Mount Pilatus – Christmas in Europe

After lunch we went off to visit Mount Pilatus.  We’ve never been up Pilatus before so this was a new adventure.  There was quite a crowd wanting to go up, so it was handy having someone who knows the scene buy the tickets for us as well as marshall us through to the front of the queue.  The journey to the top is completed in two stages.  Firstly, the panorama gondola takes you from base level to Fräkmüntegg at the foot of the mighty Mount Pilatus.  This trip takes around 30 minutes and as the gondola glided uphill, we were awestruck by the beautiful sight of snow covered pine trees.  At ground level, it was pure white too, except for the occasional ski track where some kids may have been playing. When we got to Fräkmüntegg, many of the younger ones couldn’t wait to get out to touch the snow.  Some used their padded jackets as sleighs to glide down the slopes.  It looked like a lot of fun for them.

The next stage of the trip was by the aerial cableway which takes about five minutes to ferry visitors from the station at Fräkmüntegg up to Pilatus Kulm. It was strange that it was much warmer at 2,132 metres than it was at ground level.  Up at the top, as we had gone past the thick grey clouds, it was sunny and the views were simply stunning.  One of the cafes at the top rented out deckchairs and people were enjoying their little altitude sun-tanning.  What a top experience!

Helen