[2019]
[Tuesday 16 July
2019]
Hôtel Royal-St. Georges, Interlaken
Luzern
- DAY 6
LUCERNE
After breakfast, we’re off today on a tour to Lucerne. Our outward train takes the lakeside route to Brienz, then over the steeply graded scenic Brünig Pass into central Switzerland. As you leave the station in Lucerne you’ll be greeted by the familiar scene of so many calendars and chocolate boxes — the unmistakable wooden covered bridge across the end of the lake.
You’ll have plenty of time to explore Lucerne and its charming waterfront. Then we board the narrow gauge train returning back over the Brünig Pass via Meiringen along the lake to Interlaken.
Janet didn’t sleep well: her day yesterday (“my favourite day so far. I enjoyed every single minute”) had got her so “hyped up” that it was a long time before she dropped off to sleep; and Wednesdays are when she takes Alendronic Acid, so she woke up at 5.30am thinking about how to time the taking of this (both ¾-hour before eating and drinking anything else, and also remaining upright,
i.e. not going back to bed). She in fact got up at 7.30am and took the dose. I don’t recall when I got up; customarily it’s when
Janet vacates the bathroom. So it was that I shaved and showered; then we went down for breakfast; then we returned to the room for the stuff we needed for the day. I’d scribbled in my notebook “9.35 to Luzern”, when Jan had spoken yesterday evening about today’s programme; so we went down to the lobby
ca.9.30am and saw her there, then set off for the station. Janet bought her usual banana and bread roll from the corner
Coop. It was in fact the same 10:04 metre-gauge Zentralbahn service that we used today, on which we’d travelled on
Sunday 14
July, only this time we went all the way to Luzern.
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 09:51:36
Proceeding to Platform 4 for the 10:04 “InterRegio” Luzern train
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 09:53:18
Arrival of the 10:04 Zentralbahn “InterRegio” Luzern train, the station stops including Brienz, Meiringen, Brünig-Hasliberg, and Sarnen
When it arrived, Jan went to find where the reserved seats were, then we followed her aboard.
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 09:55:38
Boarding the 10:04 Zentralbahn “InterRegio” train to Luzern
When I got aboard, though, I found that Janet wasn’t with us. I wasn’t unduly concerned, because she wouldn’t
not have boarded, nor have boarded another train. I think Jan had gone first to the rear of the train (the end where the locomotive was), and
Janet had followed, and boarded; but Jan had come back to near the front of the train. Anyway, Jan went off in search of her;
Janet meanwhile saw a couple of guards and was directed to where we were; and their paths crossed somewhere between the two locations. There was a cheer when Jan and
Janet appeared.
Jan told us that this train was a “hybrid”, mostly using normal adhesion traction but in the steeper parts of the Brünig Pass engaging rack and
pinion.[i] One wouldn’t have guessed from the size of the rolling stock, nor from the speed at which we travelled sometimes, that this was a “narrow gauge” train.
-
[i] I didn’t know at that point that the Berner Oberland-Bahn, on which we travelled on
Saturday 13
July, is a similar “hybrid” line.
Interlaken Ost (IO) to Luzern (L)
[click to enlarge]
Rail route shown as a thin red line
© Federal Office of Topography swisstopo (labels in red letters mine)
Zentralbahn timetable (yellow highlight
mine)
Interlaken Ost to Luzern
3D map in the centre-fold of the Zentralbahn timetable
As we passed the Brienzersee the sun was in my eyes, so I couldn’t take many photos. I wanted to record our stops, so whether the quality be fair or poor, I took pictures of the station
signs.[ii]
-
[ii] But cf. the Zetralbahn timetable. Evidently, I missed photographing the 11:05 stop at
Lungern.
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 10:14:26
Brienzersee
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 10:17:52
Evangelical Reformed Church, Brienz
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 10:20:08
Calling at Brienz
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 10:20:48
Calling at Brienz
(A train approaches on the line that ours is about to travel.)
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 10:27:44
On the train with the Riviera party…
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 10:33:54
Alongside the Aare
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 10:41:06
Small table with a route map
There was a fork in the line just before Meiringen; we were pushed eastwards into Meiringen, then leaving Meiringen were pulled initially north-westwards up into the Brünig Pass.
