Lugano, Switzerland

After a week in Germany for my neck, Phil and I decided to meet in Switzerland for the weekend.  This was good because it made my Friday drive from Germany 5 hours instead of 8.  Phil took the train after work on Friday and I picked him up in the border town. Our destination was Lugano a small town on Lake Lugano. 

Lugano

This trip was much more relaxing than most of our trips where we try to see and do as much as possible.  First, I should tell you a little about Lugano -- it is a lake town in Switzerland, but it is very Italian.  I was a little nervous when I realized just how Italian it was - they speak Italian -- because August in Italy is miserable.  This is true for one of two reasons, (1) if you are in a tourist area it is usually packed with crowds on top of the heat or (2)  if you are in a non-tourist town most if not all things are closed because literally the whole country goes on vacation at the same time.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that Lugano was not overly packed with tourists and though a few things were closed it was still easy to find a restaurant etc.

So we started  Saturday with a later breakfast before making our way down to the water where we caught a boat to Gandria.  Gandria is smaller fishing village a bit north on the lake.  The town reminded me a little of Cinque Terra and a little of Santorini Greece.  Phil & I spent a few hours wandering the narrow winding staircases that make up the roads.  We increased our knowledge of olive oil by taking a guided (by sign) walk to olive groves.  Ready for more relaxing we  settled in for a bite to eat on a terrace overlooking the water covered in grape vines.

Not a bad place to have lunch.

The way they used to make olive oil.

Then we took the boat back to Lugano.  Across the lake from Gandria we saw (from the outside) the old customs house and the Italy/Swiss border from the water.  

Border outside the customs house

Back in Lugano we walked through the city park to the mouth of the river.  This area has a small beach and we both got our feet wet to cool off before taking the funicular up to Mont Bre. 

Beautiful flowers in the city park

Mont Bre offered us a different view of Lugano and the surroundings towns and regions. 

Lugano from above

On the very top of Mont Bre is a small church and then a stroll down the stairs brought us to another small town where there was another beautiful church and more streets to wander.  We took the long way back to the funicular enjoying more views of the area before taking the funicular back to town.

Narrow streets in the town on top of Mont Bre

Church on Mont Bre

After getting cleaned up for dinner, we made our way to Lugano center and had a nice meal in the main square while we talked and people watched.  In the evening Lugano came alive - the main street closes to traffic and children on scooters take over.  We had a pleasant evening enjoying the peaceful place on the lake.

Town Hall across from dinner

Sunday we again slept in a little, before we made our way to Lugano's biggest sight - the church of St. Mary of the Angels.  This church has a few gorgeous frescos.  After wandering the streets a little more, we had to bid farewell to Lugano and head on home.

The Last Supper in Lugano
(not the famous one)

Admiring an amazing fresco

It was a short but lovely trip to Lugano, hoping we will make it to another Swiss town soon.