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ing away when I’d had enough. Outdoors,
where steam merged with fog, I lingered
on jetted underwater lounge platforms,
delighting in the sensation of every sin-
gle bubble. I was the last person to leave
when the spa closed at 7.
In zoned-out bliss, I dined on Raclette at
Hotel Alpina that night. It seemed odd-
ly fitting that the melted cheese bubbled
on my plate.
The next morning, fog remained thicker
than the previous night’s Raclette. I de-
posited my bag in the lobby for pickup,
then headed back upstairs and fell into
bed. I ignored the clock and settled into
sleep soothed by the sound of not-so-
distant cowbells.
Playing hooky meant I missed a second
chance to see the view from Rigi Kulm
– but by taking the cable car to the lake-
side town of Weggis, I got to walk in the
footsteps of Mark Twain who once lived
there.

For me, it was a perfectly “Wild” day.

IF YOU GO Hiking in Switzerland

SwissTrails’ 5-night self-guided Lake
Lucerne Circle Trail hike, with lodging
in standard hotels, daily breakfasts and
daily luggage transfers, starts at about
$850 per person. E-mail Ruedi.jaisli@
swisstrails.ch. Learn more at www.swis-
strails.ch.

ECHO-Trails founder Rene Welti offers a
5-night Lake Lucerne Circle hike – with
a guide on day one. Rates start at about
$1,650, including lodging in standard
hotels, daily breakfasts and daily lug-
gage transfers, a 2-hour walking tour
of Lucerne, plus a mobile phone with
pre-loaded emergency numbers and 10
minutes of free time. E-mail echotrails@
gmail.com. Learn more at www.echo-
trails.com.

Get a Swiss Pass for unlimited travel
by rail, road and waterway throughout
Switzerland. Prices start at about $416
for an 8-day pass. Learn more at www.
swisstravelsystem.com.

Learn more about travel throughout
Switzerland at www.myswitzerland.
com.

Wine Dine & Travel Winter 2015 37