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 10:42:38
Calling at Meiringen
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 10:48:06
Glimpses of the Aare valley while climbing on the Brünig Pass
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 10:48:46
Glimpses of the Aare valley while climbing on the Brünig Pass
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 10:49:58
Glimpses of the Aare valley while climbing on the Brünig Pass
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 10:50:58
Brünig Pass
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 10:53:08
Calling at Brünig-Hasliberg
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 10:56:12
Brünig Pass
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 10:56:38
Brünig Pass
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 10:58:00
Brünig Pass
Illustration in a Zentralbahn “Souvenirs” brochure
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 11:03:14
Lungerersee
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 11:03:14 (detail)
Roman Catholic parish church, Lungern
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 11:06:16
Lungerersee
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 11:06:42
Old Church, Lungern
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 11:07:18
Lungerersee
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 11:17:16
Rundenz, on the outskirts of Giswil, with the Roman Catholic St. Laurentius church
I called Giswil “Pigswill”.
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 11:20:00
Calling at Giswil
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 11:26:24
Sarnersee
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 11:30:12
Calling at Sachseln
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 11:34:56
Calling at Sarnen
As well as the two lakes on the left that I photographed, there was a small one (Wichelsee), then a larger one (Alpnachersee) to the right, that we passed, then a tunnel, then another lake or a continuation of the same one (part of the Vierwaldstättersee, of which the Luzernersee is also a part). Then we passed through an urban area, then a tunnel, then arrived at Luzern station. Jan had handed out maps of Luzern, so armed with it we got off the train.
Detail from the map of Luzern [click to enlarge]
© 2015 Mappolis AG, Luzern (additions “Railway Station”, “Café La Suisse” and “Church of St. Leodegar” mine)
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:02:54
Luzern railway station
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:02:54 (detail 1)
“Iconic” Swiss railway clock
SBB (Schweizerische Bundesbahnen)
CFF (Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses)
FFS (Ferrovie federali svizzere)
When we emerged from the modern station building, a large arch met our eyes, the significance of which was
unclear.[iii]
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:03:16
All that remains of the 1896 railway station, which burned down on 5 February 1971
-
[iii] Unclear, that is, till after we got home and I looked it up on the internet. It’s part of the façade of the 1896 railway station, the only surviving part, for the station burned down in 1971.
The photo that I took of the arch’s south side was damaged beyond recovery, when transfer of the photos from the camera to other storage failed. I did, however, successfully recover the photograph I took of the north side (13:52:58, below).
We crossed over the wide bridge, with the river to the left and the lake to the right, walking from the station to the Old Town.
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:08:26
Crossing to the Old Town by the Seebrücke, over where the Reuss meets Luzernersee
All we wanted at this stage was a drink, but when we got to the other side, the… restaurants
[had] tables laid for people to eat… The
Café La Suisse along a nearby side-street, though, looked less imposing, so we entered.
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:39:04
Café La Suisse “Doorzögli”, Gerbergasse 11, Luzern
It was a bit smoky in there, and all the tables were occupied, but when two patrons indicated seats at their table, we sat. One was Swiss, the other Austrian. I had a smallish bottle of dark lager and
Janet had a Coke Zero.
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:21:24
Refreshments at Café La Suisse “Doorzögli”, Gerbergasse 11, Luzern
Bill, issued at “12:24”
We chatted for a while, then went off to look at the Kapellbrücke and
Wasserturm.[iv]
-
[iv] The Water Tower, I gather, is named after its location, not its function (it was, among other things in the past, an “oubliette”).
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:41:14
Interesting building, Kapellplatz 1, Luzern
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:45:04
Swan and mallard on the Reuss
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:45:40
Black-headed gull on the Reuss
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:46:36
14th century Kapellbrücke and Wasserturm
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:47:32
Roman Catholic St. Peter’s Chapel
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:48:28
Kapellbrücke
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:48:28 (detail)
The first of many 17th-century triangular interior paintings in the Kapellbrücke
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:49:04
Kapellbrücke
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:49:04 (detail)
Paintings in the Kapellbrücke
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:49:26
Kapellbrücke
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:52:18
Kapellbrücke and Wasserturm
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:52:56
Painting in the Kapellbrücke
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:53:56
Looking north-west from the Kapellbrücke: Rathaus (centre) and Rathaus brewery (right)
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:54:16
Kapellbrücke, beyond the Wasserturm, with paintings missing (destroyed in a 1993 fire)
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:54:42
Kapellbrücke, beyond the Wasserturm, with fire-damaged paintings
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:55:40
Kapellbrücke, beyond the Wasserturm, with surviving painting
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:56:36
Southern end of the Kapellbrücke
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:56:54
Wasserturm
Having crossed to the south side of the Reuss by the Kapellbrücke, we returned to the north side by the Rathausbrücke / Rathaussteg, continuing up steps to the Kornmarkt square.
