Mountains!

When Switzerland is mentioned, mountains come to mind, but they're not all the same. Some can be visited via funicular, cable car or cog train while others are only to look at. There are crazy people who climb mountains.  I am not one of the crazies, but I do love the mountains here. 

We are lucky to live where we can see some mountains from our balcony. (on a clear day, I should add)  There are others which we can visit without having to travel far. Pilatus is visible from Luzern which is a short car ride away.

Pilatus is reached by taking the steepest cog train in the world or cable car. Our cog train ride gave us a view of the cable car.

See those little people in the top right? We walked up there and along the ledge (with a rail) to the left of the building. 

 

why is this chapel here? no idea

These are some other things that more adventurous people do. I'm sure the view is breathtaking, but what happens if you faint?

At the base of Pilatus, is Lake Luzern. We love this lake because it is one where the mountains jut right out of the lake. 

hang loose

missing Tom - he was at work

I recently revisited Pilatus when Lynn and Howard Adams were here with us.

Another mountain field trip with the Adams was to Stanserhorn. This is the only open-air cable car in the world! Surprisingly, it is open all year only stopping for lightning.

  

 

Not everyone can be on top, but we were lucky to ride on the upper deck on both ascent and descent.

I felt compelled to hold on

 
Thanks to Tom, we have views along the way because remember, I had to hold on! 

cable car going down

 

we will enter those clouds!

 Once at the summit, there is a short loop trail to walk which we did. 

Tom and Howard

wildflowers

we found Heidi's house!

Switzerland is a dog-friendly country.

 

Wildlife sighting!! Finally got to see a real marmot. Yes, they were living in an enclosure, but they did come out to say "Grützi".

sunbathing (or cloud-bathing) chairs

Most of our views were from the ride up and down. The clouds moved around quickly, but never cleared while we were there. 

Tom and I ... on cloud nine?

 

this is what we saw - we're surrounded by clouds!

  

this a friend's picture from another day and what we should have seen - must go back!

The last visit to be included isn't a mountain of the same magnitude as the others. This one is named for its small lake - Lake Obersee  (Lake Upper-lake). 

"The Lake "Obersee" is located 1000 m above sea level in the canton of Glarus. The little oasis in the mountains is a still intact countryside away from the tourist crowds, situated in one of the most beautiful alpine valleys. The drive along the romantic Oberseestrasse shows you foaming torrents, dense forest and defiant rock massifs leading to the mountain Hotel Obersee right on the lakeshore.  Enjoy the tranquility in an unspoilt landscape."

 
This excursion was taken with two friends and was again, a short drive away from Horgen. I include the online description because I want to be clear that one word was left out from the description of the drive: terrifying. I found nothing romantic about it, but then I was the one behind the wheel. It is a very steep, narrow, winding road which in many places cannot accommodate two-way traffic. It is not a one way road. That would be impossible to control without a traffic light with 10-15 minute wait. So I stayed in second gear and took it very slowly. The worst was when a piece of construction equipment was coming down and I had to back up some to allow him to pass.  I was very glad to reach the summit and park the car. I tried to ignore the fact that I would have to drive it again to go home. The beautiful and peaceful landscape was worth the stress.

Hotel Obersee and its reflection

We took a short, easy walk around the lake including a picnic lunch and returned to the hotel cafe for a refreshment before departure. 

my color-coordinated friends, Marisel and Robin

This is the view from our outdoor cafe table. Those white flowers? Yes, they're edelweiss! Woohoo! I have still not seen them growing freely (this is a hanging planter), but hey, it's a nice touch!

Deep breath. Time to drive again. There was a spot where we could pull off for yet  another scenic view.
 

we all have hat hair!

I really would like to go back again to do some hiking in the area rather than the very short walk. I need to work up my nerve first!