La Ultima Settimana in Svizzera

With one week left in Switzerland, I made one last ditch attempt to do everything I love that Lugano has to offer. Although I couldn't fit it all in, this past week was amazing.

• Rent a Boat on Lago Lugano: Monday was Kristen's birthday(!) so on Sunday we rented a boat on the lake for a leisurely afternoon. We spent the day swimming and cruising around Lake Lugano. It was a great afternoon spent with amazing friends.

Shannon & I on the boat

• Hike San Salvatore: San Sal is one of Lugano's most famous mountains and can be seen from almost everywhere in the city. Having been the first mountain I climbed in Switzerland two years ago it felt fitting for it to be my last. Therefore, after lunch and cafe mousse Jeannie and I took advantage of the beautiful Tuesday afternoon and climbed.

View of Lago Lugano from the top of San Salvatore

• Spend the day in Milan: Wednesday Jeannie and I headed to Milan for the day. As it is only an hour by train, I have been able to visit Milan quite a few times over the year and it has a special place in my heart. We spent the day wandering the streets and shopping around. We stopped for a delicious lunch at Paper Moon and I had the penne a ragu, which was delicious. Before we headed home, we stopped at the Milano Duomo, which has always been my favorite Cathedral. It was nice to visit one last time and see the stunning architecture, beautiful tiled floors and stained glass windows. Every time I see it, I am always stunned at its beauty and amazed at the architectural feat.

Milano Duomo

• Eat at a Grotto: Thursday night, Shannon and I went to Grotto Ticinese for a delicious dinner of Risotto a Funghi. We were able to sit outside under the tree canopy and enjoy a traditional Swiss Italian meal one last time.

Amazing night at Grotto Ticinese

• Aperitivo: A fun way to spend the evening, I was able to enjoy two aperitivi this past week. Wednesday night, Jeannie, Shannon, Patrick and I went to Gabbani for a fun outdoor aperitivo in the city center. On my last night, Friday, Jeannie and Patrick hosted an amazing apero at their house. It was such a nice last evening and it was so good to spend it with the people I care about so much.

This past year has been absolutely amazing and living in Lugano has taught me so much about myself and what I am capable of. The city (and country) will always hold a very special place in my heart and I know for a fact that I will definitely be back. To say that this past year wouldn't have been the same without the friends I made would be a huge understatement. I honestly don't know what I would have done without them this past year and don't know what I will do without them this coming year. However, I know we are all starting new and exciting chapters in our lives and I cannot wait to see what all of our futures have in store.

See you soon Switzerland!

Hiking in the Alps

With blue skies and an afternoon ahead of us Kristen, her friend Mike, Shannon, Jeannie and I headed an hour north near Airolo, Switzerland to go for a hike. We hiked up Alpe die Pesciüm to Lago di Tremorgio (meaning Three Basins). The hike took around 3 hours including a little lunch break.

 The hike wound back and forth up the mountain with varying degrees of difficulty. Every turn we took provided stunning views all around, with one more beautiful than the next.

Views from the hike

When we reached the top we were able to see Lago di Tremorgio, a beautiful bright blue glacial water lake. The lake is thought to have been formed by a potential meteorite creating a large circular crater about 670m (2,198 ft) in diameter and up to 57m (187 ft) deep.

Shannon, Me & Jeannie with Lago Tremorgio behind us

A few days later, Kristen and I decided to hike up to Denti della Vecchia (The Old Woman's Teeth), a group of PreAlp Mountains reaching 1,492 meters above sea level. The "teeth" are made up of dolomitic rock from the Upper Triassic. With over 123 different routes available, the Denti have become well known in the free climbing world with people from all over coming to climb.

Denti Della Vecchia (Picture from Wikipedia)

Kristen and I started our hike around noon and headed up to a lodge for a quick lunch surrounded by Swiss cows. We were then met by Chris then headed on to the Denti.

Me and Hugo with the Dente we scaled behind us

Kristen and I first thought that we would hike around the denti but instead we hiked/rock climbed up one instead. The last part of the hike there were no trails and we scaled the rocks, squeezed through crevices and tried to keep our footing to get to the top.

Scaling Rocks: NBD

The views from the top were absolutely breathtaking and since the weather conditions were perfect we could see for miles. This hike was amazing and something that not many people know exist in Lugano. I am so glad I was able to experience it.

View from the top

Swiss Trip (Part 2)

The following morning we woke bright and early and began to head west from Zurich to Gstaad. We were still unsure of what we would do once we arrived, but decided we would figure it out once we got there. The drive to Gstaad was beautiful, once we got off the highway we drove through tiny Swiss villages and farms. Log cabins with bright red flowers and Swiss flags dotted the road and were interspersed by fields and mountains. We stopped a few times to take some pictures as it was too pretty to just pass up.

One of the cute houses we drove by

We finally arrived at Gstaad around 1pm and headed straight to lunch. After lunch we decided to take a  Cable Car up one of the surrounding mountains. The ride probably took around 20 minutes and once we arrived at the top we could see for miles. We hiked around the mountain top for a little taking in the snow capped mountains in the distance and breathing in the cool mountain air (which was a nice reprieve from the sweltering weather in the city).

Enjoying the view with snow capped mountains behind us

After the cable car we headed to our hotel, located outside of Gstaad in the mountains. The GPS first brought us the wrong way and we ended up on a tiny, dead end dirt road. After examining the map for a little we slowly made our way back down the first mountain and up the right one. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and sat on the patio speaking with one of the hotel managers. In the fields there was a sign that read "zäme" which means "together" in Swiss German. He explained that 20-30 years ago the famous stars and the locals lived in harmony and that the wealthy could come to Gstaad and live a normal life. They were able to frequent the bars and restaurants and would often be seen having drinks with the locals. However, with a new famous crowd and the introduction of social media this interaction no longer occurs and they dream back to the time of the past.

