We really got to see the best of Swiss scenery today as we headed out first to Thun. After arriving at the train station, we walked across the road and got tickets for the bus that runs along the north shore of Lake Thun. What a gorgeous road and unbelievable scenery.
First stop, Oberhofen and the 1000-year-old castle on the water’s edge.
The whole place is magnificently maintained, including the gardens on the far side of the castle.
When we finished, we got back on the bus to St. Beatus-Hohlen, and the stunning mountain caves. We had to climb up the hill to get to the front entrance, then, once inside the caves, we climbed for about an hour inside the caves.
We had a light lunch at the caves, then hopped back on the bus to Interlaken West. We then walked along the main road to Interlaken East to catch the train to Lucerne. Interlaken is really quite pretty and very much worth coming back to.
The train trip to Lucerne was called an Express, but it took nearly 2 hours as it zig-zagged up the mountains and down the gullies. We eventually arrived in Lucerne in mid-afternoon and headed straight for the Chapel Bridge for photos.
From there we walked past the Jessuit Church and on to Spreuerbrucke for some great photos back along the river.
From there we walked through the old town. It was late Sunday afternoon, so the shops were mostly closed, so we walked toward the Lion Monument.
From there we headed up the hill to the fortification walls, Museggmauer. The walls are still very intact, so after walking up the hill to the walls, we then walked up dozens of steps to the top of the wall.
The view is spectacular. Finally we headed back down the hill and along the northern bank of the Reuss River to find a nice place for dinner. We settled on a Swiss restaurant, Zunfthausrestaurant Pfistern, and enjoyed a nice dinner and drinks while watching the crowds along the streets and in the restaurants.
Full and fulfilled, we walked back to the station and got on the train for the short one hour trip back to Zurich.