Back to normal

Having consulted the forecast, we decided on a trip to Luzern, our original holiday destination.  Our decision to go further south was justified by poor weather in Zentralschweiz, but today's forecast was fine.

As you can see, Luzern was looking its very best.  We cheated a little by taking a trolleybus from the station to the end of the Spreuerbrücke, walked across it and had a little stroll round the handsome old town before lunch.  Said meal was a rather excessive plate of fried squid and chips in a cafe beside the Reuss near the Kapellbrücke.  Destroyed by fire in 1993, the bridge has been beautifully rebuilt.  From Luzern, we took a ship down to Flüelen, calling at places familiar to us both, such as Weggis, Vitznau and Brunnen.  On the lake, and particularly on the Urnersee arm, the sporty Swiss were spending their Sunday afternoon wind- and kite-surfing in their dozens, and when we got to Flüelen railway station, several MAMILs were flouncing around with their expensive bicycles.  Fortunately, they were heading the other way towards Zürich.

We were getting tired by then, after having our eardrums assaulted by scraiching bairns on our various trains, buses and boats, so we debated whether to get the fast train home, or to get the slow train back the pretty way over the Gotthard pass.  We opted for the latter, and at first congratulated ourselves, since the train was quiet enough to allow us a block of eight seats to ourselves from which to enjoy the spectacular views.  

All was well till we got to Lavorgo, where the train stopped, and stayed stopped.  Eventually, the conductor told us to get off, saying that they hoped to organise a replacement bus.  The train left back northwards, leaving us all standing at the bus stop.  I think there must have been some behind the scenes organisation, because the regular Postauto, which arrived punctually, delivered us to a waiting train at Bodio: it took us the rest of our interrupted journey an hour late.  The worst part, as last Wednesday, was the total lack of information.  We thought we were scunnered with air travel, but we have to say that rail travel is shooting up the scunner list.