer-trimmed poodles. Next I went to the other side of the square and looked back over green pastures with cows and Swiss chalets. Continued past the modern complex on the hill above which turned out to be the swimming pool I was supposed to see. Unfortunately, gates and fences kept everyone out. I went farther to another hotel, and in front was a display case with a model of the town! I had reached the other end of Bürgenstock, but I saw there was more beyond the Palace Hotel. So I returned past the gardens, the Mercedes Benzes, other chauffeur driven cars, ladies in chic clothing, men in tuxes, etc. Occasionally I would see a Swiss hiker. Past the Palace Hotel I found more boutiques, and eventually the wooden chalet Taverna which was below a cute little white church.

Church

The inside of the church was decorated with flowers for a wedding; beautiful! I climbed up to the start of the Felsenweg/rock trail, which takes you along a ridge to an elevator to take you to the local high point. When I looked down to see only haze, I decided just to return to the funicular station. I had just missed the 16:35 funicular and had to wait for the 16:53. Then I missed the 16:46 boat and had to wait for the 17:45 boat. I spent 45 minutes reading Newsweek, and the whole time the funicular conductor was talking to a group of German ladies. He was recommending restaurants in Luzern and who knows what else. There was one man in the group who was American, and the conductor asked where in the U.S. New York. Well, the conductor only had the worst things to say about New York and its women. Then the conductor said he used to shovel snow in Maine and it was far colder than anywhere in Switzerland. Amusing guy!

Kehrsiten-Bürgenstock Funicular

Finally we boarded the boat along with a group of drunken carnation-corsaged men (and a couple women). They were all respectably dressed, but sang, and yodeled, and yahooed while on the boat. Arrived in Luzern ahead of schedule at 18:30 and it was already dark. I ran to the station and bought 150 gm/5 ounces of roasted chestnuts for 2.30 CHF/$1.15. The guy winked at me as he threw in a few extra chestnuts. Thanks, but I already had the 2.30 CHF ready, so no tip!
Caught the 18:38 train towards Basel, and in Olten changed to the 19:42 train to Biel, arriving at 20:30. As I was walking home I felt someone touching my backpack. Some drunk kid (wispy blond mustache, glasses, doofus) mumbled something and all I could understand was Rucksack. He then threw his arm around my shoulder. I exclaimed, “What are you doing?!” He said something about needing a girlfriend. It was easy to push him away, but he tried a couple more times and I saw he was with another guy. I dropped back and they walked on ahead. I then went to take the Schüsspromenade so that I didn’t have to follow these guys. I got to the hospital and shut the windows to my therapy room at work; open to air out from the varnish. As I ran up the steps to the Personalhaus/staff residence and started around the back corner, I saw a hedgehog in the grass. A real Igeli! He was rummaging around, so as to not disturb him, I walked all the way around the building the other way!