Whirlwind | Fischer Robinson

View overlooking Lucerne, Switzerland from the balcony of Gutsch castle.

Travelling for almost two weeks before E3 began was a great decision. 12 days, 6 cities, 5 countries, 5 flights, 2 train rides, 110.4 miles walked, 262 flights of stairs climbed, and countless memories. It was a whirlwind of a trip to say the least. As much as I hate to pick favorites, there’s no doubt in my mind that Lucerne takes the cake. Beautiful, towering mountains with snow still barely visible at their peaks surrounded a chilly, crystal-clear lake that the city built its foundation around.

With only 48 hours in a city, you really must be intentional about making every second count. Our plan was to conquer Mt. Pilatus, a local mountain with a peak height of 6,982 feet, plenty high to get an incredible panoramic view of the surrounding area. Feeling a little adventurous, we decided to spend a little extra and get the “gold” package. Instead of taking a train to the base of the mountain, we hopped on a boat and cruised along Lake Lucerne, stopping at various small towns along the way and allowing us to get a genuine feel of the area. Reaching the base of the mountain, we realized the only way to ascend to the top was to hop on a funicular and slowly scale the steep slopes. To our surprise, the rustic-looking train climbed at the steepest grade in the world, reaching 48 degrees at some areas. It was pretty incredible that something could carry so many people up such a sheer incline.

We reached the top of the track and climbed the last set of stairs to reach the peak, trying to catch our breath in the thin, Pilatus air. We stood up and took it all in. We were there. We were living. The view was nothing short of incredible and the slow build-up was all worth it. We snapped a few pictures of the panorama and a couple pictures together then started the trek back down. Great day. Great view.