This was to be a 2.5-week-long visit to Luzern/Horw. First we took the opportunity to relax for several days after our 2-month-long ride from Brittany - then it was all about exploring the familiar geographical landmarks dotted around the scene. We would climb two notable summits in this time: Burgenstock and Mount Pilatus. And of course, we made sure to make time for gourmet meals and plenty of playtime, as Bo found Horw to be a fantastic playground...
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| Fun in the sandbox. Bo and Yanis. |
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| Chasing after the local girls! |
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| Ennetburgen on Vierwaldstatersee, our jumping-off point to climb Burgenstock. |
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| Bo was en forme for this hike, here throwing it down. |
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| These were some friendly cows... |
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| ... who lapped up the attention. |
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| Looking southwards from near the summit of Burgenstock at 1121m.. |
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| ... and northwards over Vierwaldstatersee. |
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| Katy and Bo picnic at the top.... |
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| ... followed by an animated descent. |
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| Needless to say, we found ourselves in a situation of stunning natural beauty. |
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| Bo measures himself against a looming wall of firewood... |
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| ... and wanders swiftly through the forest. |
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| The chapel of St. Jost as it leans to the lake. |
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| Horw at dusk. |
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| Jason's you-gotta-see-it-to-believe-it DIY firebrick pizza oven., placed in their garden allotment 200m from their house. |
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| Sonja's friend Marina, 2 y.o. son Yanis, and Sonja enjoying a laugh while we wait for the first pizza to bake... |
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| 2120m Mt. Pilatus as seen from Jason and Sonja's flat. It is our next climbing mission. |
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| This heavy effort was accompanied by grunting and exhilaration. |
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| Sonja, Bo and Jeff on a mid-morning breakfast break on the climb up. |
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| Bo leads Jeff up the slopes with great views opening up over the lake. |
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| Bo leads the way still as Sonja follows behind. |
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| Starting to feel like proper Alps terrain now. |
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| Bo greets the passengers on the funicular. |
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| Mattalp at 1600m elevation (500m to go!) |
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| Alpen wildflowers... |
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| Sonja, Bo and Jeff on a snack break. |
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| Katy pushing ever upwards. |
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| Above Mattalp we reached snowfields as the mist rolled in... |
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| ... which took us most of the way to the summit... |
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| ... from where we had mystical and beautiful views over the scene.... |
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| Mountain goat balanced on a steep promontory, gazing out over the vast splendid chasm. |
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| Bo + Katy, Sonja and Jeff as we descend steep slopes. |
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| We witnessed some stellar views here over the lake... |
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| The descent got hairy for a spell as Sonja and Katy negotiate small cliffs with the aid of a cable... |
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| ... creating tense moments like this one! Bodhi sensed the wicked adventure of it all... |
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| ... and found himself on smooth forest trails shortly later. |
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| Back in Horw, Bo clowns around with Lisa and Joy, neighbors. |
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| Trying out the new bike in the flat while Jason looks on. |
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| Happy times. Pictured with a friendly neighbor family (L-R: Katy, Lisa, Martina, Reto + Bo, Jeff + Joy. |
From Luzern we took a mid-summer break in our travels. Jason and Sonja would go to hike the Haute Route Pyrénéenne. Katy and Bo returned to the UK for 5 weeks; and Jeff returned to a small remote village in the department of Correze in the south of France to do restoration work on an old barn. We will reunite on 5 August in Luzern and resume our travels...
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