Sister Week - Day 7

We didn't know it at the time, but all the sister days were leading up to this one, phenomenal, last day.  This is going to be a long one (we took over 700 pictures).

DAY 7 - MONTE TAMARO

We took a bus, a short train and a scenic funicolare up to Monte Tamaro for a day of hiking.  The weather was clear, so I was hoping the views would be spectacular.  I never imagined this...

And the cows!  I had heard there'd be cows, and we were determined to find them.  We followed the sounds of their bells, which led to this... the cows were resting just beyond a roped off area that Bizzy was set on crossing.  She did, but I wouldn't let her get too close.  I assumed we should keep our distance.

    

We found more, though, right on the walking path.  They were next to people, completely unfazed, so this time, we got as close as we felt comfortable.  Note how loud their bells are... we could easily locate the cows.      

We really, really wanted to touch them, but chickened out at the last minute.  

Until we saw this little Swiss girl (complete with Heidi braids) walk right up to a giant cow and pat it roughly on the head.    

We felt like idiots, and wasted no time petting cows.  And goats!  The goats came after lunch, when we realized they had moved into a big, previously vacant field.  They not only tolerated pats on the head, they walked right up to us to get them.

Aside from the hiking, we rode a roller coaster (the English translation was actually a coaster bob), and Bizzy did the zip line.

This was by far the best day.  We leisurely walked over little waterfalls, down mountains trails, around grazing animals, with the sounds of their bells in the background.  The weather was amazing, and the visibility was so high you could see layers upon layers of mountain ranges.  It felt purely Swiss, and gave us the "last summer here" experience we were looking for.  It really could not have been better, and we loved every minute of it.

       

Sister Week - Day 6

This is the best train picture, ever.  Unfortunately for Bizzy, there are about 20 others.  I tried to do it nonchalantly, but she would catch me.  She'd shoot me a "give me a break" look.  Then, a "will you stop it?"  Then she'd take the camera.  After a series of Bizzy pictures, there are a series of Malinda pictures, because she has the camera, and is giving me a taste of my own medicine.  

DAY 6 - ZURICH 

Last summer, our day trip to Zurich was cold and rainy.  This time, we were determine to wait for a pretty day, which is hard to come by in Zurich.  We settled for a not rainy, not too cold, somewhat cloudy day.  It worked perfectly.  We walked around, shopped, had dinner, then took the train back.    

Sister Week - Day 5

DAY 5 - MILAN

Milan was high on Bizzy's list because of the shopping.  We hit our favorite stores, and met friends for dinner.

The restaurant we chose was a favorite as well, and has been written about before, with good reason. We were all pretty excited about the food (the first picture is what's left of their homemade cheese - it's amazing)... 

On our way to the car, we found this.  It's a street sign that should only consist of the red circle and white bar.  Some clever person added the man.

I'm now realizing this was our last tip to Milan.  I want to stuff in as many "last" experiences as possible, but mostly, all we can manage these days is packing.  TWO WEEKS LEFT!  I can't believe it.  But oddly, packing has been an enjoyable experience for me.  The logistics of actually getting this stuff out of the country will probably be another story, but packing has me preoccupied and excited about going home.  Can't wait to unpack these boxes in a house!  With a yard!  And places to park cars!  It's little things like a garden and driving that have an appeal at the moment, even though I'm well aware that the responsibility of these things may get old quickly.  For now, it works.    

Sister Week - Night 4

NIGHT 4 - LUGANO CITY CENTER

Every weekend during the summer, Lugano has free, fun stuff going on in the center.  We decided to take advantage, and ask our friends to come along.

We started with dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Bottega del Vino.  They have a menu that changes daily, and consists of only five things.  But they are the best five things you'll ever want to eat.

After dinner, we walked around and had a look at our choices for entertainment.  The first included a silent movie.  The one cool thing was that the accompanying music was played by an actual orchestra, but we still passed.  

Next up was a very strange skit without sound.  No talking.  We passed on this one too... right about the time when one of the actors used ketchup for lipstick.  

Our last shot was a comedian.  The crowd was huge, and was responding with roaring laughter, but since it was in Italian, we could only understand the basics.  At this point, we just decided to go home.  

One little problem... there was construction around our bus stop that trapped the ticket machine.  And we needed a ticket.  In Switzerland, this is probably considered a major crime, but we didn't have a choice.  Ryan captured the offense.  

I just realized this sister post didn't have a sister picture!  Here we are... feeling victorious on our bus ride home.