Our trip from Austin to Lucerne was going well until we arrived in Philadelphia. Then all chaos broke loose. We actually had to move gates seven times….a total of almost 5,000 steps within 3 hours. The last move involved wheelchairs for the final 5 gates since Cissy’s knee gave out. The gate choices are regulated by the airport, not the airline, so I felt very sorry for the pilots & flight attendants who were pivoting back and forth across terminals just like us.

Arrived in Zurich exhausted only to find that the private Mercedes’ we had hired didn’t have a working A/C. So it was a HOT ride to Lucerne. Our first stop was to explore the 11th century Hallwyl Castle surrounded by a moat. It as in good condition and had an impressive theatre presentation on the history of the castle…but Cissy was most impressed with the clear water in the moat. Then we drove on to the small lake town of Zug…founded in the early 13th century by the Counts of Kyburg, but archaeological evidence shows the area has been settled since 14,000 BC. Now that’s OLD! After World War II, the town lowered its tax rates and became a popular haven for businesses. Lunch by the lake was HOT🔥🥵. Sweating and running on empty….its onward to Lucerne….