Sister Week - Day 3

DAY 3 - BOAT TOUR & MORCOTE

We took advantage of a beautiful day and went on a boat tour around the lake of Lugano.  The highlight was a stop in the town of Morcote, which isn't reachable by car... only boat, bike or walking trail (which would have taken a while).

Before Morcote, we had at least two hours on the boat... it got a little hot.  First, we found shade.  Then, we gave up and went inside.

Not complaining, though.  The views were still amazing.

Here's a close-up shot of our mountain from the boat, with all the important bits circled. 

And finally, Morcote.  We found a cool, old print shop, bought some postcards, ate ice cream, and had a cold coke.  We also marveled at the giant cheese wheel over my right shoulder, and the nest of baby birds being fed by their mom.    

We said goodbye to Morcote, got on a second boat, and headed home.  Another good day behind us.  

Sister Week - Day 2

DAY 2 - MONTE BRE

We live on Monte Bre, and while I've explored the top once before with Ryan, the trip up with Bizzy was a whole new thing.  Partly because it was warm (with no snow in sight) and partly because we were able to take the now working funicolare up the mountain.  This sister couldn't get enough...

Once at the top, we enjoyed the views and the ice cream, all beyond this pretty, yellow building.  You can actually see this building from the city center of Lugano... it's the only thing dotting the top of the mountain.

 

Afterwards, we sort of meandered, which is what made this trip so fun.  We had nowhere to be and nothing to do, so we just walked.  

 

 

We came across a Harry Potter broom (our street sweepers really use these things).  It is important to note that Bizzy is wearing a Harry Potter t-shirt, and it was the day the latest movie had come to theaters.  We also came across a giant slug, which I think must have been the product of some kind of potion... WAY too big to be a natural occurrence. 

After all this fun, we made our way down.  The last half of the funicolare had stopped running, so we walked the rest of the way.  Fine by us... more pretty buildings and more great views.  It was a fantastic way to spend the day.

Sister Week - Day 1

My sister was able to stay in Lugano for a little over a week, after all other family had made their way back to the States.  We were both on summer break!  That hasn't happened in about 8 years.  And it being our last summer in Switzerland, we were aware that this time was valuable.  Wanting to make the most of it, we created ambitious plans, and with the exception of a rainy Sunday, we nailed it.  I always want to remember this time, and the pictures are adorable, so here goes...

DAY 1 - LOCARNO 

Locarno is only about 45 minutes away by train, and sits on the beautiful Lago Maggiore.  Upon arrival, we went straight up one of the mountains, and enjoyed views of this lake from a really interesting, old church.  We planned to make it down to the city, but the church grounds took up our entire afternoon.  

They were renovating, and we weren't sure where we could go and where we couldn't.  The place was basically empty, and statues were eerily caged.  It was cool just to walk around and explore... 

We stopped here for a while.  The church was surrounded by this lush landscape, and from these steps, we could hear waterfalls.

We made it down to the lake, but didn't stay long.  The church was the real attraction.  It was a fun day, mostly because there were no guide books... we just went where we wanted.  We got lost at first, but the blind exploration really paid off.  We pretty much had the place to ourselves, and it made for an awesome day.

Summer Weather Food

Because we don't have air-conditioning, sometimes when it's hot, I crave fruit, crisp veggies, and cold salads.  I'm not nearly this healthy during winter, when I crave warm brownies, casseroles, and creamy soups.

I had no idea how much I would like peeled tomatoes.  It doesn't make sense, but they're better without skin.    

I made pesto for the first time.

That jar of leaves, garlic, dried chilies and oil turned into this.

 Which turned into this.

 Which turned into this.

Throw in a chopped salad, uncork some white wine, and wait for this guy to come home from his ride.  You'll have a pretty perfect hot weather dinner, just like we did.  

Dinner on the way to Gandria

These posts are going to appear completely out of order, but we just had a fantastic night, and I want to write about it while I can still remember what made it so fun (unlike the week spent with my sister, Ryan's actual birthday, and Sarah's baby shower... those will still have to wait).

Last night, we had dinner along the same running path I use in mornings.  When we first moved here, I thought we'd do this sort of thing all the time.  Pick a pretty day, walk outside your house, see beautiful views of the lake and surrounding mountains, then eat a pile of spaghetti with the sound of lapping waves in the background.  Perfect!  And yet, we've NEVER done it.  Until last night... we got dressed up, brought our camera, and took pictures as if the scenes were all brand new.

Here's the start... about 15 steps from our front door.  It was already pretty.

After a while, you pass great houses and equally beautiful views.

We passed the entrance to the Museum of Culture, which looked even more inviting at night.  This site has old columns, benches, statues, and pretty landscaping all along the water.  

