Our buddy Mike knows Lugano and he said we should take the the Monte Brè funicular while we’re here. And when the Godfather says, “Take the funicular”, you take the funicular.
In case you’ve never run across this peculiar mode of transportation, please allow me to explain what it is: It’s a cable railway in which a cable is attached to a pair of trams that ascend and descend a steep slope on rails. The ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.
The Monte Brè funicular starts up the mountain right at the eastern edge of town at about 900 foot elevation and then rises over 3000 feet before it arrives at the mountain top station.
No matter how it may appear, this is not a photo of a doddering old man who’s fallen asleep on the funicular.
There. That’s more like it. Now let’s put an end to the sniggering about the doddering old man.
Jamie and I are having a disagreement and we invite you to express your opinions. One of the two photos above is shot going uphill and the other is shot going downhill. She contends that it’s easy to tell which is which, but I say that the perspective makes one indistinguisable from the other. Your opinions?
We got off at the top and had lunch at a restaurant that hangs off the edge of the mountain and overlooks Lake Lugano and the Alps. Not a bad view.
Jim discusses the finer points of funicular engineering with captain of the Monte Brè funicular. As a brief aside, she looked at me and said, “You are not a doddering old man. I heard you had the vigor of an 18-year old boy.” Well, it was in Italian, which I don’t speak, but I’m pretty confident that’s the gist of what she said.
The one with the picture of the pedestrian is uphill.
I woke up feeling like an 18-year old. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find one that early.
The second picture, or the one with the sign on the right, is uphill. You really have to look at the perspective closely, but the proof is that you see this sky where you are going up, going down you see the mountains. Look at the end of the tracks and you will see what I mean.
Hey, listen, Elliot, I can make myself sound plenty stupid without any help from you. I know there’s sky in that shot, and I should have cropped it out before posting the photo. So let me ask the question another way: If it weren’t for the blue sky up at the top of that one photo, can you tell the up photo from the down photo?
I told Cyndi you could hide a LIFE ALERT under a T-shirt.
Well– least I now know what ‘doddering” is– wonder if it can spread?
Ok– seriously– good for you all visiting Lugano– been there 4 times and always discover something new. And one of the few places on earth where frequent flyer miles and hotel frequent stay points mean nothing!
You make me want to travel again!!!! Loved Lugano and Lucerne.
BTW, yup I can tell which one is uphill. Sorry Jim.
The one with the pedestrian sign in it is clearly uphill. Pretty straightforward really.
Down and Up is how I see it. Great pictures and appreciate being able to travel with you all without the expense.