Lugano, lugano, lugano...

From Montese we had to head back up to Switzerland to drop off our hire car.  We originally intended to return to Zurich and fly back to the UK from there. However, the idea of 6 hours in the car didn't exactly excite us.....or the Z man.  So we made a decision to head to Lugano, just over the border,  instead.  We would stay a few nights then take the train, a one hour journey, to Milan. Sorted.

Great decision. Lugano is stunning. It's a little like Lake Como goes to Monte Carlo. Expensive, well groomed and so very stylish.  

We were staying in the Ibis Budget hotel. There was no flashy hotel suite or Maserati waiting to collect us form the train station but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.  

We spent a sunny morning cruising around Lago di Luganno on one of the large ferries.  As recommended we stopped off in Gandria for lunch.  Gandria is a gorgeous little pedestrian town situated right on the lake and you could be forgiven for thinking you were somewhere along the Amalfi coast. A great place to visit but it would be rather quiet and the swimming slightly treacherous with a child. If you have the time another great spot to stop off for a bite would be Grotto die Pescatori . We didn't have time this visit but I'd love to at some point. 

Back in Lugano we headed straight for the public 'lido' for a swim.  There are many fantastic public pools in Lugano and I would love to road test them all. We went for the closest, Lido Riva Caccia, which had a spectacular view of the lake and plonked ourselves down for an afternoon of swimming.   People watching at this pool was just as entertaining as the swimming! There was many a fine lady in full bathing regalia.... earrings, makeup, mani, pedi, perfect hair..... gracefully gliding across the lake. They seemed, like the swans of the lake, to move as a flock.  It was quite the site. As the afternoon wears on there is a shuffle for free lettino's, which are more expensive than the entrance fee, and some serious repositioning to follow the sun.  Afternoon drinks on the deck begin and the mood is jovial. It's the perfect place to see out the day.  

Although it was short we loved our time in Lugano and would definitely love to head back some day for longer. 

Zermatt & the mighty Matterhorn

After leaving our friends in Biel we hit the road and headed for Zermatt. Not originally on our itinerary Mr & Mrs M recommended a stop off for 2 nights on our way to Lake Como. We took the rain with us, which had arrived the evening before and continued throughout the night. The mountains were covered in thick clouds giving them a slightly eerie Jane Campion cinematic quality.It was a 31/2 hr drive from Biel to Zermatt that kept us mesmerized (well the 2 of us anyway, Z man has taken to long trips with the headphones & iPad) the whole way and even included a drive on overland train. Luckily Mr M had tipped us off about the train otherwise we may have freaked out as one minute you're driving along a highway and the next you're seamlessly ushered onto a train and whizzing through the mountain base without much warning (or so it seemed to us non natives).Our next little adventure came when somehow we missed the 'Matterhorn Kiss & Ride' turn off in Tasch and drove our hire car all the way to Zermatt! Oops. We were a little unsure as to why there was so much finger shaking at us until 3 kindly gents stopped us in Zermatt and said 'No cars. You not allowed. Go back to Tasche'. The very narrow dual roads with traffic signals, finger shaking and cars only sporting 'vs' number plates should have been a giveaway but .... No. We scuttled back down the treacherous road to Tasche where we parked in the all too obvious train terminal and caught the Matterhorn express back to town.We loved Zermatt even though we arrived in the rain and the mountains were pretty much covered by cloud. We instantly knew this place was pretty special. Our hotel was great, booked two days prior, we were promptly juggled into a larger room even though they were fully booked by the gorgeous lady on reception. She also gave us a list of great eateries not on the main drag, & tracked down an electric kettle for us.Once we woke the next day the clouds had pretty much cleared and the rain which had left us untouched for the previous 2 months retreated.Somewhat expensive but we'll worth the cost. We took a 8 seater cable car up to Trockener Steg and from there another larger cable carriage to the Matterhorn Glacial Paradise 3883m above sea level. The trip up takes around 1 hour.  It is a truly awe-inspiring journey. It was  the first time Z man's first  snow experience. It is a summer snow wonderland up here.  We went from around 34 to -3degrees and back again in a day. It was definitely not the average kind of day.

