This morning, we woke up at about 7AM and had a relaxing morning before the ferry to Dubrovnik.  At 8:50AM, we boarded the 3 hour ferry to Dubrovnik and enjoyed the constant views of the Croatian coast and beautiful blue waters.  We arrived in Dubrovnik at 12PM, and had a quick lunch at a restaurant across the street from the port.  For once, I passed on pizza, and instead decided on chicken with vegetables and French fries.  It was an enjoyable meal and paired well with the heavy “King” ice cream that I had afterwards.

We then Ubered to the airport.  A few miles before the airport, there was a bus that had caught fire which caused a 15-20 minute delay, but thankfully it didn’t look like anyone was hurt.  Our flight to Rome was delayed by about 45 minutes, in part because the plane was late and in part because someone on our flight was having medical issues just outside the plane.

When we arrived in Rome, Mike and I parted ways as he was planning on flying to Tel Aviv, and I’m spending the night at an Airbnb in Rome.  I choose the Airbnb based on its proximity to the Flumocino Airport, and ended up walking the ~3 miles from the airport to the Airbnb.  I really enjoyed the last mile of the walk, which passed through a very authentic, modern, small neighborhood in Rome.  I arrived at the Airbnb and was greeted by a kind, pleasant lady who didn’t speak English, but a few minutes later her daughter explained the basic details of the accommodations.  Staying in an Airbnb reminded me of how special Airbnbs are.  You’re able to bypass the bland, touristy aspects of a city, and instead immerse yourself in the local, authentic neighborhoods and among the local average Joe’s of a city.

About 15 minutes after checking in, I walked over to the restaurant down the street from the Airbnb.  The theme of the restaurant seems to be a Native American/country sort of atmosphere which was very unexpected for a restaurant in Rome.  I ordered a pizza topped with olives, artichokes, eggs, French fries, and more.  The pizza was average, but I enjoyed the atmosphere, and it was nice interacting with the waiters and being in a restaurant where almost everyone was a local Italian.

Ferry from Hvar to Dubrovnik

Ferry from Hvar to Dubrovnik

Lunch in Dubrovnik

Walking from the airport to the AirBnB

The Airbnb in Rome

This morning, we slept in until around 10 to make sure we were well rested for a day/night of partying in Hvar.  At 10AM, we picked up breakfast and then headed over to the Paklinski Islands. The Paklinski Islands are located a few miles off the coast of Hvar and have many outdoorsy, entertainment/party/dining, and other opportunities. We ended up taking a boat taxi (for 40 Kuna roundtrip) to Carpe Diem Beach.  On the boat ride, we met Draco, a young guy from Geneva who lived in West LA for a year about 10 years ago.  He was in real estate so we chatted about that a little bit and exchanged information. Draco suggested we go to Hula Hula, a beachfront day club, between 5pm and 10pm.  At 10pm, he suggested we go out for dinner, shower, etc, and then at midnight we go to Carpe Diem.

Once we got off the taxi boat, we realized that there wasn’t much to do on this island except swimming and lounging at the cabana bar.  The cabana bar was empty but it was a great atmosphere.  We lounged on the bed/pillows for about an hour and I ordered a chocolate milkshake.  Towards the end of our stay on the island, I went swimming for 5-10 minutes inside the beautiful, clear water.

Once back at Hvar, Mike and I walked around Downtown Hvar.  Along the shore, there was a beautiful hotel with a rooftop bar.  We decided to go up to the rooftop bar to experience the view and atmosphere.  The bar had huge windows facing the harbor, and the view was amazing.  We ordered coffees and enjoyed the view for about 30 mins.

At 4pm, Mike went back to the hostel to relax and I hiked up to Napoleon Fort and also the main Hvar Fortress overlooking the city.  The panoramic views of city, ocean, and Paklinski islands were great and I enjoyed the hikes, even though it was very hot and sunny.

At about 6pm, Mike and I started pregaming on the hostels patio and then headed to Hula Hula around 8pm.  People were partying and drinking a lot, and it was a fun experience.

