Trip to ZRH from Vitznau. Construction between Vitznau and Küssnacht am Rigi made the Rotkreuz connection a little dicey but I made it with a couple of minutes to spare. Last view of BürgenstockVitznau StationRotkreuzLovely fresh eggs at the Swiss LoungeAlso lovely, Whisky Bar at the loungeLounge deck was open but a little chilly. Alps in the background.
It’s a bit of a cloudy start today from Vitznau, where I have been staying for either ten days or twenty years depending on how you look at it. However with the MeteoSwiss weather app predicting fairly clear skies and little rain today, it seems like a good day for a partial circumnavigation of the lake.
View of Bürgenstock and the Elefantenstein along the way from Vitznau to Weggis.
First up was a stroll along the lakeside for the five km or so from Vitznau to the Weggis Tourism office, where I picked up a “city bike” rental (no e-bike for me thanks) and hopped on the Uri, a paddle wheel steamer to Treib.
The Uri’s steam engine hard at work.
The trip to the base of the Treib-Seelisburg bahn (funicular) takes about an hour, plenty of time for a coffee and some mineralwasser mit gas.
There’s almost always a little cookie or piece of chocolate with your coffee in Switzerland.
After a brief stop back in Vitznau to disgorge the masses heading up the Rigi cog railway (Oldest in Europe!), we head across the lake to Beckenried.
Buochserhorn and Beckenried (to the left) from the Uri.
Aside from being a short stop today, Beckenried is also where you can catch the cable car to Klewenalp, and thence to a huge variety of hikes from arduous peak and pass climbs to the delightful stroll to Stockhütte that we’ve done for more than ten years.
Boat dock at Beckenried. The way to the cable car is up and to the right.
Tip: a lovely day trip takes you from Vitznau (or Luzern) via boat to Beckenried, cable car to Klewenalp, walk to Stockhütte, cable car or walk down to Emmeten, bus to the little lake (Seeli) for a swim, then bus, funicular, and boat back to Vitznau. A perfect itinerary for a hot summer day.
Back on board the Uri, we set out across the lake to Gersau, enjoying the view toward Brunnen to the east…
Gersau on the left
And the “back side” of Bürgenstock to the west.
The green meadow area on the “back” of Bürgenstock s a lot larger than it looks from the photo. It’s the scene of many hikes we’ve done – characterized by some as “death march” ordeals but certainly memorable for all.
After Gersau, the next and my final boat stop is Treib, below Seelisburg. As we cross back to the opposite shore, the clouds provide a dramatic view.
Seelisburg up to the right. The big mountain (background, center) is Fronalpstock, home to yet another spectacular hike.
But that’s enough wordiness from me – let’s switch to gallery mode so the photos can tell the story.
Off the boat at Trieb and heading to the Treib-Seelisberg Bahn (aka TSB) station. A look at the Treib boat landing Inside the TSB station – I had to pay CHF 10 for the bike to come along. TSB Seelisberg station (top). A view of Seelisburg The beautiful Urnersee or Lake of (the Canton of) Uri. Hard to take a bad photo here.Flüelen is at the far end of this view, looking south toward the Gotthard Pass into Italy. There’s something about the steep valley walls and water color that leaves you agog, taking photo after photo. I mean right?Beautiful!Ok one more. Your humble reporter in a very happy place. Helpful map outside the Seelisburg Volg (a Swiss grocery chain). A little chilly and cloudy for a swim but the small lake (In German lake= See, hence “Seeli” aka little lake) is one of the most picturesque places I know. Tasty Nussgipfel (pastry with nut filling) from a little bakery in Emmeten. The ride down the steep grade from Emmeten to Beckenried provides more beautiful lake views. Toward BürgenstockFountains like this are ubiquitous in Switzerland, but this one on the border between the towns of Beckenried and Buochs offers a choice from each municipality. I tried both and found the Beckenried version better (but it was a close call)Ahhh. Lakeside. A dramatic shot of the Cloud-topped Stanserhorn and a plane from the nearby Pilatus airplane factory. Covered bridge Some scenes from “Goldfinger” (the facility where Bond almost gets laser-neutered) were filmed near here. Pilatus (the mountain not the airplane company)Switzerland is like a real life train set. Here, a freighter is getting loaded with gravel via crane. Another angle of Stanserhorn, also dramatic. Help me choose a property in Kastanienbaum. This is option one – upside is it’s an actual vineyard and winery. Downside is it costs many millions of Swiss Francs and isn’t for sale. Option two is in a great spot and has the handy boat garage. Downsides are the same as option one. Option three has a lot going for it – nice meadow, lake access – but sadly shares the same downsides as options one and two. In a very wise move I opted out of the final 20 miles of the partial circumnavigation (and its lovely but a bit overly arduous hills) in favor of a ride from Luzern to Hertenstein aboard the MS Weggis. And for an Urbrau, Das Bier der Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (sort of the official beer of the Lake Lucerne ship company)A nice place in Hertenstein. This town name is the source of an absolutely terrible “joke” (calling it a “Dad joke” is an insult to Dad jokes – it’s more of a multilingual pun/tall tale) in which I claim that the town was named when a farmer struck a big rock (stein in German = stone) with his toe, and it hurt a lot, hence “hurtin” + “stein” = Hertenstein. Ha ha. The best part is that whenever we are on the boat and they announce the stop at Hertenstein, I simply point to my foot, which always elicits a groan. Today I was alone, so I sent word via text and WhatsApp that after my long bike ride, I got off at Hertenstein, and my feet were killing me. Isn’t that hilarious? No more puns, I promise. End of day relaxation spot. Villa Kapellmatt, where I’m staying for the solo portion. Dual reflection.Frosty bier vom fass at Seerestaurant Lützelau, a favorite spot. Prosciutto and arugula pizza. This time the coffee came with a biscoffCoupe LütziPart of today’s route.
