All photos taken on June 29, 1984.
Another Italian city, another Italian breakfast of, you know…rolls and coffee.
We were leaving Italy for Switzerland today and it would be a fairly long drive. Our time to be at the back of the bus had arrived before we got to Rome, so we were gradually moving forward again, but still in the bouncy back.
It was a 4 hour drive to Lugano and our first stop. We enjoyed a lunch of prosciutto pizza, spaghetti Carbonara, beer for me and tea for Patty. After lunch, we walked down to Lake Lugano to take in the views.
It would be another 1.5 hours to the St. Gotthard road tunnel, before we really started to see the alpine scenery.
The Gotthard Road Tunnel in Switzerland runs from Göschenen in the canton of Uri at its northern portal, to Airolo in Ticino to the south, and is 16.9 kilometres (10.5 mi) in length below the St Gotthard Pass, a major pass of the Alps. At time of construction, in 1980, it was the longest road tunnel in the world; it is currently the fifth-longest. Although it is a motorway tunnel, part of the A2 from Basel to Chiasso, it consists of only one bidirectional tube with two lanes. With a maximum elevation of 1,175 metres (3,855 ft) at the tunnel’s highest point, the A2 motorway has the lowest maximum elevation of any direct north-south road through the Alps.
The tunnel rises from the northern portal at Göschenen (1,080 m (3,540 ft)) and the culminating point is reached after approximately 8 kilometres (5.0 mi). After two or three more kilometres, the border between the cantons of Uri and Ticino is passed; after another 7 kilometres (4.3 mi), the tunnel ends at the southern portal near to Airolo (1,146 m (3,760 ft)). The journey takes about 13 minutes by car, the maximum speed being 80 km/h (50 mph).
The Gotthard Road Tunnel is one of the three tunnels that connect the Swiss Plateau to southern Switzerland and run under the Gotthard Massif, the two other being railway tunnels, the Gotthard Tunnel (1882) and the Gotthard Base Tunnel (2016). All three tunnels bypass the Gotthard Pass, an important trade route since the 13th century. The pass road culminates about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above the tunnel, at a height of 2,106 metres (6,909 ft), and is only passable in summer.
(Source: Wikipedia)
It was another hour to Sisikon, where we would be staying for the night. In true Cosmos fashion, this was half an hour away from Lake Lucerne. Sigh.
Once we had checked in and freshened up, we were off into Lake Lucerne for dinner and a Swiss cultural evening. The meal at the dinner show was vegetable soup, salad, roast beef and knodel all washed down with wine and tea. Dessert was creme caramel.
The floor show included dances, music (including alpenhorn, spoons and yodeling).
We left for Sisikon about 10:00 PM and fell into a deep sleep in the mountain air. We were glad to be in a dark quiet setting (and glad that the yodeling had stopped) 😀.
PHOTO DROP 
We drove through the St. Gotthard Pass in 1977, but I don’t remember any long tunnel. Not 13 minutes long. I do remember being terrified when the switchbacks above Airolo went out into the air and the highway was held up by cement pillars. I swore I would never drive that route again. As it was, we came back via Yugoslavia and Austria (having taken a ferry from Italy to Greece earlier). A very scary drive through the pass, for sure (for me, anyway – I’m a wimp).
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There are three tunnels in the Gotthard area. Two railway and one road. The road tunnel was opened on September 5 1980 and was much safer to drive than the high pass. But, there have been accidents and in the busy season there can be traffic jams, not a good thing if you are stuck in the tunnel. I have driven many high mountain passes in my time and must admit to being scared on a few of them. Thanks for reading Anneli. Allan
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Thanks for that info, Allan. I don’t remember there being any alternatives to driving on the main road through the pass. I guess the tunnels weren’t built yet. Just as well. I’m not sure which is worse, tunnels or switchbacks over open air.
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The only option to the pass before the road tunnel was opened in 1980 was to load the cars onto a train and take them through the rail tunnels.
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That explains why we just kept driving on the main highway.
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I’ve never visited Sisikon, even though it is not so far from Italy!
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When we were there, it was a picturesque, tranquil village. I am sure it has changed a bit in the ensuing years. Thanks for reading Luisa. Allan
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Thanks a lot for your kind reply!
Enjoy the rest of the day 💙
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I e not visited Sisikon but have been to Lake Lucerne. An interesting day.
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It had some good alpine scenery Marion. We spent most of the next day exploring Lake Lucerne. Thanks for reading. Allan
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Switzerland is beautiful in any season. I’ve visited many times and have always enjoyed the scenery, food and (in younger years), skiing. No cultural yodelling nights, though. I’ve heard so much of it echoing through the mountains.😉
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Cultural yodeling may have gained popularity after The Sound of Music in the Austrian Alps. Either way, it was an enjoyable evening. Thanks for reading Lynette. Allan🏔️
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I’ve never been to Switzerland before, but it looks so scenic with those majestic mountains. Dinner sounds like it was quite the event!
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It was so very pretty. The mountains seemed closer to us that those in the Rockies. Dinner was full of knodel and yodel. We would like to see how the other parts of Switzerland vary, depending on which country they are closer to. Thanks for reading Linda. Allan
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