A long awaited return to an old favourite.....
Monday, September 05, 2016
Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
2016 September 5 – Monday
I went for breakfast early today as I wanted to make sure I'd be ready for departure . Just as I was starting breakfast, a guy wearing a business suit entered and he was followed by two others. They seemed to know the owner as they were having quite a lively conversation. It turned out that the first one was a Chemist and they all worked for a large pharmaceutical firm. I had a nice conversation with them about various medications, including one that I take.
I paid my hotel bill as I was leaving as I didn't want to forget. I asked the owner to arrange a Taxi for 10:15, but as with most Taxis the driver was early (good thing I was ready as there's no way he could wait in that narrow street).
One thing that occurred to me during my stay in Freiburg, is that there’s a big difference between the TV facilities I had in Portugal vs. the facilities here. The hotels in Portugal offered at least three English news channels, and it was nice to be able to get a glimpse of current events in the morning. There were also a number of familiar TV shows in English such as NCIS, Law & Order, etc . (with subtitles). There are no English channels in Freiburg and not that many news shows even in German. They do have some of the same shows such as NCIS but they’re all in German.
The train departed on time at 11:01 and it was a short trip to Basel. I shared a compartment with an older woman who was travelling with her 12 year-old son and two grandchildren. The woman and her son could speak a bit of English and they were very nice to chat with.
On arrival in Basel, I grabbed a Swiss Bagel (Ham, Cheese, Lettuce, Dill Pickle) and an Ice Tea at one of the food stands, as it was lunch time. I didn’t have far to go to find my next train on Platform 7, as it was directly across from the food stand. There were few people in the car, so lots of choice with seating (I didn’t have to sit backwards).
Just before the train departed, the train crews uncoupled the cars behind the one I was sitting in . A group of four younger travellers from North America (they were speaking unaccented English) were watching this and getting themselves into a big panic. One of them remarked, "they uncoupled a train in a Swiss station", with a great air of incredulity. I just about broke out laughing but didn’t bother saying anything. They disembarked from the car and ran forward, dragging their bouncing wheelie bags behind them. It was all rather comical. If they had stayed on the car I was seated in, they would have got to Lucerne just the same, which was apparently their intention. Shortly after departure, the Conductor came by, looked at my ticket and punched it. It was a very quiet trip.
I smiled a bit when I stepped off the train in the somewhat familiar atmosphere of the Lucerne station. It was a hive of activity as usual, with travellers coming and going and numerous announcements on the PA (in three languages). It was raining steadily so there was no way I was going to walk to the hotel, so I hailed the first Taxi in line in front of the station .
Lucerne is the largest city in central Switzerland and the capital of the Canton of Lucerne. Although there were settlements in the area from the 6th century, it first became a city in 1291, a fact which is emblazoned on T-Shirts available at every souvenir shop. The city currently has a population of 85,000 and the main language is Swiss German. It's one of the most popular locations for tourism both because of attractions in the city such as the famous Chapel Bridge, but also because of the variety of sights in nearby locations such as Pilatus or Rigi.
I recognized the hotel as soon as I saw it and it all seemed very familiar. They used to have a check-in desk one floor up from the restaurant, but now all business for both the hotel and restaurant is done at the restaurant cash desk. They wanted payment at the time of check-in which seemed a bit unusual. It sure is nice to have Chip & PIN credit cards as that’s what they’re most familiar with in Europe and the transaction went through quickly .
I was given a room on the fourth floor, and once again I got to use the cute little "Beam Me Up, Scotty" elevator. With my Backpack and Duffle, it was a tight fit but I was able to get to my room in one trip. This type of elevator doesn’t have the inner safety doors, so it’s possible to touch the walls as the elevator moves.
After a short rest I walked back towards the station to find an ATM. I remembered the route as it goes right by the police station, and it only took about 10 minutes. I stopped for a minute to admire the Chapel Bridge, which is impressive even in the rain. I stumbled across a Migros Bank right across from the bridge so used the ATM there. Once again I was offered the D.C.C. choice for the withdrawal, either in Swiss Francs or U.S. dollars (not sure why the stupid machine would think that U.S. dollars was a benefit for a Canadian card?).
