Despite it being a little overcast this morning we decided to head up to the top of Mount Pilatus, the first challenge was finding the Gondola station! We knew we needed the number 1 bus, but didn’t realise that from the station it actually goes in two directions and we managed to get on the one that was going the wrong way! The good news was that it did a loop and we ended up back at the station where the bus we were on then went off to the Gondola. As with a lot of ski resorts the bus stop is not that close to the gondola so after a walk up the hill we finally got on the gondola to start our journey up the mountain. There are two gondola stations the first Kriensergg has a children’s play area but we continued to the top Frakmuntegg which is where we changed to the cable car. This runs every 15 minutes to Pilatus Kulm which is 7000 feet, as we were waiting for the cable car we were joined by three yodellers who sang all the way up which was really nice. It was a little cold at the top but luckily we had taken our jackets so after putting them on we went for a walk round, there was a man playing a swiss horn so we have pretty much seen all the things you would expect to see in the Swiss Alps! We climbed up the stairs that took as to the top of one of the peaks, which is how the astronomers get to their dome telescopes that are on the adjacent peak. I am starting to think that along with cuckoo clocks, watches and chocolate the Swiss should be famous for stairs as I don’t think I have climbed so many on a short break as we have here! After looking around at the top, where we saw the Eiger and Jungfrau mountains, we came back down and decided to have lunch at the top cable car station as we managed to get a seat by the window so we had lunch looking out over the mountains and lakes of the Luzern region. After lunch we decided to go to the Glass museum at Hergiswil, we walked back down the hill then got on a bus to take us round to the train station it was then a couple of stops to Hergiswil. The museum is really good as you go in they ask what language you want and there are various displays that explain the history of glass manufacture through the ages and why a glass factory was built in Hergiswil, at the end of the museum you exit into a walkway over the factory where there are men blowing glass which was fascinating. I am not sure how they manage to stay in business but glass has been made in Hergiswil since 1817. Following serious economic problems, the Siegwart glassworks was threatened to close in 1975 but the Glass-Lutt (all individuals related to the Glass) the Hergiswil council and Roberto Niederer they managed to save it and now use traditional principles to continue making glass. We spent ages watching them work then went through the display and shop and finally came back to Luzern for a bit of a relax before heading out to get something to eat.
