Lucerne: When this summer ends Europeans are going to be receptive to allegations of global warming. It has been a humid scorcher in this place where almost nothing is air conditioned.
Our hotel waitress, a hospitality intern, says she's happy it is hot as they had no summer last year. We have had wonderful weather - almost no rain - but tire of sleeping in stuffy, hot rooms.
Today we took the lake steamer to Viznau. The lake ship had side paddle wheels and a beautiful big piston steam engine that was made in 1901. The piston shafts are enormous hunks of polished machined steel, imagine connecting rods so large two strong men could not lift one.
At Viznau we took the cog railway to the top of Rigi. It was very comfortable at 6000+ ft. - cool and dry. After a soda and chocolate break at the mountaintop eatery, we rode a different cog train down to Goldau where we caught Swissrail back to Lucerne. All of this was extremely pleasant. Now we're taking the afternoon off "for good behavior" and skipping the transport museum option.
The trip is winding down, Switzerland has been as beautiful as we expected or better. I can see why wealthy people choose to call it home; it is orderly, organized, and scenic.
Switzerland seems not to tolerate the social deviance that other nations put up with in the name of individual rights. In Switzerland you have no right to be a pain in the butt to others.
For example, I have seen zero homeless, I'd guess it is unlawful to "live rough" here. The cost of living is high and military service is universal, but there is much to admire, to envy even.
If my comments about prevalent construction cranes left you at all confused about exactly what I meant thereby, the other DrC has a photo of one at her blog. It's in a photo of a church in Fluelen.