I wanted to check at the station to find out if the Rail Pass I bought needs to be validated before use, as I’ll be using it tomorrow . The nice lady at the T.I. confirmed what I had thought, that this type of pass is prevalidated. She provided a bunch of brochures and schedules for the various day trips I’ll be taking, so the walk to the station was worthwhile. Some of the lifts I’ll be using are included with the Pass, but I’ll have to pay for others but will get a 50% discount.
Back at the hotel I passed the time waiting for the restaurant to open by updating my diary and checking E-Mail. Although Wi-Fi is provided in the hotel, I’m having a difficult time connecting to it. I suspect that signal strength is the problem as it will connect if I drag the chair to the door and sit there. It won’t connect either with my Netbook or iPhone if I’m sitting on the bed. I’ll ask the staff about that when I go down for dinner. These days there’s absolutely no excuse for crap Wi-Fi, especially in a modern and sophisticated country like Switzerland. I had flawless coverage in the hotels in Portugal and Germany .
I went for dinner at about 18:30 and found that both the ground and first floor dining rooms were almost full. This restaurant seems to be popular! The server eventually found me a seat in the first floor dining room. There was a large table occupied by a group, and they were making a lot of noise (reminded me of the group dinners on RS tours).
They had somewhat of an unusual concept for appetizers, with various items being provided in small glass jars, with two jars costing CHF16. Nothing on the list looked appetizing, so I passed on those.
I ordered the hamburger patty with mashed potatoes, gravy, peas and carrots. I was in the mood for a good, old fashioned meat and potatoes dinner tonight and that fit the bill. I had to order two glasses of Merlot as the portion sizes were somewhat miniscule. Rather than expensive bottled water they provided a carafe of tap water which was just fine with me . I was prepared for the amount of the bill so wasn’t surprised when I saw the total of CHF 51.80 (about CDN$ 72). I was very quickly reminded that Switzerland is expensive so I’m going to need a lot more cash. My trip to the ATM today probably won’t be the last one!
As I was leaving, I had a chat with the staff member that deals with Wi-Fi problems and she was very apologetic. I told her that there’s no signal in my room, one bar at the door to my room and five bars by the elevator. There’s an easy chair opposite the elevator so I may have to sit there to access the internet. She said that the hotel tech guy is on days-off, but she will send him an E-mail.
.
2016 September 6 – Tuesday
The next few days are going to be busy, as I have several day trips planned and hopefully I can accomplish the goals I’ve set out. Breakfast was just as expected, the standard European offerings, and it doesn’t look like much has changed since my last stay here . However they did have one clever item on the menu – a sliced sandwich meat that had the multi-coloured logo of the hotel incorporated into it.
I had planned to tour Mt. Pilatus today, but the weather was still overcast, chilly and a bit foggy. I talked it over with the women in the breakfast room and she didn’t think this would be a good day for that, so I switched to Plan "B".
My excursion today will be to visit a historic site that commemorates a person that never lived and events which never happened in the small town of Mieringen. This is the location of the famous Reichenbach Falls of Sherlock Holmes fame. I had all the train details listed on my transportation schedule so knew which train and platform to look for. I arrived at the station and the train left within five minutes (good planning sure helps).
The trip took about 1H:10M and this would be the first time using my Rail Pass . I presented the Pass and my Passport to the ticket agent on the train, and he just shrugged and handed it back. So far this is working well. At the time the train left the station, I was thinking that I had made a good decision to change plans today as a thick fog enveloped the mountains, almost down to lake level in some areas and Pilatus wasn’t even visible. However a few minutes outside Lucerne the sun broke through and it improved quickly. Oh well, I’ve made my decision for today but unfortunately I didn’t bring my sunglasses or hat.
The train passed some absolutely spectacular scenery and I tried to get a few pictures, although the glare from the windows was a problem. About half way through the trip, the train slowed down considerably and I correctly surmised that it was engaging a rack & pinion system as it would be climbing and descending a hill. Once the gears were engaged, the speed increased.
Upon arrival in Mieringen, I looked for the #174 Bus which was supposedly the one to take to Willigen, which is where Reichenbach Falls is located . I asked the girl at the T.I. office which Bus and she pointed to #164 which was just leaving. I boarded, showed my Pass and was on my way. The Funicular to access the falls is located behind a “Klinic” (hospital?) and the driver called out the stop on the PA system (I could also see a sign for the Falls). It was a short walk to the Funicular stop from the road. In retrospect I probably could have walked from the station as it’s not that far but since the Bus was available and I had a Pass, why not use it.
