Bikepacking - Sursee to Fluelen via Lucerne (Luzern)

Day #

12

State of Legs

:-)

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	Distance (miles)	Distance (km)	Ascent (feet)	Ascent (metres)	Punctures
Today	17 miles	km	689 feet	metres	0
Trip Totals	666 miles	km	26855 feet	metres	0

Today's Cycling Route

The Ferry Across Lake Lucerne

Route So Far

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Travelogue

Yesterday had been a long day and quite demanding at times. But always fun. Today though was to be a treat. A short and easy bike ride followed by taking the ferry across Lake Lucerne where I'd check into an AirBnB studio apartment in the small town of Fluelen at the south-eastern extreme of the lake and two whole days of rest would begin!

Once again, the weather was lovely and the ride to the town of Lucerne, a mere 17 miles away from Sursee was a doddle.

There's a lake by Sursee too. This is it.

Those aren't mountains in the distance, are they?!

King of the Castle. Goat style.

Arriving in Lucerne (Luzern is the German spelling)

Once I'd arrived in Lucerne, I immediately went looking for the ferry port. Luckily in the city centre, there were signs and it was easy to find. Before I got there though, I took some photos of the area near to the port. It's a beautiful town!

I crossed the street to the ferry terminal and investigated. There was a ferry to my destination, Fluelen in about 20 minutes time at 09:12 and then one every hour. I decided to catch the 10:12 ferry as I had something I needed to do first.

I joined the queue for tickets and parked The Mule near the windows. My turn came and I approached. I locked eyes with the lady in the kiosk and said those magic words:

"Do you speak English?"

"Yes"

Result!

She sorted out a passenger ticket for me and a separate one for the bike. It came to 58 Swiss Francs which is close to exactly £50. The journey is nearly three hours as Lake Lucerne is *big*, so that's probably comparable with an intercity train fare at home. 

I offered my contactless payment card, which I'd used throughout the trip without problem. Until now. "BEEEEEEEP! TRANSACTION REJECTED" said an eerie, robotic voice (I may have invented this bit). Oh dear. We tried again but this time inserting the card rather than using contactless payment. "ENTER PIN" said the same totally made up eerie, robotic voice. Oh no! What's my PIN? I've never used the PIN with this card before so it's certainly not stored up there in my brain, along with all the other essential facts I keep up there (you know, things like the capital city of Peru, how many pounds there are in a stone, those kinds of essential facts). I use an encrypted database for passwords. It must be in there. Nope. Couldn't find it. Nightmare. I had enough Swiss Francs to buy my tickets in cash, so that wasn't a problem. The problem was, how would I obtain more cash for my trip when the time came? I'd already learned that you simply cannot use a payment card everywhere. I needed cash.

Phew! With less pressure on, I searched my encrypted database again and this time found my PIN, filed in a place which apparently made sense at the time! I hit an ATM across the street and topped up my supply of Swiss Francs. Panic over!

My trusty (actually, not so trusty) plastic spork had bitten the dust recently so I used Google Maps to find an outdoor activities store about a mile away and cycled there. I bought a new spork, this time one made from titanium rather than plastic. For just under 20 Swiss Francs. Switzerland is expensive! Who knew? ;-)

That done, I went and queued for the ferry. 

Boarding was easy and I was just told to put my bike in a corner near one of the doors. It was quickly surrounded by a pram and a wheelchair.

I travelled 2nd class while The Mule travelled 3rd

The ferry ride was tranquil and I enjoyed all the little towns we visited and the changing surroundings. I even caught sight of the road around the lake which I'd read was unsafe to cycle, hence me taking the ferry. And yes, it looked a total nightmare!

Naturally, I took a series of naff, tourist-quality photos on the ferry. Here they are.

Yes, I need a shave! And since checking into this apartment, you'll be glad to know I've had one!

One of several stops along the way

Definitely mountains over there!

In Fluelen, the apartment was easy to find, a five minutes walk from the ferry terminal if that. I'd asked the host about storing my bike securely and she'd suggested either locking it up at the ferry terminal/train station where there are facilities or..... carrying it upstairs to the apartment. I went for the latter. But... those are very steep stone steps! Still, with the bags removed first and stowed in the apartment, I managed it without mishap. Here's what the studio apartment (and home for the next three nights) looks like:

Yes, The Mule and I are sharing a room this time!

There's a comfortable terrace to sit on

And the views are pretty good

The next order of business was to obtain food for the duration of my stay (minus fresh bread which I'll buy when I need it). I walked to the nearest supermarket, about half a mile away. No way was I carrying the bike back down those stairs! I took one of the panniers with me as these come with a carrying strap and have a decent capacity. I have to say, the walk to the supermarket and the views from the supermarket are each somewhat superior to their counterparts at home!

And here's what I bought. Pretty much what I bought in Neufchateau the last time I had a rest period. The goals are the same. Replace calories. Provide protein. Not make life difficult. And enjoy! So there are lots of eggs, tuna fish, pasta, cheese and chocolate. But there's also some salad, fresh fruit and vegetables. And some fruit/nut in-ride snacks for when I resume on Thursday.

How much do you think this little lot cost? Hint: everything's expensive in Switzerland!

And the result? Well, dinner tonight looked like this.

Two bowls of pasta and I was a happy (non-) camper!