We then went out for dinner in Downtown Hvar, showered and freshened up at the hostel, and then walked over to Carpe Diem.  Instead of going to the main Carpe Diem location in Hvar, we boarded a complimentary taxi to Carpe Diem Beach (where we had been earlier today) to go to the nightclub on the beach.  The entrance fee was 150 kuna/person, but Mike overheard a few people say they were invited by Yohan and get in for free.  Mike told the bouncer that we were with Yohan, and he reluctantly let us in.  The atmosphere was great with lots of outdoor dancing and drinking.  After a couple hours, the party was still in it’s prime but we took a boat taxi back to Hvar and called it a night at 3am.

Hvar

Hvar

Stipsanka Island (Carpe Diem Beach)

View from Stipsanka Island toward Hvar

View from Stipsanka Island toward Hvar

View from Rooftop bar

View from rooftop bar

View from rooftop bar

View from rooftop bar

Hike to Napoleon Fort

Hike to Napoleon Fort

Hike to Napoleon Fort

Hike to Napoleon Fort

Hike to Napoleon Fort

Hike to Napoleon Fort

Hike to Napoleon Fort

Hike to Napoleon Fort

Hike to Napoleon Fort

Hike to Napoleon Fort

Hike to Napoleon Fort

Hvar Fortress

Hvar Fortress

Hvar Fortress

Hvar Fortress

Hvar Fortress

Hvar Fortress

Old building near Hvar Fortress

Hvar Fortress

View from Hvar Fortress

Jail cell at prison inside Hvar Fortress

Hvar Fortress

Hvar Fortress

Hvar Fortress

Hvar Fortress

Hvar Fortress

This morning, Mike and I woke up at 7AM and packed up our suitcases.  We walked to the nearby supermarket and picked up some snacks, and then returned to check out of the hostel.  At 8:10AM, the Krka tour bus picked us up a block away from our hostel and we were en route to Krka National Park.

The bus drive to Krka National Park took about 90 minutes from Split.  Once we arrived at the main entrance to the park, we took at 30 minute boat ride to the main touristy area of the national park.  Once we arrived at the national park, we had about three hours of free time which we used to walk the 2.5KM nature trail around the waterfalls,  to swim in the main swimming area of the park, and also to have a nice meal (sea bass, spinach, and fries) at one of the restaurants inside the park.

The park was an enjoyable experience with beautiful scenery but was a bit too touristy for me.  I really enjoyed swimming near the lower waterfall and also taking in the view form the many viewpoints along the nature walk, but the park was way too busy.  Especially the narrow nature walk trail around the park.  All in all, it was a nice experience and great way to spend a few hours, and I’m glad I did it.  But this experience made me more grateful for the relatively quiet and less crowded national parks in the United States.

On the way back from Krka, we stopped by Skradin, a small coastal town. On the outskirts of town, Mike noticed an interesting ice cream stand which poured cream over an icy plate, mixed in simple ingredients, and rolled up ice cream within 5 minutes.  I originally wasn’t planning on ordering ice cream, but after watching the entertaining process of the ice cream being made, I decided to try a mint Nutella ice cream topped with caramel syrup.  It was amazing, and probably the sweetest (and best) ice cream I’ve ever had.  We then walked along the oceanfront and through the entrance of the city for a few minutes before heading back to the bus.

We arrived at Split at about 5:45AM, and decided not to rush, and instead to wait for the 8:30PM ferry to Hvar.  While picking up our luggage from the hostel, I enjoyed walking through the hostel and reading the inspirational quotes painted on the walls throughout then hostel.  After an hour of relaxing, we Ubered over to the main port in Split.

The process of getting to Hvar included taking a 2 hour ferry followed by a 1 hour bus ride.  We arrived at the hostel around midnight, showered, and decided to call it a night so we could be well rested for tomorrow.

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Krka National Park

Hand Rolled Ice Cream in small town near Krka

Church in small town near Krka

Coast in small town near Krka

Beach hostel (where we stayed last night)

Beach hostel (where we stayed last night)

Beach hostel (where we stayed last night)

Beach hostel (where we stayed last night)

Beach hostel (where we stayed last night)

Beach hostel (where we stayed last night)

Beach hostel (where we stayed last night)

Beach hostel (where we stayed last night)

Ferry from Split to Hvar

This morning, we woke up at 7:30AM with the plan of leaving the hotel at 8AM for the airport.  We had a continental breakfast provided by the hotel.