I had to buy a ticket from the lift operator, as the Funicular is operated by an electric company and is not included with the Rail pass. I bought an CHF11 Combi ticket which also provides admission to the Sherlock Holmes Museum near the station.
There was a large crowd of high school students (Grade 8?) also waiting for the next Funicular, and I asked one of the Teachers what class they were taking that rated a field trip like this . He said these students are from a specialized school that focuses on integrating recent immigrants. There were kids from Ghana, Kurdistan, Iraq, Bangladesh, Bosnia and other countries. It occurred to me at the time, that they’re all getting along and no one is fighting and that provides a good lesson for the countries of the world. The teacher could speak excellent English, and some of the students were somewhat fluent as well.
The Funicular ride only took about 10 minutes, and upon arrival at the top we were bathed in a persistent mist from the falls and for that reason I was glad I had brought my Umbrella. My rain poncho would have been better but in the circumstances I used what I had.
Everyone eventually ventured out of the building onto the trail that leads up past the falls, and of course the mist was much stronger there (a rainbow had formed). Some shelter is provided by the overhang of the cliff, which helps. There were some stairs and a trail leading uphill and everyone seemed to be going in that direction so I followed .
The metal stairs eventually changed to wooden stairs built into the hillside and finally to a trail. My speed was getting increasingly slower as the hike progressed and I had to stop for breaks periodically. One of the female teachers (who could also speak excellent English, although she said she was nervous about it) was helping a slightly handicapped boy from Bangladesh up the trail. It was inspiring to see the amount of kindness she had. Eventually the two large male teachers came to help, and they just grabbed the student’s arms and carried him up the hill. The first teacher I’d been talking to was quite stocky and I suspect he’s spent a bit of time on the weights, so carrying the student was no effort for him.
Eventually the trail opened onto a viewing point with a metal walking grate and metal fence & railings. The teacher pointed out a promontory below the falls where a white star has been mounted on the side of the rock, and that’s supposedly where Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty plunged to their death . There was such a massive outcry when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle killed-off Sherlock Holmes, that he was forced to bring him back.
There was a large wooden building visible through the trees just above the falls which looks like it could be a restaurant. I hope the staff and food suppliers have an easier way to get there than hiking up through the woods!
At first it was only the school group and I at the viewing platform, but eventually a number of other people arrived including a number of people from Saudi Arabia. A few of the women were wearing the full outfit with only the eyes visible. One of the men from the Saudi group tried to ask in English if the water flows like that every day. Initially I wasn’t quite sure what he was asking, but the Teacher called over a couple of his students who could speak both German and Arabic and a translation was quickly accomplished. Shortly thereafter the students left to embark on a hike further through the woods, which I believe ends up back at the bottom of the hill .
Eventually the assembled group became even more interesting when a group of older people from Israel arrived, and that was quickly apparent as many of the men were wearing the small caps. At the time I was thinking that it was like the United Nations up there today, with students from all over the world as well as adults from various places. I was watching to see what the reaction would be between the Saudi group and the Israeli group, but nothing was apparent.
I was chatting with all of them although the language barrier with the Saudis was a challenge (Google Translate got a good workout although as usual it wasn’t perfect). Eventually the Saudis headed further uphill and the Israelis and myself (ie: the older folks) headed back down to the Funicular. At my age I wasn't in the mood for a hike through the woods.
Back at the bottom, the Bus was waiting with typical Swiss efficiency for the trip back to the station . I was getting hungry so my next task was to get some lunch. I had thought about a sit-down restaurant meal, but didn’t want to spend that much time as I still had to visit the Museum. I eventually just bought a small turkey & cheese baguettte and a bottle of Ice Tea from the convenience store next to the station, and that was fine.
I made the short walk to the Sherlock Holmes Museum, which is about a block from the station in a small grassy park. It’s located inside an old but beautifully renovated old Church, and I recognized it instantly from photos I’d seen on the Internet. There was a ticket booth just inside the door and gave the woman the ticket I had purchased earlier. She provided a small cylindrical audio guide (almost like a AA battery) which was very cleverly designed. It uses an I.R. link to program the device with the desired language, and then pointing the device at one of the I.R. transceivers in the building and pushing the button on the side . That transfers the details for that part of the display to the audio guide. The Swiss are so clever!
