Switzerland continues to amaze us.

Today was all about crossing the Alps on the Gotthard Panoramic Express. The whole 6-hour journey was just fascinating. The countryside was lush and beautiful accented by the snow capped mountains. But, as a civil engineer, I was geeked out by the spiral tunnels in some of the mountains. In order to gain the elevation to cross the Alps, engineers designed several intricate rising tunnels. We couldn’t really feel the spirals, but we sure could feel the pressure changes in our ears.

We left the Lugano station at about 9:30 AM and headed north to Flüelen. Once there we crossed the street and boarded a ship where we had a reserved table (and lunch). The ship made several stops heading north to Lucerne. From there it was a short walk to our hotel.

The photos are largely panoramic shots of the countryside. Lynn took a few videos that I have tagged to give a sense of what the trip was like.

We took a stroll around the lakefront before dinner. The 13th century bridge is fascinating and the view of the city from that perspective was captivating.

Dinner was at the hotel where we had the most fun getting to know our server. The food was great as well!

Because we’ll be in Lucerne for four nights, we’ll go on a short walking orientation of Lucerne tomorrow to get our bearing and rest up before a very long trek on Thursday.