We boarded the 8AM shuttle to the airport and boarded the fight from Rome to Dubrovnik, arriving at Dubrovnik at about noon.  The Uber ride from the airport to old town was a very scenic drive on a windy road overlooking the ocean.

Mike and I left our suitcases at Mike’s hostel, Villa Angelina, and we went out for breakfast to a nice restaurant in Old.  Almost all of the restaurants in Old Town provide only outdoor seating, which provides for a pleasant atmosphere for pedestrians and diners.  We each ordered an omelette and split a cheese ravioli.

We spent the next couple of hours walking on/around the old walls in Dubrovnik.  The walls were built between the 12th and 15th century and are an impressive structure.  The circumference of the walls is about 2km, and the walls (and built-in forts) provide essential security/protection for the otherwise highly vulnerable coastal old city.  The views from the wall were wide open in all directions, except looking inland toward the mountain Fort Imperial.  Also, the red tile roofs together wth the limestone buildings made for beautiful, picturesque views.

After the walking tour, I chose to hike up to Fort Imperial, and Mike chose the buggy adventure.  Before heading up to Mt Imperial, I visited the cathedral inside the old city and also the fortress just outside of the Old City.

Next, I ventured out of the old city and started walking up toward the general direction of Fort Imperial.  With the help of a few locals, I located the Trailhead and started on the steep, constant switchbacks.  The lower part of the trail was shaded, but the upper 80% of the trail was fully exposed to the sun (apparently due to a wildfire a few years ago).  The surface of the trail consisted of rocks about 1-6 inches in diameter, which made the hike a bit more unstable and uncomfortable than a compacted dirt trail.  After about an hour hiking in the heat of the day, I arrived at Fort Imperial and enjoyed the panoramic view of coastal Dubrovnik.

After 15 minutes of relaxing at the peak, I descended on the trail back to Dubrovnik to meet up with Mike at the hostel for the sunset tour.  We lost the tour during a stop at a mini-market, but enjoyed the sunset at a nice viewpoint, and then ate a pizza dinner at a nice restaurant.

After eating dinner, we discussed transportation to Split, ultimately deciding on taking the Catamaran boat at 4PM, which would transport us to Split by 8PM.  We will then be able to make full use of Tuesday at Krka Park.

At this time, it was about 10:30PM and I needed to start heading toward Villa Divine to check in for the night.  I arrived there around 11, showered, and used my laptop in the common room.  During the night, I enjoyed meeting the two Indian/Kenyan guys from London (on a short weekend trip) and the “opposite of sober” girl from Australia who was sharing olives with everyone in the common room.

View of Rome from airplane

View of Croatia from Airplane

Dubrovnik Old City Walls

Dubrovnik Old City Entrance

Dubrovnik Old City

Dubrovnik Old City

Dubrovnik Old City

Dubrovnik Old City

Dubrovnik Old City (Main Gate)

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Walking along the Dubrovnik walls

Dubrovnik water station

Dubrovnik Cathedral

Old Town Dubrovnik

Fortress near Downtown Dubrovnik

View of Old Town Dubrovnik from the Fortress

Fortress

Fortress

View from Fortress

Hiking up to Fort Imperial (starting point near tram)

Parking space in Dubrovnik

Hiking up to Fort Imperial

Hiking up to Fort Imperial

Hiking up to Fort Imperial

Hiking up to Fort Imperial

Hiking up to Fort Imperial

Hiking up to Fort Imperial

Hiking up to Fort Imperial

Hiking up to Fort Imperial

Hiking up to Fort Imperial

Hiking up to Fort Imperial

Hiking up to Fort Imperial

Hiking up to Fort Imperial

View from Fort Imperial

View from Fort Imperial

View from Fort Imperial

View from Fort Imperial

Veggie Pizza with Extra Cheese

This morning, we woke up at 8:30am planning on having breakfast and heading into town around 11.  We ended up taking a cab into Rome and arriving at the coliseum  around 12.  The three ancient tourist attractions (Coliseum, Palatino, and Forum) are conveniently located adjacent to one another.  For 12 euros, one can buy a ticket that provides admission into all three.

