Blossoming Seoul: To Italy and back again...

When we left charming Zermatt bright and early this morning the air was crisp and the sky was clear. It was just the right start to the day! We boarded the mini electric buses that so faithfully delivered us to our hotel yesterday and waved good-bye to the Matterhorn and the rest of the snowy peaks that encase Zermatt in Swiss beauty. A short taxi ride later and Max, our faithful coach driver, was waiting to sweep us off to our next destination.
Today our drive was more scenic than before, however, I can't give much commentary on this because I spent a good portion of the four plus hours on the bus sleeping. Yes, I know, you don't go on holiday to sleep! Too many late nights and some lingering jet lag just hit me like a ton of bricks and the rocking motion of the bus certainly didn't help! I did wake up a few times and catch a glimpse of the famous mountain pass that we were driving through (the name escapes me at the moment, but I'll add it when it returns) and in my defense I did manage to stay awake for the last hour so I got to see how dangerously close to the edge of the roadway our coach was driving! Good thing Max is so highly skilled behind the wheel!
We spent part of our drive towards Lugano passing through Italy and as I watched some of the scenery go by my heart skipped a beat. I can't wait to spend next week in Milan and Venice, but back to the present. Before driving down into Lugano and checking into the hotel, we drove up into the hills to a family owned vineyard for a Be My Guest lunch organized by the Trafalgar tour company. We started off the meal with bruschetta, cheese, meats, and bread, then ate fresh salad from the garden. The main course was a homemade risotto (beautiful melon and cheese for me) and we finished with a mini cake and egg cream for dessert. The wine and grappa flowed and the conversation during the meal was great. The setting for our lunch was outside the family home overlooking the valley with Lugano in the background. What a fun time!
Back onto the coach, we were in Lugano in no time. We checked into our hotel, the Holiday Inn, and hit the streets to check out the city. Out hotel is no more than a few streets from il Lago di Lugano so we walked along the tree lined promenade and enjoyed the warm weather. People were out walking their dogs, some were swimming off the docks, and many were just sitting on benches watching the world go by. Once we made it to the main square, Lucy and I struck out to explore the old part of the city and we stopped at a fantastic ice cream shop. I even ordered mine in Italian:). Not too many photos were taken today as I really just focused on enjoying the day and the people on my tour. At this point we're halfway done!

Lovely Lago di Lugano.

The tree lined promenade.

Beautiful old buildings worthy of photos.

I realized at this point that there was still something I really wanted to do in Lugano and since it was only 8:45pm, I threw on my sneakers, grabbed my camera, and high tailed it out of the hotel and around the corner to the funicular that takes you up to the top of San Salvatore for a look over Lugano and into Italy on the opposite side of the lake. It was a short 12 minute ride in two different funicular cars to make it to the top along with a quick hike to the Chiesa San Salvatore at the top. Camera in hand, I bounded up the trail to snap some photos at twilight. It amazed me how many rooftops I could see, the vastness of the mountains looming behind, and the subtle hues of blue and silver that came out as the sun disappeared behind the mountains. Because the funiculare run only every 30 minutes and I was the only human on the mountaintop, I decided to make it a quick trip and head back down on the 9:30 tram. I took a few photos from the funicular as well, and boy is it a steep gradient! The ingenuity of the people here just amazes me, especially after yesterday's Klein Matterhorn excursion. Tomorrow we will spend the morning in Italy before boarding the Bernina Express to Saint Moritz for a two day stay in the mountain resort. I'm looking forward to staying in one place for more than a night and catching up on a bit of rest. I think it's about time to call it a night in Lugano!