I'm tempted to leave this page with just the pic above...

But there is so much more of the beauty of the Swiss Alps in summer.
And especially this summer, because the United Nations
(European Headquarters in Geneva) has declared 2002 the
International Year of the Mountains.
Switzerland leads Europe in the "Mountain High" category, with nearly 50 mountaintops over 12,000 feet high.
So let's visit some of those peaks and the surrounding areas.

Lake Lucerne and Mt. Pilatus

Steamboats came to Lake Lucerne in 1835, so there is a long tradition for today's steamboats on the Lake. The two oldest and largest companies merged in 1960 to become the Lake Lucerne Navigation Company. Cruising on the Lake has become the most popular option for sightseeing in Lucerne.

The town of Lucern has a great Old Town, with ancient fortifications and the famous Lion Monument, honoring the defiant Swiss Guards who gave their lives defending Louis XVI.

There are many cultural museums, including the Richard Wagner, with its display of old and rare instruments from Europe, Africa and Asia. On the Reuss River, two covered wooden bridges sport paintings from medieval times. These are extremely Swiss.

But perhaps most exciting thing about Lucerne is the fact that Mt. Pilatus is nearby. It is host to the world's steepest railway, a 'cog' train that sometimes tilts up to 45 degrees or more. Quite a lot of fun. But closed until about the beginning of May, 2002.

No matter. Swiss-engineered Gondolas allow you to scale Mt. Pilatus year-round, God willing, from the nearby area of Kriens... or Krienseregg... or Frakmuntegg... depending on how you look at it.

Kriens is the general area, Krienseregg is the designation for a 'recreational area' with a family restaurant and a kinder(child's)playground. Frakmuntegg is the place where you can either catch the Cable Car, start of on any number of fabulous hiking trails, or see the longest toboggan slide in Switzerland. At Frakmuntegg there are quie a few hotels and restaurants with spectacular views.

Once on top of Pilatus at 7,000 feet, there is a restaurant with a pretty good Swiss fondue, and sometimes a Swiss Folklore Show. Best of all is the view, and as the alpenglow touches the peaks at sunset, you may hear them playing the
longest real Alpenhorn in the world.

Villages in the Swiss Alps

From Grimentz to Vercorn, there are small villages and towns scattered through the Alps, too many to visit in any one trip. But wherever you go in Switzerland during Summer, you are assured of once-in-a-lifetime vistas that
I hope will please your soul.

Now... you have a choice to
click Here and go on to see the Swiss Alps in Winter,
but it's kind of fun to see what sort of Swiss Summer Vacation Train Travel Packages are available right now. So why not
Click here for a link to Rail Europe.

This is one of the best travel website on the net.
When I first found it, I wondered who these people were who could put together such an efficient site, that worked so well and so quickly,
even with millions of choices to sort through.

So I checked them out before I gave them my credit card number. It turns out that this is the company that owns most of the trains in Europe, the new trains that go hundreds of miles an hour and are always on time, at a reasonable price. (Click here for Rail Europe) Talk about big money backing! Talk about security! Talk about experience! No wonder they could get their website to work so well when others who try it have an infinite variety of problems. Rail Europe has everything you need to make your vacation a success.