After checking out the owls, we took a steamship ride across the lake, rode a funicular up the slope, and then hiked over to the Rütli, the meadow that was the birthplace of the Swiss nation.
Gallery: July 4 — Treib to Rütli
The steamers' engines are viewable from the deck. All the middle-aged guys like to stand around and admire them. They are pretty awesome to see: shiny and powerful. Look, at the upper right, how neatly the tools are arranged.
Chuff chuff
Here's a view down into the depths.
Two planes.
Five planes.
A wicked cliff above the road between Gersau and Brunnen. Note that the road below is covered, for good reason.
We alighted at Treib to take the small funicular railroad up to Seelisberg. This is a poster hanging in the funicular tunnel. It's an unbelievable composition that makes me want to be a graphic designer every time I look at it.
The Seelisberg station, which the foregoing tunnel segues into.
A disembodied onion dome nearby.
The Mythen, a famous pair of mountains visible throughout the area.
The roof structure of a little shelter by the hiking trail; you can see how the tiles are hooked onto the strapping to stay in place.
Rütlivogel, a tame and social one, probably used to all the touri.
There was a nice Swiss couple (or possibly German) and the guy took our picture.
THE Swiss flag.
Rütlizmittagplatz.
Thence we hiked down to the nearby ferry station.
Clouds gathered. They really were that orangey color.
It looked almost volcanic at this point.
Especially here.
Here's a great example of shutters and trim with that radial-squiggular motif.
