Audrey Takes on Lugano

Audrey, a friend from Colgate who is teaching English in Dijon, came to visit this past weekend! I was lucky enough to visit her in October and this time around she got to see Lugano. It's great having a friend living abroad at the same time because although in different countries, we have similar experiences. Audrey arrived Thursday afternoon with the snow and left Sunday morning with more snow. She was way too kind and brought me delicious French food such as macaroons, Dijon Mustard and the most amazing Fig bread that we discovered when I was in Dijon.

Snowy Lugano

Friday we started the morning at Grand Cafe Al Porto, because no Lugano trip is complete without it. We had coffee, tea and pastries while we chatted. After, we went to the Museo Cantonale d'Arte in Lugano where they were having a special exhibition, "enoisullillusione" (and we illusion) by Mariapia Borgnini, a contemporary Ticinese artist. The exibit was a mix of photos, videos, drawings and sound that represented the uncertainty of an individual's relationship with the outside world. Many of the pieces were in Italian, so it was good practice translating [almost] everything into English for Audrey. Borgnini's exhibit was extremely interesting and we really enjoyed it.

Audrey & I in Lugano

Luckily, the snow stopped and we had a beautiful afternoon complete with blue skies. We were able to walk around the city and through the park enjoying the scenery. For lunch, we enjoyed amazing pizza from Gabbani while looking out over the lake. We then went to the Lugano Art Gallery to see a Marc Chagall exhibit. Chagall, one of the most successful artists of the 20th century, created works on almost every medium in bright, vivid colors. In addition to his paintings, he created many stained glass windows, including one in the Union Church in Pocantico Hills, NY! The gallery was tiny but filled with a wide range of his paintings.

In the Park

Saturday we heading to the Alprose Chocolate Factory, a 30 minute train ride from the city. Sadly, they don't make chocolate on Saturdays but, we could still see the machines and the chocolate museum. Audrey was able to bring local Swiss made chocolate back to France, a total necessity when one visits Switzerland!

Dinner Saturday was Raclette, a traditional Swiss dish, consisting of cheese, potatoes, dried meat, mini corn, gherkins and raclette spice. Raclette derives from the French word, racler, "to scrape." The cheese round is melted in a machine and scraped onto your plate, over the potatoes. It is served with white wine and not water or other drinks, because according to local tradition, water causes the cheese to harden in your stomach.

Raclette from Giardino Ristorante

Sunday morning, we awoke to a blizzard and Audrey hopped on the train to head back to Dijon. It was great to see her and I can't believe the weekend is already over. Next time we see each other will be back in the US!

When in Switzerland, do as the Swiss do

With a four day weekend ahead of me, I knew there were a few things on my Swiss bucket list that I could check off. The first one, skiing in the Swiss Alps. Shannon and I hopped in her car early in the morning and drove around an hour and a half north to Andermatt. Andermatt, just north of Ticino and positioned in the heart of the Swiss Alps, is a quaint village known for the excellent snow and ski conditions. It's amazing how different the weather is! It's been warm here in Lugano, around 40 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny with just the snow capped mountains in the distance. However, in Andermatt, it snowed almost all day and was in the 20s, giving us fresh snow to ski on!

Getting Ready to ski!

We arrived at 830 in the morning and were able to rent our skis, boots, poles and helmets for the day. After, we made our way to Gemstocck, the southern mountain and took the two Gondolas to the top. When we got off the visibility was horrendous, and the wind was crazy. By the time we made it half way down the mountain, my eyebrows and eyelashes were frozen and my sunglasses completely iced over! Once we made it down we switched to the northern mountains, Nätschen and Gütsch, where visibility was clearer and the conditions ideal. Andermatt wasn't crowded and most of the time we had the runs to ourselves. A 6 km run, that brought us back down to the base, was open to other winter activities such as sledding and walking and therefore, parts were catwalks. The one thing I cannot stand when skiing are catwalks because I never have the momentum to keep me going long enough to reach the decline again. Needless to say, I got a full body workout navigating that run. We spent the day exploring the different areas of the mountains, taking just one quick lunch break to refuel. By 3:30 after an exhausting day on the slopes, we packed it up and headed home. After not skiing since I was abroad here last time, it was great to get back on the slopes!

Bundled up to beat the cold!

Thursday night also marked the beginning of Carnivale, a week long celebration before lent begins. Bellinzona, the capital of Ticino, hosts one of the largest Carnivale celebrations in Switzerland. This was their 150th year celebration of "Rabadan,", which translates to 'uproar' or 'noise' On Thursday, the mayor of Bellinzona hands over the city keys to King Rabadan, and for the following week a giant party ensues. Bellinzona goes on lock down, with fences surrounding the area of the city where Carnivale takes place. Throughout the week there are parades and scores of people wandering the streets in costume partying.

Castelgrande's Black Tower outfitted with a Carnivale Mask

Friday night, I headed to Carnivale with Shannon and some of her teammates. One of her teammate's mom has made her awesome Carnivale costumes for the past few years so I was able to borrow one for the night. The costumes we were wearing were amazing and the thought and time that goes into making not only these but the many others I saw throughout the night is insane!

Shannon & I as Robin Hood & a Pink Cow

Carnivale Cookie from Münger