Summit

At the top of Mount Pilatus, you can find two hotels, a panorama gallery, a couple of restaurants, a sunny terrace and various walkways. Not bad for 7,000ft!  One of the walkways is called the Dragon Path and is carved out of and through the rock, offering views out across the countryside.  Here, you can see one of the large, red cable car gondolas which brings tourists the last 1,500ft or so and a wonderful view of Lake Luzern below.

Beyond the lake and the nearer mountains, the snow-capped higher Alps can be seen.

From this lofty point along the Dragon Path, you look down on the small Klimsenhorn Chapel which we passed on the way up.

Zooming in a bit, it looks as if it were made of Lego!

Various viewpoints have been carved out of the rock face, giving 'windows' onto the scenery way below.

It's a good job there are barriers and hand rails!

Inside the visitor centre, you are greeted by a stuffed Alpine Ibex - sadly the only Ibex we saw, although they do live wild on Pilatus.

Outside again and the snow was till clinging to the higher parts of the mountain. At this point, a sudden, sharp shower of sleet and hail came at us, visible in this shot.

One of the birds I was hoping to see while we were in Switzerland was the Alpine Chough. Said to be quite common in the mountains, they are well known for their habit of congregating around tourist attractions, on the look-out for tasty tit-bits. We weren't disappointed!

So, that was another new 'tick'.