Switzerland Day 3

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Today we started off the day by going to Seelisberg where there is a cheese making factory.It was definitely an interesting ride to and from because a couple of people ended up getting sick, but once we were their it was really neat. It is a family run business that has been there for five generations. Hans, the man who gave us a tour, now specialized by only making cheese although his grandfathers had made other dairy products as well. He gave us a tour of the facility and then explained to us about his business. He talked about how there cheese is not pasteurized and how his business revolves around the locals. We also got to taste three different cheeses that had all been aged different amounts of times. I think my favorite was the one that had only been aged for 6 weeks. He also had this apple juice for us that had no sugar added. It was the best apple juice i have ever tasted. We also got to see the pigs he raises for extra money. I was definitely a little grossed out by them. I do not think I will be eating bacon anytime soon. The cheese factory was very interesting though. Swiss cheese is obviously very important to their culture because it used in a lot of their food. Anyways, afterwards we went to lucerne again but this time for a historical walking tour. It was only supposed to last 2 hours but I think it ended up taking longer. We started at their famous bridge that used to be connected to a church there. It apparently caught fire and they were able to restore some of the painting that originally hung in it. They also left a portion at the end burned so that everyone will know that at one time it was burned. We walked all around the town and saw many special places and buildings. We then ended the tour at the Lion, which is a monument dedicated to some Swiss soldiers that fought in a battle in Paris, France. This guy who was apparently friends with those who died had 2 or 3 people carve this lion along with the names of the people who were killed in the battle. After our long tour we came back to Engelberg and had a traditional Swiss dinner. It consisted of a salad that had a ranch like light dressing on it. Then the main course was a pasta with white cheese sauce and caramelized onions and a side of apple sauce. It was pretty good. Then for dessert was probably the best ice cream I have ever had. After dinner we went on a hike with torches down the mountain back to town. It was pretty cool even though I tripped a few times. It was probably a good thing I was not carrying a torch. It was a very busy but good day.

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