SWITZERLAND
LUCERNE
Our last stop on this rail journey is
Lucerne, the centrally located Swiss city
sited on Lake Lucerne that is ringed by
mountains. The Old Town of Lucerne is a
huge shopping arcade of international
brands housed in old, limestone
buildings. This juxtapose of tradition and
modernity is seen almost everywhere in
Lucerne and has become a signature
feature of the city, such as with the
Chapel Bridge. It is one of Europe’s oldest
wooden bridges and a landmark of
Lucerne that has been faithfully restored
to its original design after a serious fire.
While in Lucerne, one must also visit the
Lion Monument, where a giant dying lion
has been carved out of a wall of sandstone
rock. Designed as a memorial for the
mercenary soldiers from central
Switzerland who lost their lives during
the French Revolution, the Lion
Monument has been called “the saddest
and most moving piece of rock in the
world” by renowned American author,
Mark Twain.
Spend a night in Lucerne and be up and
ready to conquer Engelberg the next
morning. The alpine town is the largest
winter and summer holiday destination
in central Switzerland. Most visit
Engelberg to get to Mt Titlis. Hop onto the
world’s first revolving cable car to the top
of Mt Titlis, the region’s highest view
point and only accessible glacier. At
3,041m altitude, the Titlis Cliff Walk is
where the brave can venture onto
Europe’s highest situated suspension
bridge – there’s a selfie camera in the
middle of the bridge to take proof shots of
your conquest, which can be printed at
the gift shop of the ski resort. Accessible
from the ski resort is also the glacier cave
of Mt Titlis. The frosty heart of the
mountain is made of ice that was frozen
long before man even discovered how to
make fire. The cave’s 150m-long walkway
branches out in several directions and
remains a toasty (by winter’s standards)
-1.5 ̊C throughout the year.
The rest of Mt Titlis is open for
mountains of fun too. Ski and
snowboarding beginners will find the
place a paradise to pick up the sport,
while those more advanced can try out
the cross-country ski run. Those who just
love the snow can even hike along the
snowshoe trails or enjoy tobogganing,
otherwise, spend the afternoon sliding
down gentle slopes at Trübsee Snow Park
on minibobs and snowtubes.Hop onto the world’s first revolving
cable car to the top of Mt Titlis,
the region’s highest view point and
only accessible glacier.
PHOTOGRAPHS: COPYRIGHT, TITLISThe Titlis Rotair
gondola rotates
its way up the
snow-covered
summit of Titlis