We planned a day trip by train to Lucerne in the Swiss Alps. It was a beautiful trip, and an even more beautiful destination. The lake below the mountains stretched far and wide and looked clean enough to drink. That is a huge contrast to the green and muddy Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri…

We planned a day trip by train to Lucerne in the Swiss Alps. It was a beautiful trip, and an even more beautiful destination.

The lake below the mountains stretched far and wide and looked clean enough to drink. That is a huge contrast to the green and muddy Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri I frequently visited growing up. We booked a fairy across the lake to a small village at the top of one of the mountains. The water was like glass and the air was as pure as it possibly could be.

After several stops, we arrived at Bürgenstock with about 20 others. We immediately got on a rail car that pulled us straight up the steep slope of the mountain to the village. Opening first in 1888, it is the oldest electric funicular in Switzerland.

Full of character and charm, the walking paths, hotels, and restaurants were scattered across the mountain top. In the valley opposite the lake, lie a golf course hidden away that would inspire even the strongest skeptics of golf to try a round.

Having personally always given Alaska the title, the Swiss Alps are a strong contender for the most beautiful place on earth.