We started at the Palatino because the ticket line was shortest, and then continued to the Coliseum, followed by the Forum.  All three are ruins of ancient, approximately 2,000 year old buildings which display some of the greatest architectural and engineering achievements at the time (and maybe even today).  Standing at the buildings (especially the coliseum), it was interesting to imagine how the experience must have been to be inside the building 2,000 years ago.  Apparently, the capacity of the coliseum was estimated at up to 85,000, dwarfing the 20,000 capacity of the staples center. People used to gather to watch public executions (via wild animals), duels, and entertainment/shows.

During the few hours at these 3 sites, the weather was over 90 degrees and felt much hotter than that due to the humidity.  It was about 6pm, and after Mike and I had some pizza Mike headed back to the hotel to take it easy for the rest of the day.

From the coliseum, I continued walking north toward Pantheon. On the way, I passed by a beautiful monument/fountain/memorial.  The security guard at the entrance explained that this was a memorial for fallen Italian soldiers, and that visitors should act respectfully.  The memorial included two soldiers standing at the center of the memorial, and also a constantly lit torch.

After, I continued along go Pantheon, a beautiful circular-dome cathedral with a surprisingly-small seating area.  Most of the space inside the cathedral is wide-open, empty space which may have been emptied to increase occupancy for more tourists.  Outside the pantheon, there was a upbeat Palestinian demonstration spreading propaganda about Israeli human rights violations and unfair Israeli control of the Temple Mount.  This made me angry, because just a couple days ago a Jewish family (including children) were stabbed to death by a Palestinian.  Also, three Israeli police officers were shot by Israeli Arabs in the old city.  Both of these acts were praised by Palestinian authorities, who continue to play the victim and take advantage of the uninformed, politically-correct media and citizens of western countries.  Outside the Pantheon (and adjacent to the Palestinian demonstration), a street performer was playing Bob Dylan’s “blowing in the wind,” an appropriate song to be played near the demonstration.

Next, I was walking toward Fontana Di Trevi and walked past a crowded crepe/gelato shop.  The shop had a long line and the environment looked great (chocolate fountain along the back wall), so I thought it would be a nice place to stop by for a snack.  I ordered a hazelnut/chocolate crepe with hazelnut/chocolate ice cream and whipped cream.  It was a tasty (and heavy) snack.

A few minutes later I arrived at Fontana Di Trevi, a beautiful fountain and gathering area.  The monument/fountain wasn’t anything out-of-this-world but like many places in Europe, the environment and people in these public gathering spaces adds so much to the environment and experience.

Next, I continued north to Piazza Di Spigna, a multi-leveled, crowded square providing beautiful views especially around sunset.  I walked up the beautiful wide stairs and noticed a street performer sitting on the stairs surrounded by many dozens of people sitting on the stairs. The street performer was incredibly talented, playing songs such as I’m yours, “We don’t need your money, money, money song,” and more.  The crowd got pretty involved, singing and clapping along to the music.  It was a special atmosphere.

From there, I continued north to Piazza Del Pipolo, a large square gathering area and then I walked across a bridge across the river toward Piazza Cavour, which seemed to be some type of extravagantly designed government building.

From Piazza Cavour, I crossed the river again toward Piazza Navona, a large, well-lit square, lined by restaurants with outdoor seating, and enlivened by street performers.  One of these street performers was an extremely talented piano player and singer, who played a few Coldplay songs (including yellow), giving the songs his all and singing at the top of his lungs.

Around this time, I got a little lost (thanks to apple maps), but ended up walking into a beautiful Jason Mraz-like performance from a street performer.  The street performer was playing facing a wide stair area, which hundreds of people were sitting on.  A group of drunk guys on a bachelor party approached him and interrupted his performance, and he was really cool about it.  He played “thinking out loud” and gave him two pieces of advice for his marriage: don’t go to bed angry; and only one partner should be angry at a time.

