Day 8 - Interlaken to Lucerne

The journey from Interlaken Ost to Lucerne forms part of the Golden Rail Express service. We had expected the train to be crowded but, as you can see, once again we had the First Class panorama coach almost to ourselves.

The first part of the journey took us alongside Lake Brienz and down the valley to Meiringen where the train reverses to climb over the Brunig Pass.

An announcement that the dining car was available solved the problem of where to find lunch. My daughter had been disappointed we had missed the meal aboard the Glacier Express and this opportunity proved more than compensation. Although pre-prepared, the meal was of a good standard with the added bonus of constantly changing scenery.

The station at Lucerne is a lavish affair, directly opposite the quay for the Lake steamers. After dumping our bags at the hotel, we had plenty of opportunity to explore the city and found the cinema was showing the latest Harry Potter film (with French and German subtitles).

Day 9 - Lucerne to Lugano

Out penultimate day saw us boarding a paddle steamer to takes us across Lake Lucerne as part of the Wilhelm Tell Express journey. It was a glorious day, both in terms of the weather and the trip. The Stadt Luzern is one of five paddle steamers still in service on the lake.

The fully inclusive ticket entitled us to a meal in the first class lounge. The menu is set and hence the choice is limited to the dish of the day. However, it met our needs and we supplemented it with an excellent bottle of wine.

The journey along the lake lasted nearly three hours, but there was plenty to see and we were entertained by the antics of the other passengers.

At the far end of the lake we joined the train at Fluelen for the last leg of the journey. This included three glimpses of the church at Wassen as the railway loops its way back and forth across the mountainside to gain height.

This time, the first class panorama coach was quite crowded. We passed back through the Gottard Tunnel and traversed the Freggio, Prato, Piano Tondo and Travi spiral tunnels in grand style.
I had booked us into a hotel in Lugano which was more central. Tucked away between two shops the Hotel San Carlo was more stylish than our previous experience in the town.

In the evening, we tucked into an Italian meal at a restaurant in the square and absorbed the ambience.

Beside the hotel, a group of folk singers performed their repertoire as we retired for the night.