Switzerland - Crown Jewel September 2023 Trip Report, Part 2

Day 7 - a beautiful day. Our departure from St. Moritz was not early - 8:15 luggage and 9:15 departure (depends on train reservations). Glacier Express train ride to Andermatt, where our bus picked us up and drove to Interlaken. The train ride was not quite 5 hours. I enjoyed it - lovely views, a couple of places where you could step off to stretch your legs or take pictures. Included beverage (coffee, tea, etc) and surprisingly good lunch with wine. I know that others in the group thought it was a long day. The Grand Hotel Victoria Jungfrau is beautiful. Nice room overlooking the mountainside in the rear (rather than the expansive views to the front). We had a short time upon arrival to freshen up and then meet the group for the funicular ride up to Harder Kulm. Great views and a fun dinner (although I did not care for the steak).

Day 8 was fabulous - another highlight for me. Bus to train to cogwheel train up to Jungfrau. It was a nice day, and for the most part we had excellent views of the mountains - the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. I really liked the Ice Palace visit. I did not find it to be too slick, except when entering and exiting the stairwell to the private refreshment space, but the tour director and two local guides were there to assist. But, I was wearing very good hiking shoes and I am not unfamiliar with walking on ice. We enjoyed the refreshments - the quiche was surprisingly good - and warm. After that, we went up to the top area, where you can walk out onto the snow. Some of the group chose to stay indoors. We walked out - it was not very slippery in the middle, but you did have to be careful. The local guides and TD did assist a few people who were hesitant. Then, we went to another outside viewing area, were the clouds were blowing enough to get some nice views. We then walked through an interior area which included, among other things, pictures depicting the process of building the Jungfrau railroad, and many images of Adolf Guyer Zeller, who led those efforts. We then had some free time before meeting up for a hot chocolate before going down by train and gondola. Back in Interlaken, we walked around and then went for a swim. This hotel had a really impressive pool area. Outdoor pool - beautiful setting, but the water was very cold. Huge indoor pool. We had another late included dinner reservation, so took our time at the pool. Choice of 2 restaurants - we chose the non-Italian. Excellent dinner.

Day 9 - travel to Lucerne via Bern. A lovely day and enjoyed a guided tour of Bern - by bus and by foot. Nice group lunch with wine. Arrived in Lucerne around 3:00 - nice lake view room. We walked around the river area, across a couple of bridges and through the old town area. No pool, so I worked out before our late included dinner reservation. Nice dinner with wine.

Day 10 - very good guided walking tour of Lucerne which ended around 11:00 a.m. We then walked up to the town fortifications and along the ramparts. Very nice views. Then chocolate shopping and a takeaway lunch. We then visited the Rosengart art museum, walked over to the Cultural Center, then along the promenade to St. Leodegar (beautiful, lots of steps up to entrance). The group then met for a boat cruise and the farewell dinner, which was very nice.

We then stayed another night in Lucerne. It was a beautiful day and in the morning we took a long walk along the promenade. We then had a quick takeaway lunch and then met a group for a pre-booked excursion to Mt. Pilatus. This can be done on your own, but because it was a Saturday, I decided to reserve it. We really enjoyed it - beautiful views, great hiking, the steepest cogwheel train, and a Lake cruise. A great day. We had a nice, casual dinner at Restaurant Caravelle - salad, pizza and pasta.

A very memorable trip.