Day 3: Off to Engelberg
Traveling with the Story of Wilhelm Tell
Woo. Hot day today. Depending on which thermometer you go by, it was either 94 or 98.6 (body temperature). Either way, it was hot with virtually no breeze. Europe was in the middle of record breaking heat, and we got to be part of it. That was OK with us; there's no place we'd rather be! :) And we were making memories! On every Rick Steves tour we’ve taken, we’ve had awesome bus drivers, and this was the case again in Switzerland. Our driver, Marion, got us boarded on a brand new Mercedes Benz bus, and we hit the road around the southern part of the lake to the town of Altdorf, the home of the Wilhelm Tell statue. Martin did a little "Wilhelm Tell" storytelling on the bus. Of course, he kept us hanging and didn't finish the story until we finished our excursion in Altdorf. Good storytelling strategy, Martin! |
Rutli Meadow & the Joining of the First Three Cantons
After lunch, we hopped on the ferry and headed across the water to the Rutli meadow above Lake Luzern. Martin told us that this is a popular place for Swiss school field trips because it’s the place where three Swiss cantons first made their pact to stick together as a unit against their oppressors. We listened as Martin shared the story on the historic site of that original, private meeting. After our history lesson, we continued to bond as a group by playing the "name game." We also sang happy birthday to Susan (in German, of course). |
The Fürigen Fortress
Our next stop was the Fürigen Fortress where we learned about the secret Swiss military bunkers. It was an interesting story and accented how Swiss have maintained a neutral stance politically and militarily, one that has probably served them well considering they would likely never win in a full-out war with their limited resources and population. The bunkers we visited were built during WWII when the Swiss feared that Germany would attack. It never happened, and the base only launched live munitions for a few years. The practice was ultimately discontinued so as to not interfere with the tourism business. Apparently, tourists don't like artillery fire during their vacations. :)
Our next stop was the Fürigen Fortress where we learned about the secret Swiss military bunkers. It was an interesting story and accented how Swiss have maintained a neutral stance politically and militarily, one that has probably served them well considering they would likely never win in a full-out war with their limited resources and population. The bunkers we visited were built during WWII when the Swiss feared that Germany would attack. It never happened, and the base only launched live munitions for a few years. The practice was ultimately discontinued so as to not interfere with the tourism business. Apparently, tourists don't like artillery fire during their vacations. :)
A Group Supper and Group Cheer
After our history lesson, we traveled to Engelberg where we took a short walking tour and had a group supper. The nearby restaurant served local fare--salad, local meats from local cows, and local mac and cheese (Älpermagronen). It’s considered a Swiss mountain meal. We capped it off with ice cream for dessert and a stein of beer to cool down. Cheers!
After our history lesson, we traveled to Engelberg where we took a short walking tour and had a group supper. The nearby restaurant served local fare--salad, local meats from local cows, and local mac and cheese (Älpermagronen). It’s considered a Swiss mountain meal. We capped it off with ice cream for dessert and a stein of beer to cool down. Cheers!
Wow Moments!Beautiful Lake Lucerne
While we really enjoyed our history lessons for the day and the perspective it gave us into the evolution of Switzerland, we were once again blown away by the beauty of Lake Lucerne and the surrounding area. Seriously, is there a more beautiful place on this planet than Switzerland? |