At this point, I was running short on time and had to rush back to to coliseum to catch the 11pm shuttle to the hotel.  The shuttle was a no-show so I took a few buses/trains and was able to get back to the hotel in a hour-and-a-half (including 40 minutes of walking).  It was a great day, and now I’m excited for Croatia.

Palatine

Palatine

Palatine

Palatine

Palatine

View of Forum from Palatine

View of Forum from Palatine

View of Forum from Palatine

View of Forum from Palatine

Palatine

Palatine

Palatine

“Art” at the Palatine

Palatine

Palatine

Map of Palatine, Forum and Coliseum

Palatine

Coliseum

Gate near the Coliseum

Coliseum

Coliseum

Coliseum

Coliseum

Coliseum

Coliseum

Forum

Forum

Diagram of Forum

Forum

Forum

Forum

Street Performers near the Forum

Memorial to Fallen Italian Military

Memorial to Fallen Italian Military

Memorial to Fallen Italian Military

Memorial to Fallen Italian Military

Memorial to Fallen Italian Military

Palestinian demonstrators outside the Pantheon

Palestinian demonstrators outside the Pantheon

Pantheon

Pantheon

Crepe/Gelato shop

Nutella Crepe with Hazelnut ice cream and whipped cream

Fontana Di Trevi

Fontana Di Trevi

Piazza Di Spagna

Piazza Di Spagna

Piazza Di Spagna

Piazza Di Spagna

Piazza Di Spagna

Piazza Di Spagna

Piazza Di Spagna

Piazza Del Popolo

Piazza Del Popolo

Crossing the River

Ex Palazzo Di Giustizia

Piazza Navona

Street performer who reminded me of Jason Mraz

Street performer who reminded me of Jason Mraz

Last night, Mike and I checked into the Matterhorn hostel at 11pm and were faced with an unpleasant experience.  It actually became interesting witnessing firsthand how poorly this hostel was being operated.  Among other things, some issues included:

• Weak wifi
• Unlock-able storage containers in room
• Clogged showers
• basement showers smell like mold
• no locks on doors of building or individual rooms
• dirty dishes in TV Room (not cleaned by individual guests)

A few minutes after we checked in, Mike and I decided to just pull an all-nighter.  It was already 11pm and we were planning on boarding the 5:30am train to Bern.  We decided that a better option than sleeping in the horrible-smelling rooms would be to go out to town, have a drink, and work in the TV room of the hostel until 4:30am.

We ended up going out to a few bars/nightclubs in town and also split a 4-cheese pizza at an Italian restaurant.  By 2am, we were productively working and napping in the hostel TV room.

At 5:15AM we started walking to the train station and boarded the 5:37AM train to Lucerne via Bern.  The ride was beautiful and I was able to nap for a few hours.  Once we arrived in Lucerne, we boarded a train to Alpanachstad.  From Alpanachstad we boarded the steepest cog railway in the world up to Pilatus Kulm.  The 40 minute ride up to Pilatus Kulm was very scenic, starting out with views of the city and lakes below, and ending with beautiful, peaceful views of grass mountain slopes and rugged mountaintops.

Once we arrived at the mountaintop, we hiked for about two hours.  My favorite hike followed the summit for about a mile, for a total hike of about two miles roundtrip.  The hike offered panoramic views, walking through rock tunnels, and walking past deep caves.  This hike was one of the main highlights of the entire Europe trip and it’s hard to believe why a few people (especially the tour guide at Mt Titlus) tried to dissuade us from visiting Mt Pilatus.

After, we descended Mt Pilatus via the Kriena Route.  The Kriens route consists of descending via two aerial pod tramways to the town of Kriens, which is adjacent to Lucerne.

When we arrived at Kriens, Mike insisted for the third time that I try a specific ice cream bar (vanilla ice cream with Mango coating and swirls).  I picked one up from a mini-mart and really enjoyed the unique combination of rich vanilla ice cream together with tart mango.

