Luzern, what can I say? After a day and half, we have to say that it is the highlight so far, perhaps pipping Carcassonne for all round impressiveness. Luzern is stunning. The city is so incredibly beautiful : ancient timber bridges crossing the canal ; a huge stunning lake flanked by towering mountains that graduate rapidly from a plethora of contrasting, variegated orange, red, yellow and green vegetation at the base to snow covered around half of the way up; An imposing city wall that we scaled which was dotted by medieval towers and frescoed buildings that dominate, unlike like other cities, where you have to search for the historical centres to locate them. All this we explored on day one. The contrast to all this is the accommodation: the Jailhotel, which was THE jail until 1998 until converted into supposedly novel and quirky accommodation. The rooms are the old cells. A bathroom has been inserted and is fine, and the bed is huge, but the graffiti-laden walls and peeling paint remain from the prison days and there isn't room to move........yuk!!!!!! Nevertheless, we manage to sleep well. Another highlight today was that we have found and purchased a travelling kettle to complement the travelling iron that we found and purchased in Geneve, the highlight for us in that city. I am sure that Josh and Jess would both appreciate the imperative of an iron when travelling.

On day 2, we choose to spend the day cruising the lake, purchasing all day passes that enable us to explore all pockets of this unbelievable mass of water, hopping off where we choose in order to either explore picture perfect lakeside villages or catch the vast number of funicular trains or cable cars that transfer winter skiers to the upper reaches of these mountains. It is amazing to be able to scale the mountains we viewed from a distance yesterday by water today in such a highly interactive way. We are perpetually left breathless by the staggering 360 degree vista, this is like New Zealand's Milford Sound, one of our previous life highlights, x 100. This IS what it is all about for Loretta and I, NOT Paris or Geneve.

On the return leg to Luzern, we alight at Vitznau and catch the funicular railway, a single tram-like cabin which will elevate us 1752 metres from our starting point. The view of the lake system and adjacent mountains on the way up is......you guessed it...... Breathtaking!!!!!!! We begin to see snow on the side of the rail track, which progressively becomes thicker and by the time we reach the peak and final stop, everything is white. We alight from the train, but because we are totally immersed in cloud, visibility is only around 5 metres, so we decide to jump back on the train for it's return trip to the boat stop at Vitznau. Additionally, Loretta hasn't brought her beanie, caused by my asking her for maps whilst she was getting ready.

We catch the boat back to Luzern and have sumptuous Indian food before settling for the night. A magnificent day!!!!