More Cowbell Please

DAY 21

I slept like a baby last night and woke up to a rainy Lucerne. I ate breakfast and then the bus headed to Mt. Pilatus. This mountain sits 7000 feet above sea level, so it now beats out the Eagle's Nest as the highest I've ever been. (Mountain wise that is. Nudge, nudge.) We took a cog train up the mountain and got spectacular views along the way, until we started getting to the very top. On the way up we saw cows on the mountain too. And, they had cow bells on. We heard them! Real cow bells. On real cows. Woohoo. It was awesome to hear cow bells in their real setting and not just "fake ones" along a race course which I love hearing also. Of course all I could think of when hearing these bells was Christopher Walken on an old famous SNL sketch saying he had a fever and the only prescription was more cowbell. Love it!

As we got further up the mountain the clouds got thicker and thicker and the views hazier and hazier. By the time we reached the top of the mountain we were smack in the middle of a cloud. My head was literally in the clouds. As cool as that sounds and actually was, there was no view from the top of the mountain. This was a slight bummer but you can't win them all and it was still awesome to be up there. 

On the way down the mountain we took gondolas. As we made it down, the air had cleared and the rain stopped! Hallelujah!!  We got drove back to town and got dropped off in the center of town to do some shopping and walking around. There aren't too many tourist sites to visit in Lucerne but it sure is a pretty city. With Lake Lucerne and the Swiss Alps, it's simply picturesque, especially without the rain. 

Switzerland is known for its chocolate, cheese, watches (or time pieces as they are known here), and Swiss Army knives. If I had some actually money, I would have bought myself a Rolex in a heartbeat. Instead I got a Rolex teaspoon; it was complimentary with a voucher in the packet with our map. Hey, I'll take it. I then walked around, just kind of going up and down some streets. I walked over a few bridges including the flower laced Kapell-Brucke, which also has a tower at the end. I grabbed a pretty good salad for lunch at local bakery chain Bachmann's and headed to a sit outside to eat and people watch.  After that, I walked back to the hotel so I could head right back out again and get my Switzerland run in. Country number 6 baby!! I ran along a path around Lake Lucerne. I wanted to stop every second to take a picture of the views. Amazing!! By then, the weather was partly cloudy, mid-low seventies with a nice little breeze.  So basically it was perfect summer running weather. At home, I would never run on a summer afternoon, especially after eating, but vacation me is trying to get it all in and not be so rigid. Go me!

I signed up for an additional excursion in the late afternoon for a trip to the Swiss Countryside and the town of Engelberg. Another thing the Swiss take seriously are their cows. Swiss brown cows. And we sure did pass a ton while driving out the countryside. Once at our destination, we had a horse and carriage ride. When sign ups for this excursion occurred I was very hesitant to sign up for this one because I am allergic to horses; however I didn't want to miss out on this opportunity, so I hoped for the best and brought some Benadryl with me. Luckily I had a minimal reaction to the horses but as soon as my eyes started to itch, I took it. Better to be safe than sorry. 

The excursion itself was kind of boring. The horses moved way too slow, one guide didn't speak, and the other had very poor English and was a slow talker. Thankfully the view and the snacks made up for it. We had fresh cheese (from the cows) along with smoked beef, chocolate brownies, and apple strudel. All the treats were traditional, local, and fresh. Not to mention delicious. 

At the start of the carriage ride I joking said "Whoa there Rusty" quoting Kramer from Seinfeld. Then told the couple next to me that I surely hoped our horses didn't eat any beans. I was shot with the dirtiest look ever by the guide. No one has given me a look like that to my face in a long time. It of course, made me laugh. The Swiss clearly have no sense of humor or don't watch Seinfeld. Yikes. Clearly I was hilarious, as others in my group laughed. 

After the excursion it was back to the hotel for a little rest before heading out to dinner. Tonight we had our choice of two local restaurants. Half the group went to one and half to another. It was another delicious Swiss meal that started with a light broccoli soup, veal and potatoes for the entree,and creme caramel for dessert. After dessert, Jeanie and Sue joined me for a walk back to the Kapell-Brucke to see it at sunset. Of course, it was stunning and the clouds had also thinned tremendously over the mountains which made the backdrop of Lucerne so amazing. I am a sucker for a mountain sunset. 

Tomorrow we are off to the last stop of the tour: Paris. I am soooo looking forward to seeing this great city. Unfortch, we have been told there is no free WiFi at our hotel. I am going to try to get it somewhere, somehow. Otherwise posts and pics will have to wait until I'm back in London Fri. Try lot to lose any sleep over it and I will try to not go through withdrawals. Deep breaths. Until then peeps.