Switzerland

When we arrived at the other end of our train journey through the Alps, we were in Lucerne, a medium-sized town at the end of an eponymous lake. The lake is surrounded by mountains, and it's one of the most scenic spots in Switzerland, and probably all of Europe. Unfortunately for us, rain plagued the whole time we were there.
Our first night we walked around the old town, including crossing a pair of wooden bridges that were each several hundred years old (although one of them was partly rebuilt after a fire about a decade ago). In the old town we found a fondue restaurant for dinner. It was delicious.
The next day we had hoped to go up Mt. Pilatus, but it was pouring rain when we started out in the morning and it didn't look like visibility would be too good. We elected to start off on a boat trip around the lake, which had been on our agenda anyways. The round-trip all the way across the lake was six hours, but we hopped off partway across and took a cogwheel train up Mt. Riegi. The train ride was pretty fun, and the top offered some good views, despite the clouds. Plus there was a whole herd of cows, complete with ringing bells, there to greet us upon our arrival.
We ditched the train on the way down in favour of a gondola - but only after walking through the woods a bit so Dad could get some Alpine hiking in. More nice views resulted, although the rain started up again. Coming down the steep drop of the mountain on the gondola was quite the experience too. When you start out, you're not that far up, but then you swing out over the trees and get a great panorama of the area - and a nice shot of tree tops if you look straight down.
The next day was still cloudy and rainy, depriving Chelsey of the chance for a summer toboggan ride. We decided to go to the Swiss transport museum, which was actually quite a bit of fun. They had exhibits with old cars, trains, planes and boats, and several interactive parts. Chelsey and I did a flight simulator in which we got to flip the plane upside-down and Dad got to try driving with reduced visibility. He did well until he got smashed at an intersection, but he missed the deer that Chelsey ran over.
That afternoon we packed up and went to Zurich, our last stop together. Our "Rick Steves'" guide said there wasn't much to do in Zurich, and he seemed to be right. There's a big shopping street, which we walked down while looking at the stores we wouldn't go in because they were too expensive. It did contain a chocolate shop, however, so Chelsey and I (OK, mostly I) stocked up there. We went through the Swiss History Museum, which was interesting but not spectacular. Dad thinks that's because the Swiss don't have enough history, being neutral and all. We spent most of the rest of our time walking along the river and the lakefront, or looking in the churches around that area, including one with five famous stained-glass windows by Chagall. The colours on the windows are amazing; they're more abstract than traditional church windows, but the colours really stand out.
Dad's favourite part of Zurich, however, was definitely the train station. Watching the 2,000 trains that pass through there every day would have been a day well spent for him.
The next morning my parents headed off to the airport for their long trip home, very early in the morning. Chelsey and I set off a bit later to continue our trip in Italy.
-Jason