Swiss Paradise

I am quite indebted to the other travellers for knowing where they were going. It was over a cup of coffee with an American that I was invited on this expedition and, perhaps by choice, I remained ignorant of all the plans except the destination: Lugano, Switzerland.

Our trip there was hectic; nine of us ran from one train to the next. The ticket machine at the first station didn’t work, so we saved a couple euros. Another going into Switzerland seemed high-class and we got our own two cabins after some gypsies were kicked off the train for not having tickets. The scene outside was fantastic. Lush, green hills rose around us as we entered the Lugano Prealps.

The day was cool and overcast. We walked a short distance to the Montarina Hostel which, with its pink cemented facade and palm tree-lined pathways, reminded me Cozumel, Mexico. Up until this point, it was my intent to return to Castellanza at the end of the day. I had brought nothing with me except a knapsack with a sketchpad and pen. But, there was space available in the room and the surroundings were beautiful, so why not?

Another thing I had also not intended was to scale Monte San Salvatore. A man who gave us directions to the base suggested we take the lift up and do the descent instead. I’m glad we took his advice. I was ill-prepared for such a climb, wearing jeans and boat shoes. Another testament to my savvy leaders was the 5 euros per ticket we saved by including two guys in the line behind us.

The views were stunning! The group took a quick lunch break and I slipped off to start a sketch. Tiny white boats cruised a dark lake that filled in around the many hills. Strewn along the base were ports and houses, and a long highway stretched across the lake from one hill to another. As we trekked down San Salvatore, we were blessed with many such views, but each with a uniqueness that barred us from skipping a single lookout. Two hours and half a dozen photo shoots later, we found ourselves again at the bottom of the hill.

Here I must commend the city of Lugano as it appears at street level. It is probably the most litter-free city that I have ever visited. It does have some graffiti, but it is by no means the main decor. The luxury cars are of a proper size by American standards and although 90% of them had Italian license plates, I did not fear for my life when taking a crosswalk. The cemented architecture could be said to be the same as any northern Italian city, but being in the hills made the views more majestic. One last thing that drew me to Switzerland was that signs were often posted in German, French, Italian, and/or English, all the languages I have had some (if only minor) schooling in.  

At this time, we split up and decided to reconvene at the hostel once the shops closed. I indulged in a cake-flavoured gelato, the best that I have had so far, and perused a mall for some short while. A matter which I would take some time getting used to was the liberalness of shoppers. Not in there dress, for they were quite conservative in that regard, but I was put off seeing dogs and kids riding scooters through the outlet. It was out of place and unusual to me.

For dinner, we went to a basement restaurant called La Tinera. Without exaggeration, it was the best meal I’ve had in a long time. I had a pork cutlet, some mush of vegetables and an Italian blond beer to wash it down. That’s certainly not the most enticing description, but I can assure you I’m salivating at the memory. My only disappointment was that I wasn’t allowed to pay by credit card despite being over the minimum limit. Not having any euros or Swiss francs, I had to borrow money and I’m sure me repaying that debt was more of a hassle than the server would have faced by taking some time to get the credit machine out.

As a nice end to the night, three of us walked along the water. The hills across the lake were only outlined by the lights of a few buildings and even those would disappear every now and again behind some unseen slopes. On our side were modern sculptures and fancy hotels. The air was cool and the company was pleasant. Our pace was slow and in my mind was again that resonant awe. I am here. I am in good company. I am at peace.