Luzern and Pilatus Aircraft

Initially we planned on taking the train to Luzern. Instead we all squeezed into the car and drove since we wanted to visit both the city and tour Pilatus Aircraft and thought it might allows us to see more if we did not have to concern ourselves with the bus schedule to Stans.

We began the day by hiking up to the old city wall. Unfortunately, although we were able to hike up one of the towers when visiting in May, when arriving we found that the towers are only "climbable" during the summer tourist season. (We'll just have to come back, eh?) But the views from this upper level of the city are still magnificent. Built in the 1300's, there are still 13 towers remaining.

Next we headed through old town, not stopping until we visited the Löwendenkmal, something we had almost missed on our visit and wanted to make sure they were able to see. Carved out of

the side of a hill, it is a memorial to the heroic deaths of the Swiss mercenaries at the Tuileries in 1792. Mark Twain is said to have once described this monument as the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world.

We briefly toured Hofkirche and then continued on to visited the Jesuit church, at which time we were surprised by organist who was obviously practicing that day! We sat and enjoyed a short portion of the concert. The Jesuit Church was built, in part, as a response to the Reformation. The ornate interior was to emphasize the role of the church in the life of the believer, rather than the role of scripture as emphasized by the Reformation. The brochure provided in the church indicates that this particular church is now functioning primarily as a concert hall, not as a church.

Then we wandered through the old sections of town, to view the buildings with their fresco painted walls. Of course, we had to visit the local Starbucks and then eat some lunch alongside the river.

But for Steven especially, probably a highlight of the trip to Switzerland, was the opportunity to visit Pilatus Aircraft who produces some of the planes that he may be flying if he ends up as a missionary with JAARS. The almost 4 hour factory tour that we received was fabulous. It was lead by Pierre Loup who has been involved since its inception with the P-12 and was able to go to Papua New Guinea for the dedication of the new P-12 which JAARS had recently purchased. At the end of the tour he gave each of us a small red key chain with the words "Remove before flight," something you see on all the aircraft. He said that it was from his talk at the time of the dedication of the P-12, but that it was a good reminder to us believers that we need to be willing to leave the safety of "the ground," if we are going to serve the Lord.

We then drove up into a valley, driving to the end of the road to again enjoy the mountains, before heading home. Another wonderful day, enjoyed by all.