A River Cruise in Europe: November 7, 2018 Lucerne and Pilatus

We woke up to sunshine this morning. We enjoyed the view of Lake Lucerne from the breakfast room. There was a slight fog over the lake but it was quickly lifting. We met our tour guide Hollee. Hollee is from Florida originally but has made Switzerland her home. Today Hollee was taking us on a boat across the lake. We were treated to scenic views of the villages around the far end of the Lake to the village of Alphnach. This is where we would board a cograil train to take us to the summit of Mt Pilatus at 7,000 feet up into the Alps. As we traveled up in the cograil, the views of the Lake and surrounding mountains were stunning. The leaves are in the process of changing. As we went further up, the leaves were changing color. Going up, we passed farmers huts and barns where they milk their cows in the summer. They lead the cows up a path in the spring where they feed in the Alpine meadows. The cows are milked twice a day and the farmers make the famous mountain cheese. Once at the top, the skies were clear which allowed for awesome views. We hiked one of several paths that took us up to one of the peaks. From there we could see several of the other Alp mountains in the distance. The ones at higher elevation were already snow covered. There is a hotel at the top where you can get a room and, if the weather is clear, you can watch the sunrise in the Alps. We enjoyed a lunch of Alphenmachen and Apple strudel with vanilla sauce. We are really enjoying the Swiss cuisine. We returned down on the cograil. The gondolas are not operating as they are taken out of service for maintenance at this time of the year. Reaching the base, we then boarded a train back to Lucerne at the Bahnhof.B Then we got on a bus to take us to the Gutsch bahnhof. We boarded a vertical tram car to take us up to the Gutsch Chateau that overlooks Lucerne. It was built in the shape of a castle and today is a famous hotel. We sat on the veranda enjoying a glass of Lucerne Riesling and enjoying the views. We hiked a short path around the top before returning down and back into Lucerne. We have a restaurant we plan to have dinner at tonight. Last night, we enjoyed an outdoor meal next to the Lake at Rathause breweries. Bratwurst and kraut. Beer and cheese stuffed pretzel. YUM! Final packing tonight as we leave early for Zurich tomorrow and the flight home. This has been an adventure that we won't forget. We were able to sample the experience of Europe with the help of Viking and our amazing guides. We are already envisioning a return to experience more of Europe. As our Cruise Director, Renee always says "CAIO FOR NOW!"