Tuesday was our last day of our Swiss Trip and so we began the drive back home, making sure to take in some important and toursity last few spots. We first headed east to Interlaken for breakfast at Blueberry's. The cafe was great, the city not so much. It was way too touristy for us and we believe that if you visit Switzerland, you should try a different city (like Gstaad, it was so beautiful)! However, on the drive to Interlaken we passed one of the bluest lakes we have ever seen, Lago di Quattro Cantoni (The Four Canton's Lake), so we made a quick pit stop to take it all in.

Lago di Quattro Cantoni, so pretty

From Interlaken we headed further East to Bilten. Not much there other than the Läderach Chocolate Factory. According to us Läderach may actually be the best chocolate in existence. So going to the factory: Big Deal. We were able to take a small tour of the factory, sample tons of chocolate and get a discount on our chocolate purchases. Totally worth the drive.

Taking in the chocolate factory

After our chocolate experience we started the last leg our trip back to Lugano, or so we thought. We then entered Heidi Land and decided to detour to find Heidi's house, and failed. But we made it to her town and her fairground so I think that counts just fine.

Heidi's Town: Maienfeld, Switzerland

We arrived in Lugano early Tuesday night, happy and exhausted. It was such an amazing road trip and really showed us Switzerland. Our Swiss Appreciation Road Trip was finished, for now.

Swiss Trip (Part 1)

3 days, 2 nights, 1 car and over 610 miles = 1 amazing Swiss appreciation road trip!

Jeannie and I were talking one day and realized that there was a lot of Switzerland we haven't seen. Living in Switzerland has provided us with the opportunity to travel all over Europe and see some amazing cities and countries. However, we seemed to bypass visiting the other beautiful cities and areas in our own country. This Swiss Trip gave us a glimpse of the beautiful countryside and towns that Switzerland has to offer.

Lugano→Stein am Rhein→Rhine Falls→Zurich→Gstaad→Interlaken→Bilten→Heidi Land→ Lugano

 We left early Sunday morning for the north and with a forecast that predicted rain all day we were quite nervous for our trip to the Rhine Falls. Luckily, our prayers were answered and we had a beautiful day (and trip!). The drive took a little longer than expected because we got stuck in Gotthard Tunnel traffic, but once we arrived in Stein am Rhein, all traffic frustrations disappeared. Stein am Rein reminded us of what we believed a typical Swiss city would look like. Don't get me wrong, Lugano is absolutely stunning, but the smaller, older cities and towns are something very special. The city was so quaint and had such cute cafes and stores. We had lunch at a crêperie and then walked along the river and through the city taking in all the sites.

View of the city from the bridge

With the sun beating down on us we decided to head to the Rhine Falls, the largest plain waterfall in Europe. The falls are 450 feet wide and 75 feet high with an average summer water flow of 700 m/s. They were formed during the last Ice Age (around 14-17000 years ago) which caused the river's course to be pushed farther south than before over a hard limestone bedrock. Previously the riverbed was made up of a softer bedrock which helped create a smooth river. However, when the river began to run over the tougher limestone, it could not erode which allowed for the falls to form.

With the falls behind us

Standing in the middle of the falls is a large rock outcrop. We were able to take a boat to the rock and climb up, standing in the middle of the falls. The water was flowing so fast that when we approached the rock the captain had to point the bow of the boat way to the left of the dock so that we would be pushed into it. It was a really cool experience to stand in the middle of the falls and to see and hear how powerful the water is.

Rhine Falls with the Rock outcrop we climbed

We then headed south to Zurich for the night. We had dinner at Hiltl, Europe's oldest vegetarian restaurant, which is still run by the same family. Opened in 1898 and ridiculed for its idea, it is now one of the best restaurants in Zurich (ranked #12 of 1092 in Zurich by Trip Advisor). After dinner, we then took some time to take in the Zurich skyline at night.

Zurich Skyline

To be continued...

Happy Birthday Switzerland

Swiss National Day, which celebrates the founding of the Swiss Confederation in 1291 takes place every August 1. It is unsure whether the date is correct but it was chosen because the Federal Charter stated that the joining of the first three Cantons took place in early August. Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden agreed to eternal allegiance and promised to provide mutual help and assistance to each other whenever needed. This alliance built the foundation of what is now Switzerland over the following 500 years.

To celebrate Jeannie and Patrick held a potluck style bbq. Everyone brought something and we enjoyed a feast of ribs, pasta, potatoes, salad, grilled vegetables and more. It was so nice to spend the day with good food and amazing friends!

Before the feast!

After a day of bbq-ing and relaxing in the sun we headed down to the center to see the fireworks over Lake Lugano. I have never seen Lugano so crowded in my entire time being here and think everyone who lived in and around Lugano came out for the show! We ended up parking outside of the city and walking in, so we stopped for some pre firework gelato.

Caving for our gelato addiction

At around 10:30 the fireworks began for an amazing half hour show. The show was much bigger than anything I have seen in the states. It was broken into three different sets and seemed more choreographed making it seem that much more spectacular. I liked how the entire city and surrounding areas went to the same show because it allowed the city to put on one large show instead of a bunch of smaller ones. However, the finale was not like the ones in the states, as it wasn't as grand, it seemed as though the show just ended.

Swiss Colored fireworks

More fireworks

This was the first time that I was able to experience another country's national holiday. I really enjoyed my day and celebrating it with the friends I have grown so close with. Hopefully I will be back to celebrate August 1 again!