After arriving in Lucerne again, Mike and I had another salad bar lunch and then boarded multiple buses/trains toward the Villa Hoenig hotel.  After the bus ride, we walked an additional 20 minutes to the remote hotel.  Mike had seen a photo of this hotel’s pool and view on instagram and really wanted to visit it.  The hotel is a 5-star boutique hotel which is known for its incredible Infiniti pool overlooking a vast valley and lake.  Although we weren’t able to visit the pool, we spent time on the patio overlooking the pool and also overlooking the valley.  I ordered a coffee and homemade cashew coconut sorbet which were both delicious.

We then rushed back to the bus stop to catch the 5:49pm bus back toward Lucerne, but we saw the bus driver from afar driving away at 5:45pm.  We would have to catch the 6:50pm bus instead.  This delay, along with missing another bus from Lucerne to Zurich, ended up putting us in jeopardy of missing out flight.  We were now scheduled to arrive at the airport at 9:16pm for a flight taking off at 10:05pm.

Fortunately, we were able to check in and arrive at security within 4 minutes and to arrive early at the gate for our flight

Mt Pilatus Station (bottom of mountain)

Railway up to Mt Pilatus

Railway up to Mt Pilatus

Railway up to Mt Pilatus

Railway up to Mt Pilatus

Railway up to Mt Pilatus

Railway up to Mt Pilatus

Railway up to Mt Pilatus

Railway up to Mt Pilatus

Railway up to Mt Pilatus

Railway up to Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Enter a caption

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

At the summit

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Mt Pilatus

Tramway down toward Lucerne

Tramway down toward Lucerne

Tramway down toward Lucerne

Playground under the tramway

Tramway down toward Lucerne

Salad bar

Vanilla mango ice cream bar

Hotel Villa Honegg

Hotel Villa Honegg

Hotel Villa Honegg

Hotel Villa Honegg

This morning, I woke up at 7am after 4.5 hours of sleep last night. By 7:15 I was checked out of the hostel, had stored my luggage in the locker, and ate a continental breakfast in the lobby of the hostel.

I then proceeded to walk about a mile to the Harder Klum Trailhead. The Trailhead begins near the train station and climbs a couple thousand feet over about 2 miles. The trail is very steep, green, shaded, and wet.  There was an extremely steep trail to the top, and an alternative more gradual trail.  The objective of the steeper trail is simple:  Climb as quickly as reasonably possible regardless of how difficult it would be o continuously hike up.

The hike reminded me a little bit of Echo Mountain because of the steep uphill climb and the constant views of the city below.

After about one hour and fifteen minutes of climbing, I reached Harder Klum at 8:45AM.  There was no one at Harder Klum, likely because the rail car hadn’t began operations yet.  However, the view was incredible, providing visibility of the entire city as well as the lakes on each side of the city.

I then rushed down, hoping/planning to meet Mike at the train station at 9:35AM to take the rail car up to Schynige Platte.  Instead I went back to the hostel to have a second breakfast, and Mike and I walked to the Train Station and boarded the 10:35am to Schynige Platte.  The train was extremely slow, but provided great views of Interlaken from the opposite side of the Harder Klum side.

The top of Harder Klum was beautiful and peaceful, consisting of steep, flowered hills on which dozens of cows were grazing. The cows each had bells which made for a unique, charming sound.  After about 45 minutes at the top, we descended on the slow train ride back to Lucerne.

Then we continued along on our train itinerary, gradually making our way from Lucerne to Montreaux to Zermatt.  The train ride was scenic with steep terrain, lakes, green mountainsides, and cozy villages.  At 10:15AM, we arrived in Zermatt and walked over to Matterhorn, the hostel we were staying at for the night.  The hostel was poorly maintained/run with backed up shower drains, non-lockable storage lockers, unsecured access to the entire hostel, and an unprofessional receptionist.  After settling in and showering, Mike and I walked over to the Downtown area and walked between a couple of bars.  We also ended up sharing a cheese pizza at a local shop before walking back to the hostel.  As of now, it’s looking like we’ll both be pulling all-nighters just so we can avoid sleeping in the unpleasant rooms.