After this point, there are no more cars, just a tiny, sometimes gravel, sometimes cobblestone path that includes natural water fountains, places to feed ducks, and the occasional leash-less dog.  I love this part.

And after about 15 minutes, you're here.  At a little, open air restaurant right on the water.

I was fascinated by Ryan, and he was fascinated by the spider web on the statue next to our table.  He kept getting distracted.  I would catch his eyes averting, mid-sentence.  I'd stop talking, follow his gaze, and he'd say, "he got something!" or, "they must only come out at night," and, "there's two of them!"   

It was the perfect way to break up a work week (my work these days is packing, which totally counts).  We've done the walk plenty of times, but adding dinner somehow changes the vibe.  Hopefully, we can squeeze one more in before we leave, because I'm sort of in love with this night.

Primo Agosto

This past weekend, we celebrated Ryan's 30th and Switzerland's 720th birthday.  The festivities started with a party on Sunday.  The cast of characters included Germans, Italians, Peruvians, Argentinians, and a couple of Brits...

We went with a Swiss theme explosion.  August 1st is basically Switzerland's 4th of July, so it seemed appropriate.  Besides, it's our last month here, and lately, I'm craving all things red and white. 

I had the idea of turning this American flag cake  into a Swiss flag cake, complete with color coordinating candles.  I thought it was brilliant.  I figured Ryan would be amazed that it was homemade, surprised by the Swiss birthday party tie in, and think I was the greatest.     

That is, until our friend brought this cake.  Our 24 year old friend, who is a student, and a boy, brought it completely unprompted.  It's a homemade cheesecake, with his mother's jam, and fresh blueberries, in the shape of Ryan's new age.  I told him he should be careful not to upstage the wife.  Just kidding.  I told him thank you.  Right after I told him he shouldn't upstage the wife.  

Honestly, though, his effort blew us away.  All of our friends surprised us, actually.  My friends from USI pitched in and got Ryan a gift (wrapped it and everything).  It was a Tuscan cookbook, because we were just talking about how we really wanted to take authentic recipes home with us.  Ryan said the gift was twofold... I was gifted with new recipes and he was gifted with the opportunity to eat those recipes.  Oh, the hilarity of a chauvinistic joke!  I think the longer we stay here, the more Italian he gets.  

Our other two friends offered to come an hour early, and help us prepare.  It was just what I needed, and I will totally remember to offer this to friends in the future.  I actually had time to get ready, while they did some last minute chopping and thoughtfully arranged flags and balloons.  They brought a gift for Ryan as well, so he totally racked up.  

This Emeril lasagna recipe was amazing.  Highly recommend it.  Although the suggested 30 minute prep time is laughable.  It easily took me five hours.  You make the meat sauce and the cheese spread from scratch.  And the cheese spread isn't just a bunch of grated cheese, it's four cheeses, plus basil, egg, milk, etc.  It's amazing though, and it made me very sad that when/if I make this at home, I won't have access to homemade, fresh ricotta.  I didn't even think I liked that cheese, but the stuff I got here... I licked the bowl like it was cake batter.  

I think Ryan really enjoyed his day.  Birthdays tend to be harder here, but he was loving it.  In large part because we were surrounded by great friends.  Friends we didn't even know two years ago.  Some came from Italy to be with us, others spent their time helping me prepare.  Some came carrying wine and beer from Bavaria, because that's their hometown, while others made cakes and brought thoughtful gifts.  And all of them came for Ryan.  Looking around the dinner table, I knew he felt lucky.  I did too.    

We spent the next day, his actual birthday, laying by a pool and watching fireworks.  But that calls for another post... let the celebration continue!
 

30 Reasons Why Ryan is Awesome

1. Irons his own clothes, even though I don't have a job
2. Is hysterical 
3. Is a problem solver
4. Doesn't lie 
5. When he learns what music you're into, he makes you a CD
6. Has good friends 
7. Is reeeeeally smart
8. Wants to move to New Orleans 
9. Thinks my panna cotta is better than in a restaurant 
10. Doesn't mind driving on road trips 
11. Is a hard worker 
12. Nice to look at
13. Takes glass to the recycling center by himself 
14. Always up for anything 
15. Washes dishes when I cook
16. Likes to read 
17. Is very generous 
18. Loves family (including mine) 
19. Likes to travel 
20. Has a healthy amount of self-confidence 
21. Volunteers for things he cares about 
22. Actively learns 
23. Is respectful (and respected)  
24. Knows how to have fun 
25. Practices self-discipline
26. Is a Street Fighter champion 
27. Doesn't judge 
28. Splurges on nice things
29. Trusts me fully  
30. Has great taste