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:58:06
Looking west along the Reuss: Rathausbrücke
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:59:42
Kapellbrücke and Wasserturm, seen from the Rathausbrücke
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 12:59:42 (detail)
Looking beyond the Kapellbrücke to the twin-spired Roman Catholic parish church of St. Leodegar (St. Léger)
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:01:00
Crossing the Rathausbrücke to the north side of the Reuss
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:03:30
Looking back at the baroque Jesuit Church on the south side of the Reuss
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:06:22
Interesting building on the opposite side of the Kornmarkt steps from the Rathaus: “Zunfthaus zu Pfistern” (bakers’ guild-house)
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:07:42
Rathaus, seen from Kornmarkt
I wanted to see the other wooden bridge with paintings, so at Kornmarkt we turned left, going through Weinmarkt, and making our way in that general direction till we got to Mühlenplatz, where we saw it.
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:11:00
Fountain in Weinmarkt
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:23:04
16th century Spreuerbrücke (“chaff bridge”) and environs
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:24:02
16th century Spreuerbrücke and 19th century machinery
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:24:02 (detail)
“Theodor Bell & Cie Kriens
1890”
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:26:18
Spreuerbrücke, seen from farther west along the Ruess
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:29:16
Entering the Spreuerbrücke from Mühlenplatz
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:30:14
Kraftwerk Mühlenplatz, hydroelectric power plant, seen from the Spreuerbrücke
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:30:40
Spreuerbrücke
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:31:10
Spreuerbrücke
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:31:42
Spreuerbrücke
Janet waited for me in Mühlenplatz, where there was a public loo which she (and indeed, later, I) used. I also wanted to go to see the “iconic” two-spired church, but
Janet was worried about missing the 14:06 train back. Nevertheless, I led the way along the streets of the Old Town as far as Schwanenplatz and continued along Schweizerhofquai — till I decided that I’d run out of time and decided to turn back.
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:45:48
Church of St. Leodegar, seen from Schweizerhofquai
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:49:46
View north-east from the Seebrücke
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:52:58
All that remains of the 1896 railway station, which burned down on 5 February 1971
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:53:40
The present Luzern railway station, which opened on 5 February 1991
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 13:57:24
About to go to Platform 12 to board the 14:06 Zentralbahn “InterRegio” train to Interlaken Ost, the station stops including Sarnen, Brünig-Hasliberg and Meiringen
Even so, Janet’s “Finally, we boarded the 2.06pm train by the skin of our teeth” is overstating things a bit. She recalled, “We’d seen Clive and Brenda plus other ‘tour people’ around and about and, as I guessed, Clive and Brenda were also going back on the 2.06pm.”
Zentralbahn timetable (yellow highlight
mine)
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 14:24:58
Next stop, Sarnen
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 14:30:32
Next stop, Sachseln
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 14:33:36
Next stop, Giswill
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 14:41:08
Next stop, Kaiserstuhl
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 14:45:18
Views from the train
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 14:48:16
Views from the train: Lungerersee
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 14:50:48
Views from the train
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 14:52:26
Next stop, Lungern
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 14:55:26
Next stop, Brünig-Hasliberg
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 15:07:26
Next stop, Meiringen
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 15:11:24
Views from the train: Brünig Pass
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 15:14:10
Views from the train: Brünig Pass
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 15:23:26
Next stop, Brienz
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 15:23:48
View from the train
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 15:27:12
On the train
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 15:39:22
Next stop, Interlaken Ost
On arriving at Interlaken Ost, we went without delay to the Harderbahn station.