The main floor of the Church was just a series of photographs, and I couldn’t really discern a theme. The basement area was the most interesting, as that’s where the Sherlock Holmes exhibits were, including a very detailed mockup of what 221B Baker Street would have looked like in about 1895. There were also other displays, such as police uniforms of the time and various items that Dr. Watson would have brought back from his service in Afghanistan with the British Army.
After seeing the Museum, I had a brief look in the town to see if there were any obvious photo op’s. Not seeing any I headed back to the station for the trip back to Lucerne. The trains run every hour but unfortunately I had just missed one by about five minutes, so would have a wait until the 15:42 departure. I just sat outside the station and enjoyed the cool breeze .
It was a quiet and uneventful trip back to Lucerne. After a short rest, I headed down to the river to see what restaurants.might appeal to me tonight and eventually stopped at La Terrazza as they had a Lemon Cream Penne with Chicken slices on the menu. It was an excellent and very filling, but not excessive. The only thing that was excessive was the price, as it cost me CHF 62 which is about C$ 81.
Back at the hotel, I did a small laundry in the sink (my rubber stopper was very useful in this case). Overall it was a most interesting and successful day!
2016 September 7 – Wednesday
The weather was bright and sunny today, so I decided to make the trip to Mt. Pilatus. Breakfast was the same as yesterday, although a different girl, Francesca, was working today. I finished breakfast, got my gear together and walked to the boat dock. I wasn’t too concerned about arriving with only 5 minutes or so until departure, as I knew that Swiss boats would leave precisely on time .
The boat made several stops on the way to Alpnachstad, and during the trip I chatted with an older guy from England, who was travelling with several others. They were in the manufacturing business and were in town for a conference, but had one free day so they were taking advantage of it.
The Pilatus Funicular is clearly visible across the street from the boat dock, and there’s an underpass to reach it. I waited in line at the ticket office and bought a ticket for going up on the Funicular and down on the Gondola, which was CHF 36 with my Rail Pass (half price). There was a wait of about 30-45 minutes for the next Funicular, and while waiting I was watching military helicopters and other aircraft operating across the lake. There must be an air base nearby?
The Pilatus cog wheel railway was first opened in 1889 under steam power, and was modified for electric operation in 1937 using a 1550 VDC overhead line . It uses a Locher system rack & pinion drive which has two drive wheels mounted horizontally opposing each other, which is necessary as a single drive wheel pressing down from above can possibly disengage from the track at very steep gradients. The line is 4.6 km in length, climbs a vertical distance of 1629 metres / 5344 feet and has a maximum gradient of 48%, making it the steepest railway of this type in the world.
When it was time to board, I was amazed at another example of Swiss engineering. There were two tracks at the bottom of the Funicular station. When the train closest to the boarding platform left, the coach simply “slid over” to that position, tracks and all. I don’t know how they did that but it was very clever.
As this is the steepest Funicular in the world, it wasn’t surprising that they were using a rack & pinion system and it’s amazing that this was invented in the 1800’s and is still in use today. The trip up the hill was slow but the scenery was spectacular . I was chatting with a family seated across from me and it turned out that the mother & daughter were from Malta. Their English was excellent.
The train finally arrived at the summit of Mount Pilatus and once again I was astounded that the Swiss could build something like this on the top of a mountain. There were two hotels, complete with restaurants and all the facilities. I spent a bit of time exploring and then decided to go for lunch.
I first checked the Hotel Pilatus Kulm but the atmosphere seemed a bit “snobbish” and the prices too expensive, so I checked Hotel Aberdeen. As I was leaving the first hotel, I was treated to a concert by an Alpenhorn. It’s not surprising those were used for sending messages across the mountains as they sure are loud!
Aberdeen had a buffet with both hot and cold items, and although it was also a bit pricey the food offerings were more to my taste . I ordered the Bratwurst with onion gravy, along with roasted potatoes and mixed vegetables. It was really good but also about CHF 29 (about Cdn$ 39)!
Entertainment was provided during lunch by a five-piece live band playing Swiss classic music. The songs must have been familiar to some of the local people, as they’d sing along at times, along with the familiar “Yoo-hoo-hoo-hoo” chorus. As I was leaving after lunch, I had a short visit with a woman who had her one-year-old in a high chair. She was originally from the U.S. but now married and living in Lucerne. Her parents were with her, visiting from Chicago.