**Apologies for the different font sizes.  We have a crazy internet connection which keeps dropping out.  We are now in Lake Como, George is calling and I am desperate to get out to explore the day...so for now....crazy fonts will have to do. x

Summer in Switzerland

Switzerland.  Where do I start with Switzerland?
We came here primarily to visit friends.  Friends we made in the St Kilda Botanical Gardens 4 years ago when the M Family were living in Melbourne for Mr M's work.  Originally only intended to be in Melbourne for 6 months they ended up living around the corner from us for over 2 years.  We both had small boys six months apart, Big L (their son) and the Z man often played together in the park and Mrs M and I often ran into one another at the local cafe, so a friendship was born.......which in turn brings us here to Switzerland.
The generosity and hospitality of the M family has been overwhelming. We have loved exploring 'their' Switzerland and getting to appreciate what they love about this country.  They live in Biel, (or Bienne, Switzerlands largest bilingual town),  north/west of Bern on the incredible Biel lake. We were greeted with homemade apricot & hazelnut cake, apparently a Swiss specialty.  Since then home cooking, bike riding and swimming have all been part of our daily summertime routine here.  The weather has been 'hot' which was totally unexpected, 32-35 degrees everyday...and humid. So, being close to the lake has been a blessing and we have enjoyed experiencing summer Swiss-lake-style.  The M's also have a new addition to the family and Little L, who is 1, has been an absolute joy to meet.  She is a smiley faced, strong willed, fair haired Swiss sweetheart, who we have all grown rather fond of.  Big L & the Z man, unable to speak the same language, have done remarkably well communicating in the universal language of play. There have been moments of frustration but for the most part they have managed to communicate brilliantly through this medium.
In between days of down time chilling out by the lake with our friends we have taken some fantastic day trips.
I was about to say that the trip to Bern would be on the top of our highlight list for Switzerland so far...but....it's almost impossible to pick one thing.  The LF in particular LOVED Bern and we both took great delight in floating down the Aare river (check out a BBC clip of the notorious Aare swim here).  The starting point for the Aare swim is at the Marzili riverside pool a brilliant free outdoor swimming pool at the foot of the Parliament buildings.  It was so much fun that we were compelled to return the next day sans Zman (thanks to Mrs M, Z man was happily Geo chaching back in Biel) and do it all again.  The colour of the Aare in summer is so inviting.  Being glacial water flowing from the alps the temperature is a refreshing 19 degrees. I even dared myself to jump in from the bridge on my second return!! Whoohoo, so exhilarating.  If you ever make it to Bern in the summer time be sure to put it on your list and take your togs.
We took a day trip to the beautiful medieval town of Gruyere, the land of cheese.  Where, we dipped into a cheese fondu, toured la Maison du Gruyere cheese factory and wondered around Chateau de Gruyere.  It's a gorgeous pedestrian town which reminded me a little of San Gimignano.  That night we stopped off at Mr M's parents for dinner in the Swiss countryside where we each made our own homemade pizza and ate alfresco while the kids jumped in and out of their blow up pool. We learnt about the ATC, discussed Mumma M's novel which she is writing for her grandson, took a tour of their impressive vegie patch and consulted the 'flat lady' (iPad) on matters far and wide.  They have a traditional Swiss tiled stove in the living room which I fell in love with....though it's probably not so practical for our Australian house. It was a lovely evening and wonderful insight into the lifestyle of an interesting and welcoming couple.  The drive home at sunset was rather spectacular too.  Beautiful pink skies highlighting Swiss fields and stunning mountain ranges.
On Saturday we drove to Schyinge Platte 2076m (near Interlaken) where we caught the cog train halfway up and hiked the rest of the way taking in the sensational mountain ranges of Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau as we climbed. It took us 2 hours, with 3 children on a 35 degree day.....there were a few serious melt downs ..... but we made it! (To all my lovely hike buddies...Switzerland is officially on the bucket list....along with Norway.... and the Camino de Santiago.)  
There was SUP boarding, a small incident with a shop lady resulting in some serious 'shizen', summer sewing, silly sniggers every time we drove past Wankdorf, recipes shared, loaves of Zopf eaten, plenty of Nutella and more lakeside swimming.  We ate all our meals outside on their deck except the very last, when thankfully the heavens finally opened and relieved us of the humidity, so we retreated indoors.  We stayed a week and we were so generously accommodated by the M's.  A big thank you goes out to the whole family.  Big love. We'll really miss our mealtimes and afternoon swims with you guys. xxx