Day 3 was my last full day in Switzerland and I decided to head out for another day trip south.
I started by taking the train to Mt Rigi which is a mountain high up in the Swiss Alps and well above the snowline. I took a conventional train most of the way, but then transferred to a small cog style rail car for the steep ascent up the mountain. The grade is so steep that in addition to the 2 normal rails the train rides on, there is a “cog” or gear which meshes with a 3rd rail to keep the train from slipping as it climbs (there is a picture that shows how the cog system works).
After Mt. Rigi I took another train to Lucerne. Lucerne was a classic European old town with lots of winding streets and little shops to check out. I found the Victorinox outlet store here (they make the classic “Swiss Army” knife) and picked up a couple of souvenirs here. I bought Kenzie her first knife and had it engraved with her name, as well as a couple of other neat finds.
On the train back I ended up in what was apparently the “kids car” on the train. It was a double decker rail car, and the whole top level was seating for families and a kids play area. I only got 1 picture of a small part of it (didn’t want to be that weird guy taking pictures of other peoples kids) but there were a bunch of different play structures. How cool to play on the slide while watching the Swiss Alps go by!