After lunch I took more pictures from various vantage points, and briefly thought about hiking up to the two higher level viewing platforms. However that idea was quickly dismissed, as I didn’t have the energy and also Pilatus is at about 6900 feet so I’m sure it would have been a strenuous ordeal. I had a rest on the viewing deck between the restaurants, just to enjoy the sun .
At about 14:30 I decided to head down via the Cable Car and I didn’t have long to wait. The first gondola was large and able to fit quite a few people. Upon arrival at the next station down the hill, I was surprised to see that I’d be riding in the small four-person “Telecabines” similar to those used on the Panoramic Mount Blanc. As it turned out, traffic was light so I got a car all to myself.
The ride took about 30-40 minutes total. The small gondolas stopped first at an intermediate station, where passengers can get off to hike or whatever. Passengers heading to Kriens simply stay seated and continue on to the bottom station.
When I arrived at the bottom, I wasn’t sure where the Bus station was, so asked the woman in the information office. She said to follow the blue signs downhill to the stop for Bus #1. That worked well until I reached the main street, where the signs ended . However I spotted a Bus #1 stopping to the right so walked to the stop (but unfortunately missed that Bus so had to wait eight minutes for the next one). I showed the driver my Rail pass, but he didn’t seem to care in the least whether people had tickets or not.
The trip back to Lucerne took about 15 minutes, and the Bus stopped right in front of the rail station. As I walked past the boat dock, I thought about the journey that I had embarked on first thing this morning, and the interesting day that I’ve had since then. The street market was still in full operation in front of the Chapel Bridge. As I walked past the Migros Bank, I took the opportunity to withdraw another CHF 100 as my funds are getting low.
After dropping my gear and having a short rest, I ventured out again at about 17:45 to get some dinner. I had decided on McDonald’s tonight as I wanted something fast and cheap. The Apple Keynote will be taking place at 19:00 local time, and I wanted to be back in the hotel in time to watch that.
When I got back to the room, I gathered my portable battery, headphones and charging cable and went down to the restaurant, where the Wi-Fi actually works. I decided to have my after dinner coffee there. The Keynote started right on time at 10:00 PST. I wasn't too interested in the first part, but finally they got around to the new iPhone 7 models which was the part I was most interested in.
Before leaving the restaurant, I asked the Manager if there were any Laundromats in the area, and he provided me with a small handout showing the location of one near the hotel. I suspect it’s the same one I used last time I stayed here.
I asked the young lady (staff member) I had been speaking with yesterday about the Wi-Fi, but she said she forgot to mention that to the tech guy. The manager must have overheard as he went up to the fourth floor to check and said that his Samsung phone was working fine with Wi-Fi so he blamed the problem on my phone. I mentioned that the main problem was inside my room (which he hadn’t checked) and also that my Netbook won’t connect either. I’m not expecting anything to be done about the problem, which will be reflected in my Trip Advisor review.
I had planned to go to Lauterbrunnen tomorrow, but that’s at least a four hour return trip just for travel. After the long day trips I’ve had over the last two days, I may instead take a day to get some chores done and look around the main shopping area across the river. I may get a haircut too, although like everything else here I’m sure that will be expensive. I leave for Italy on Friday so tomorrow will be my last day here.
A few more observations that I’ve made during this trip......
Ø Here in Switzerland it seems common to use automated coffee machines, which grind the beans fresh for each cup, and also allow a choice between regular coffee, cappuccino, latte machiatio or whatever at the touch of a button.
Ø The last two hotels I’ve stayed at have incorporated the hotel check-in and restaurant cashier functions at the same place. It makes sense from a cost basis, and I wonder if this will be the new “normal” for small hotels in Europe?
Ø There are a lot of infomercials on the TV channels here in all countries. In some cases they’re advertising the same cheap vegetable slicers or tools that we have at home.
In a way, I’m looking forward to having a quieter day tomorrow.
2016 September 8 – Thursday
I decided to just relax today so didn’t go down for breakfast until about 08:30. I got the usual fare and spent some time chatting with a middle-aged single woman from Hawaii, along with a couple from California. The single woman is an occupational therapist and the woman in the couple is an R.N., specializing in Hospice care.
After breakfast I went back to the room and occupied my usual chair in the hallway so that I could check E-mail and catch up with some messages and posts on the travel forum. I spent most of the morning until about 11:30 doing that and then got my laundry together.
