Are you still reading?

I am not sure if anyone is still reading this (other than Carrie - Hi Carrie!), but we're still out having fun.

We had one full day in Zurich and signed up for the trip to the top of Mt. Titlis.  It would be an opportunity to see the Alps from the top, instead of the bottom, like the last full week.  I signed us up for a tour through an internet reseller.

We showed up, despite foggy/rainy weather, and enjoyed our tour guide's narration about Zurich and Switzerland as we left the city to head toward Engleberg - the town at the base of Titlis.

We dropped off two groups along the way.  One was in a town with a cool monument.  This was built in memory of the Swiss guards who protected King Louis XIV during the French Revolution.  Whatever the reason, the spot was neat.

The route went via Lucerne, a pretty spot on a pretty lake.  Here's the famous bridge:

We saw individual swans all over Switzerland on our trip.  This was the first time we saw more than two, although they were alone 80% of the time.

So, finally we reach Titlis.  It's a ski area with shops, cafes, etc.  The trip requires 3 separate gondola rides.  The first was a small one that fit six.  We met our tourmates, two from Ghana and two from Australia.  It was a good chance to trade cameras since Bob and I were so often alone.

The second gondola was a big one which held 80 passengers.  Soon we reached the next stage.  We waited for a little while and then were told the "Rotair", the famous gondola at Titlis which rotates 360 degrees during the 8 minute ride, was broken.   Just for the record, we did this trip just to reach the top of Titlis and visit the ice palace.  Not see snow for the first time, like many of our tourmates.

 

(Wow, exciting)

At this point, we've been on the bus for hours, spent some time in Lucerne (not our real plan) and taken two gondolas.  We wouldn't have bothered with any of it, if we'd known the ultimate trip was impossible. 

After an unpleasant "discussion" with the Rotair manager, a group of us from the tour managed to get a little of our money back.   The negotiations started at a baseball cap each (I hate that kind of cap, made worse by it advertising something we didn't do AND having the word TITLIS on it).  We headed home.  Despite the angst, Switzerland was as beautiful as usual.

We found dinner in Zurich and enjoyed the rest of the evening walking it off.