chillin' on a mountain top. Part 2

So, here we are at 7000 feet up on Mt. Pilatus. What a view!

Lisa had ample opportunity to make the most of the new lens that she received for Christmas.

We decided to venture into the tunnel that had been cut into part of the mountain. There were openings in the rock at intervals so that you could look out at the view.

It was about 20 degrees outside in the sunshine, but it was so windy in the tunnel that it felt waaaay below zero. We would have liked to venture in further, but we had to retreat back into the sunshine before we turned into chunks of ice.

This is a view from the tunnel looking out at the visitor's center. The round part of the building is a small hotel. The last cable car down the mountain leaves at 4:30, so if you miss it, you get an obligatory night in the hotel.

Andre decided to hang out by the bratwurst stand for a while. He was convinced that there was a bratwurst in there with his name on it. The building in the background is the Hotel Pilatus Kulm, which was built in 1890.

After being out in the cold for several hours, we ventured into the hotel to thaw out a bit and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. It was delicious, but missing the marshmallows. Apparantly, marshmallows are an American thing.

Back outside, we observed a somewhat strange sight. (sorry for the blurry photo) Lounge chairs had been set out, and people were enjoying the sunshine. Just like a day at the beach, but all covered up instead of half-naked. Apparently, the locals visit here frequently just to get a dose of sunlight. Makes sense when you realize that the sun rarely shines in the winter at the lower elevations.

With all the layers that I was wearing, I stayed pretty comfy. Long underwear rules!

Inside the visitors center, snow was piled up against the windows. You just don't see this at home, thank goodness.

Time to go back down the mountain. This car was packed, but there were only the three of us and the operator on our car.

Back in the fog, it was a different world. These trees towered over us, while on the ground we could see the occasional skier and lots of sledders.

After our trek up the mountain, we decided to check out Lucerne for a bit. More on that later.

This one is for you, Lauren. You can add it to your growing collection of favorite Ian photos...

We were trying to get out the door to go to visit Lisa's doctor, when Ian decided that he just didn't want to be zipped into his coat. So, he just threw himself down and had a mini-meltdown right there in front of the door.