Harder Kulm

River in Interlaken

River in Interlaken

Hiking Harder Kulm

Hiking Harder Kulm

Hiking Harder Kulm

Hiking Harder Kulm

Hiking Harder Kulm

Hiking Harder Kulm

Hiking Harder Kulm

Trail passes the railway up to Harder Kulm

Trail passes the railway up to Harder Kulm

Trail up to Harder Kulm

Trail up to Harder Kulm

Trail up to Harder Kulm

Trail up to Harder Kulm

Trail up to Harder Kulm

Trail up to Harder Kulm

Trail up to Harder Kulm

Trail up to Harder Kulm

Trail up to Harder Kulm

Trail up to Harder Kulm

Trail up to Harder Kulm

Trail up to Harder Kulm

Harder Kulm

Harder Kulm

Harder Kulm

Harder Kulm

Harder Kulm

Hiking down from Harder Kulm

Parachuters from Harder Kulm

River flowing through Interlaken

Grass square in Interlaken

Schynige Platte

Schynige Platte

Schynige Platte

Schynige Platte

Schynige Platte

Schynige Platte

Schynige Platte

Schynige Platte

Schynige Platte

Schynige Platte

Schynige Platte

Schynige Platte

Schynige Platte

Instrument playing on Schynige Platte

Schynige Platte

Railway station at Schynige Platte

Schynige Platte

View from Railcar

View from Railcar

View from Railcar

View from Railcar

View from Railcar

View from Railcar

View from Railcar

View from Railcar

View from Railcar

View from Railcar

View from Railcar

View from Railcar (near Montreaux)

This morning, we work up at 6:30AM and were in the lobby for breakfast by 7AM.  After breakfast, we walked over to Downtown Lucerne to take the boat ride to Vitznau.  From Vitznau, we boarded rail car up to Mt Rizi.

Mt Rizi is a touristy mountaintop with panoramic views of the surrounding lakes, communities, and farmland below. The mountaintop includes a hotel, restaurant, radio tower, and plenty of open space.  Mike and I walked around on the mountaintop for about 15 minutes, and then descended the mountain on a 1 hour partial loop trail.  The trail descended to a remote cheese factory, and then connected to the Rigi Staffel tram stop (one stop below the summit).  The trail was scenic and was relatively lightly traveled.

From Rigi Staffel, we returned back to Lucerne and then boarded a train to Titlus Mountain.  Titlus Mountain is a year-round snow-covered mountain at 10,000 feet elevation.  The route to Titlus requires first taking a train to Engleburg, and then boarding two trams (for a total of 30 minutes) up to the summit.  The trams up to the summit provided incredible views of bright-green landscapes, glaciers, a waterfall, and rugged rock mountain formations.  Once we arrived at the mountaintop, we walked through the glacier cave (a 150 meter long tunnel through a glacier), walked across a suspension bridge, and admired the panoramic views from many different places.

After a couple hours at the top, we descended a boarded a train back to Lucerne.  We then picked up our luggage from the hotel, and boarded a train to Interlaken where we’re spending the night.

Ferry to Viznau

Ferry to Viznau

Ferry to Viznau

Ferry to Viznau

Ferry to Viznau

Ferry to Viznau

Ferry to Viznau

Ferry to Viznau

Ferry to Viznau

Ferry to Viznau

Ferry to Viznau

Rail to Mt Rigi

Mt Rigi

Mt Rigi

Mt Rigi

Mt Rigi

Mt Rigi

Mt Rigi

Mt Rigi

Mt Rigi

Mt Rigi

Cheese factory on Mt Rigi

Mt Rigi

Cheese factory on Mt Rigi

Mt Rigi

Mt Rigi

Mt Rigi

Mt Rigi

On the way back to Lucerne from Mt Rigi

On the way back to Lucerne from Mt Rigi

On the way back to Lucerne from Mt Rigi

On the way to Mt Titlus

On the way to Mt Titlus

On the way to Mt Titlus

On the way to Mt Titlus

On the way to Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Mt Titlus

Engelberg

Falafel vegetable bowl in Lucerne