The walk to the “Jet Wasch” was actually very quick. Google Maps said five minutes and that was about right, although it looked farther on the map. I was under the impression this was a standard Laundromat, but it turned out that it was a service wash place. The woman said she could wash, dry and fold my laundry by 15:00 so I went with that.
After dropping the laundry off, I headed for the street that I had used to go to the station last night, as I had noticed a hair cutting place that served both men and women, with no waiting. I found the place easily and decided to take a chance as my hair was starting to annoy me. As it turned out, there was a very nice young lady named Nadine who spoke excellent English and she’s the one who would be cutting my hair. I told her what I wanted and I was watching the progress in a mirror as the hair cut progressed, and she did an excellent job! It was perfect so of course I gave her a tip.
After the haircut, I made my way to the station to check out the sandwich offerings, in anticipation of my long journey tomorrow. One of the shops had a really good selection of fresh sandwiches and although it’s one level down from the tracks, I’ll leave extra time to go there.
My next stop was across the river at the Mr. Pickwick’s English Pub, where I decided to have something completely different for lunch – English Fish & Chips with mushy peas, along with a pint of the good stuff from St. James Gate. It was wonderful and although the portion was small, it was very filling.
At about 14:15 I walked back to the laundry but it wasn’t quite ready. She said to come back in five minutes, so I walked back to a small cafe on the corner and bought a coffee. When I picked up the laundry, it was very neatly folded and I wondered if she might have given it a light touch with the iron. The cost was CHF 22 (about Cdn$ 30) which is pricey but in Switzerland that’s par for the course. With laundry in hand, it was back to the hotel for a much needed rest in front of the fan.
At about 17:00 I got my camera gear and went to get some last pictures of Lucerne. The light is always good at this time of day, especially on a sunny day. I went across the river and visited a shop that I’ve been to before, as I wanted to buy a Swiss Army Knife. I seem to have misplaced my small Classic model, so I figured this would be a good opportunity to get another one.
I spent some time walking the maze of back streets, checking out restaurant menus as I went. Eventually I ended up at the street by the vehicle bridge and as always enjoyed checking out the wares at Carl F. Bucherer jewelers. As usual they had some nice items in the window, including a CHF 50,000 diamond necklace and a CHF 39,800 Rolex Watch. Who buys this stuff as it’s definitely out of my price range?
There was a bearded street musician playing in the plaza near the river bridge and I stopped to listen for awhile as he was very talented, especially with the instruments he was using. He was playing good old fashioned rock & roll with a lot of home-made instruments, including metal and plastic gas cans which he had fashioned into foot powered drums. He also had a metal contraption (looked like an old coffee maker) that belched flame in time with the music. One of his “guitars” was especially creative as it was made from a Swiss Army metal first aid can, with a neck and strings attached and an electronic pickup inside.
I went across the bridge to take some pictures of the beautiful evening scene on the lake, and when I came back the musician was packing up his gear. As I he was leaving he turned towards the nearby hotel and extended his middle finger towards someone in the hotel in a very animated and enthusiastic manner. I asked him if there was someone he didn’t like there, and he said some people in the hotel had complained about his music, so he was giving them the “salute”. He had a few more profanity-laden comments to add, with frequent use of the “F” word in his broken English. He was a very colourful and talented character indeed, although a bit rough around the edges.
I wasn’t too hungry tonight so decided to make my way back to La Terrazza restaurant as they were about the only ones I’d seen that had a Greek Salad on the menu. I figured that would be a perfect light meal for my last night in Lucerne. The restaurant was really busy so it took awhile for the order to arrive. I was a bit disappointed as it was nothing like any Greek salad that I’ve ever had. It was mostly lettuce and greens, with a few tomatoes, yellow peppers, sliced white onions, black pitted olives and small squares of Feta cheese. Apparently they normally serve that salad with Italian dressing, which didn’t appeal to me at all so I asked for olive oil and balsamico. I managed to get one cup of coffee after dinner, but that took the better part of 20 minutes so I decided that if I wanted more, I’d get it at the hotel.
Back at the hotel I checked my transportation plans for tomorrow and then updated my diary. The restaurant at the hotel was also busy, so I may wait before getting a coffee.
As with my other stops on this holiday, it’s hard to believe that my time in Lucerne is already coming to an end. There’s so much more I want to see and do here, so I guess that provides an excuse to return.
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2025-02-11
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Chris
2016-09-09
Hope you got that wifi connection for your stay. Interesting trip so far and sounds like you still have a lot to see.