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 16:06:18
Proceeding to the Harderbahn station
Tickets, issued at “16:08”
Route of the Harderbahn [click to enlarge]
© Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 16:09:36
Boarding the Harderbahn car
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 16:13:46
View back from the Harderbahn
Although it had been hot and sunny at Luzern, and still was here, albeit a bit hazy as we looked down from the Harder, nevertheless in the direction we wanted it to be clear, there was persistent cloud blocking our view of the Berner Oberland peaks.
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 16:26:04
Proceeding to Harderkulm: looking back towards Harder station, with Brienzersee visible
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 16:26:20
Proceeding to Harderkulm: looking ahead towards Bergrestaurant Harder Kulm, with Thunersee visible
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 16:32:46
Refreshments at Bergrestaurant Harder Kulm
Quite suddenly the Mönch became visible; but although cloud came and went in front of it, to its left, where the Eiger should be seen, a bank of cumulus just persisted and persisted.
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 16:40:40
View along the Lauterbrunnen valley, with the Mönch visible to the left
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 16:44:48
The Mönch, identified from the plaque at “16:51:12”
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 16:46:12
The Mönch, identified from the plaque at “16:51:12”
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 16:51:12
Plaque showing the positions of the mountain peaks
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 16:52:52
Panorama of views from Harderkulm: Thunersee
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 16:53:26
Panorama of views from Harderkulm
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 16:53:36
Panorama of views from Harderkulm
The Mönch is still just visible but the other Berner Oberland peaks are lost in cloud.
Leaflet, showing the kind of view one might get on a very clear day
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 16:54:20
Panorama of views from Harderkulm: Brienzersee
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 16:59:28
Hôtel Royal-St Georges
Japanese Garden
Kirche Heiliggeist
Schloss Interlaken
Janet wanted to wash her hair before dinner, so left me. I hung on and on, but the cumulus didn’t move away, and I eventually gave up.
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 17:42:44
Returning to Harder station
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 17:44:28
Harder station
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 17:48:08
First in line at Harder station
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 17:52:22
About to board the funicular car at Harder station
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 17:54:02
Views ahead from the funicular car
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 17:55:28
Views ahead from the funicular car
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 18:01:28
Views ahead from the funicular car: viaduct
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 18:02:08
Views ahead from the funicular car: passing place
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 18:03:20
Views ahead from the funicular car: tunnel
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 18:03:50
Views ahead from the funicular car: tunnel
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 18:04:10
Views ahead from the funicular car: tunnel’s end
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 18:05:48
Views ahead from the funicular car: viaduct and Harderbahn station
Back at the hotel, I transferred some 110 photos from the camera’s SD card to the
WD Elements HDD using the Samsung notebook computer (18:26–18:27). I viewed them in
Windows Photo Viewer, rotating 13 that needed it (18:31–18:37). I shut down the
Samsung, and connected the WD Elements HDD to the Asus netbook/tablet computer in order to copy today’s photos, as a backup, to the
MicroSD card that was also connected to the Asus. I couldn’t believe it at first, but the new folder, named “20190717”, containing today’s photos was missing. It just wasn’t there. I reconnected the
WD Elements HDD to the Samsung computer and started that up again, but no! it wasn’t there. I thought then that maybe I’d created it somewhere else by mistake,
i.e. not as a sub-folder of “2019”, but in another folder; but I performed searches, which just didn’t find it. It had just disappeared. What to do? The question was rather: What not to do? I didn’t want to change the state of either the
WD Elements HDD or the camera’s SD card before I could find, install and run some file-recovery program on them. So I didn’t use the
WD Elements HDD again till we got home, and I took the SD card out of
Janet’s camera and put it in mine, setting my camera’s SD card aside. Dinner was at 7pm this evening. As well as my usual Grimbergen
Blanche from the bar, I ordered a diet cola for Janet.
Despite the shock of losing today’s photos[v]
— Clive offered to e-mail some of his if that would help — we had a laugh. It was someone’s birthday, so we sang “Happy birthday”. Slices of the birthday cake were handed around — till then I didn’t realise that it was a Swiss roll! Back in the room
Janet showered and did some updating of her journal, though she was too weary to do it all.
-
[v] It’s evident from the foregoing that I managed to recover most of them after we got home.
Wednesday 17 July 2019 — 20:48:44
View from our hotel room window
I did this and that, and was in bed ca.9.50pm — and Janet, ca.10pm.
[Thursday 18 July
2019]
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