The Events of Thursday, July 21, 2011

            The soft, wrinkly waters of Lake Luzern, dimpled by the soft drizzle of rain, were swaying quietly in the breeze. I leaned back on my cushioned seat with a contented sigh. Finally, after a morning of chaos, I could sit and enjoy the day. On the way to Luzern, we had gotten caught in construction traffic and lost in the tunnels and criss-crossing Swiss motorways. We had rushed through the huge train station looking for the TI and then waited for what seemed like forever to purchase our boat tickets before rushing to the boat dock. Once we thought we were safely on the boat, with two minutes to spare, I discovered that I had forgotten my backpack in the TI. So, we ran off the boat after pulling Mom out of the ladies’ restroom. Just as Mom reached the gangplank the whistle bellowed and she jumped off. Then the boat pulled away.

            I felt horrible because we had rushed all morning long trying to make the boat on the hour. Daddy and I raced back to the TI and there, just where I had left it, my backpack sat, slumped against the wall. Enormously relieved, we rejoined our family to wait for the next boat. While waiting we discussed all sorts of things that we want to do when we get home. And then we boarded the big boat, made our way to the back of the boat where there were bright salmon colored benches undercover (as it had been raining on and off all morning) and waited for the boat to depart.

            While we were waiting, we started our lunch. Today’s lunch was a special Swiss lunch. We had a loaf of traditional Swiss braided bread called eirzopf. It was soft and tasted like sweet French bread. We also had a sampling of traditional Swiss cheeses. The first cheese was emmentaler, which tasted like the cheese that we call Swiss cheese in the States (the one with the holes). Then, we sampled le gruyére, which was hard, somewhat crumbly, and strong, but Abby and Caitlin’s favorite. The appenzeller cheese, which was supposed to be the most pungent of the Swiss cheeses, we actually found milder than the le gruyere. And last, we tried the tilsiter, which was my favorite, a soft, medium strong cheese. The rest of our meal consisted of juicy nectarines, crisp carrots, salty pretzel snacks, and rich butter cookies.

            Halfway through our Swiss picnic, however, our satisfaction was shattered. The ticket lady came by. We had second class tickets and were in the first class outdoor area. Oops. So, we moved downstairs along with the people from the table next to us who were from England. The upstairs area was virtually empty and downstairs, the second class inside area was stuffy and crowded. So, we took our picnic to the outside benches lining the main cabin and ate. The fog drifted slowly over the mountains making a dazzling reflection on the blue waters of Lake Luzern.

            All was well with the world when we heard some muffled music. Mom asked me if I was singing and I said that for once I was not. We looked around us and then peered through the windows into the boat’s second class dining hall. Inside the hall, at a table, sat ten Swiss women of varying ages, with their mouths in an O shape, yodeling. The beautiful, harmonic, throaty calls were mournful and emotional. The ladies all had serious faces and their lips stayed in that perpetual O shape. It was amazing and so beautiful to be in the midst of all the beautiful scenery and to hear that lovely, soft sound.

            When the boat pulled into the dock at Vitznau, we donned our winter coats, hats, gloves, and scarves and hopped ashore. We waited at the train station and then boarded the bright red cog wheel train to climb Mount Rigi. After the cog railway was built on Mount Washington in the U.S., the next system to be built was the very one we were riding. We were riding the first cog railway system in Europe. The view out the steamed windows was of fog, fog, and more fog. Though at first we were disappointed, we got our rewarding scenery later.

            The train did not take us all the way to the top of the mountain however and when we reached the end of the track, we got off the train and set out on a trail to conquer the peak. Only 200 meters long, the steep trail reminded our muscles that they were sore from yesterday’s trek. Mommy and I tried all sorts of different ways of going up. Sideways, backwards, and frontwards, no matter which way we walked, our sore muscles creaked in protest.

            Finally at Rigi Kulm, there was still a thick fog, but every now and then, the fog floated away, revealing a stunning view of Lake Luzern and the surrounding mountains. Past the protective wooden fence, far down the slope, we could see a huddle of sheep with bells around their necks. When the fog moved back in, the only way we knew that those sheep still existed was by the soft tinkling of their little bells. The climb down the trail was painful, but still fun.

            We rode the train back down Mount Rigi, but this time we stopped halfway at Rigi Kaltbald. Here we hiked the suggested Rigi Känzell hike. The path first led to a small church, Felsenkapelle, which was built within the rocks. Inside the smell of burning candles and the warmth reminded me of Christmas. Exiting, we followed the trail along, dodging mud and puddles but enjoying the shelter of the tall evergreens and the sheer isolation. The end of the trail was a lookout point. There were signs telling us the names of all the different mountains, but we could see only the ones very close because of the fog. Again, when the fog cleared, we were dazzled with the luxurious blue of Lake Luzern and the rugged peaks and slopes.

            As we started to hike down from the lookout point, it started to really rain. We paired up and walked down the trail under our well used umbrellas from Assisi, Italy. Mud and water splashed our legs and feet and we gave up on keeping clean. We rode the cable car down to the little town of Weggis (pronounced like Las Vegas). The views were tremendous and it was somewhat thrilling to be hanging in the air on a string, falling slowly down to earth.

            Once we arrived, we discussed our situation. There were five minutes until the next boat to Luzern pulled away and the walk from the cable car station to the boat dock was supposed to take ten minutes. We started to walk quickly, then jog, and then run. Sprinting through the village, negotiating our way down slopes and stairs, Caitlin kept checking our GPS. Initially, according to our GPS, we weren’t going to make it. However, as we persevered, we were able to advance our estimated time of arrival. Finally, the boat dock was in sight. With the last of our energy, we sprinted to the gangplank and raced aboard. We had all made it in time and were very proud of ourselves.

            The crew brought up the gangplank just after Mom had hopped aboard. Hot, sweaty, and breathing hard, we stripped off our multiple jackets and layers and enjoyed the cool breeze outside in T-shirts. The people around us must have thought we were crazy because everyone else was in heavy coats and scarves. Soon, it started to rain, however and the roof was not long enough to cover us, so we had to go inside. The only seats were by the engine which was very hot. Mom couldn’t stand the heat, so she went back outside and enjoyed the cool lake breezes. Soon we were docking back in Luzern. We had survived our journey. Limping slightly, we found our car and sank with grateful groans into the cushioned seats.

            Once home, we changed into clean comfy clothes and Mom and I started a load of our dirty hiking clothes. We have done laundry almost daily since arriving in Switzerland. Then, we all helped make a deliciously warm meal of noodles, tomato sauce, and sausage, and veggies. For dessert, we blissfully sucked on chunks of silky-smooth Swiss chocolate. Then, we read in our cozy, wooden living room before heading to bed with sore muscles and aching limbs, but with fond and amusing memories.