John and I arose early the next day and showered, John careful to choose the gents' this time round.

Today we would ascend Mt. Pilatus.

First, I made John carry my zip off backpack, which I filled with snacks, water, and a long sleeved coverup each, in case we found the alpine breeze chilly. Our memorable trip began by catching the boat to Alpnachstad. Our Eurail passes gave us a steep discount on the whole journey. Uncharitably, I was happy to be travelling second class because the "tourists" were up in first class, comparing their cameras with maschismo.

The boat cruise took 90 minutes and it was beautiful, soaring across the placid lake and taking in the mountain scenery. The next step was a cogwheel train that hauled us up the side of the mountain, where I sat across from an Englishwoman who was dressed in such a manner to make me feel she was in the pay of Swiss Tourism. She wore a hat with different badges from different areas of Switzerland, hiking boots, bright purple hiking socks, shorts, a lacy, lingerie inspired tank top over her aging cleavage and a face full of makeup. She was like, Pippi Longstocking meets Joan Rivers.

The train dropped us off at the top of the mountain, but we ascended on a mini hike, which caused John to pant so badly people stopped us to check if he needed help. (He insists he is as fit as a fiddle.) At the top, we caught our breath and had a snack. This is when I realized I had made an error - I hadn't applied sunscreen, and in the thinner air my skin began to turn bright red.

We descended by cable car to Kriens and took the public bus back to Lucerne, grabbed dinner and enjoyed another evening on our balcony.