Raul and Lauren took an early train from Luzern, in central Switzerland, to reach Lugano, a mid-sized town three hours away in the southern, Italian part of the country. Their route followed one of the four famous scenic rail journeys in Switzerland, that of the William Tell Express, although they took a standard train and not the official one. A lot changed in this short trip: they crossed into the canton of Ticino; the architecture is of stone, not wood; the climate is warmer; and the people are Italian-speaking. Indeed, when they departed Luzern, announcements were given in German, and upon arriving, they were made in Italian. There is a very Mediterranean feel about the city, and it’s easy to believe that Lake Lugano is really the Mediterranean Sea (except here, one can see the other side of the lake!).

Although Raul and Lauren arrived by 11:00 a.m., their hotel room was already prepared, so they were able to check in and leave their bags. A tour of the cute town took only a short time, and they walked along the lakefront toward San Salvatore. On the way, Lauren had dark chocolate gelato, and for once, it really was dark. It was the best she’s ever had.

Finally, they arrived at the funicular that would take them up San Salvatore. This mountain, standing at 2990 ft, is small compared to its northern counterparts, but it affords good panoramic views of the city and surrounding countryside. Unfortunately, the atmosphere was exceptionally hazy. In clearer weather, it would have been possible to see Milano, Italy.

After descending the mountain, they walked on to a ferry just as it was departing for Italy. Their destination was the nearby fishing village of Gandria. Luckily, the ferry stopped there before continuing on its course.

Perched on a terrace high above the lake, the Taranusauruses enjoyed a quick appetizer of tagliatelle noodles in a creamy Gorgonzola sauce. They returned afterwards to Lugano.

In Lugano, Raul and Lauren spent the evening strolling the lakeside promenade and ate dinner on the Piazza della Riforma. When abroad, Lauren likes to try new dishes, so she chose fresh gnocchi with zaffron cream sauce. It was too bad she didn’t like it. The service was also very slow, a fact that made the feeling of being in Italy even stronger. Raul did not mind the slow service as much, since they were in Lugano to relax.

Confœderatio Helvetica