A Day in Lugano

 (A multi-part recap of my recent September trip to Switzerland.)

The bed was comfy in my Lugano hotel room and I was hoping for a good night's sleep.  However it was anything but.  Worries about my infected facial blemish kept me up half the night.  That and I didn't feel very good.  But I did finally nod off and get a few hours of rest and awoke feeling a tiny bit better.

Pretty skies outside our hotel

Today our tour had scheduled a free day in Lugano.  Good timing as not only did Kim and I need to do laundry, I also wanted to see another doctor and get some oral antibiotics.  After rising and showering, I peeled off the band-aid covering my infected zit, and to my dismay it looked worse than ever.  The blemish was still red and angry but now several whitish heads had formed in the middle.  It looked positively horrid.  I was definitely seeking medical help today!

Lake glimpses from our hotel 

But first breakfast.  Our hotel laid out a sumptuous spread - meat, cheeses, bread, yogurt, fruit, cereal and lots more.  And of course our favorites - cappuccinos and croissants, which Kim and I had been consuming every morning.  I was sure gonna miss these tasty treats when our tour was over!

 

Exploring the hotel grounds

Seeing our assistant tour leader Lisa in the breakfast room, we both pumped her for information on laundromat and urgent care facility locations.  Lisa had dirty clothes too, and offered to take us with her to the local laundromat.  She also volunteered to accompany me in search of a doctor while our clothes were washing.  I can't begin to tell you how grateful I was for her help!

Laundry ladies

Karen and Cindy also had laundry to do, and hearing our conversation with Lisa, asked to tag along.  So it was a merry band of five ladies carrying laundry sacks that left the hotel that morning.  It took rides on two different buses to reach the only laundromat in town.  (I was very surprised this large city had just one!)  After deciphering the instructions, and digging out the proper change, all five of us had washing machines spinning.

Bonding with our tour-mates over laundry

Now it was time for Lisa and I to find some medical help.  Lisa noticed a pharmacy about a block from the laundromat, so we headed for it.  The pharmacist there directed us to an urgent care office on the second floor of the same building.  I took the elevator upstairs and checked in with their receptionist.  The lady at the desk said normally the office was booked with appointments, but they happened to have a last-minute cancellation and could see me in 10 minutes.  I took that as a good sign.

Waiting for the bus

When my name was called, I asked Lisa to accompany me into the exam room.  Lisa had lived in Italy for nearly 30 years, and spoke the language fluently.  It was a good decision, as the young woman doctor who saw me didn't speak English very well.  So Lisa acted as interpreter between the two of us.  After taking my vitals, the doctor examined my nasty pimple.  She agreed that oral antibiotics were needed, and also that the infection should be lanced.  This doctor seemed very competent (way better than the doc I saw in St. Gallen) so I told her to do whatever she thought necessary.  I just wanted to this thing to heal!

Lake Lugano views

Luckily needles don't bother me and I'm not very squeamish, so I laid down on the exam table and let the doc do her thing.  When she was finished, the blemish felt much better with the pressure relieved.  The doctor sent me on my way with a box of large band-aids, an antibiotic prescription to fill downstairs, and detailed care instructions.

Mt. San Salvatore

The entire medical affair had taken about an hour.  Because we'd been gone for awhile, Lisa and I expected our laundry to be done.  But when we returned to the laundromat, our clothes were still in the dryer.  Kim said hardly any of the dryers were working, and they ended up cramming everyone's laundry into the one functioning dryer.  Happily not long after Lisa and I's return, the clothes were finally dry enough.  Now we had to sort through the huge laundry pile and each claim our own articles of clothing.  Good thing everyone wore a different brand of underwear!  And luckily, most of the socks were recognizable by their owners.  With our group of ladies, sorting and folding became a merry task, producing lots of laughs.  Someone joked about us bonding over laundry.  

Paddle boats shaped as race cars

Clothes folded, it was time to board one bus, and then a second, on a return trip to the hotel.  By the time Kim and I finally got back to our room, I was tired and hungry.  The morning's activities had zapped my energy, and all I wanted to do was lay down.  Cindy and Karen planned to visit Mt. San Salvatore next, and I encouraged Kim to join them.  My body was telling me I needed some downtime.  So while Kim played tourist, I spent the afternoon resting in the hotel room.

Boarding our boat

Although I didn't sleep much, it was nice to have a few hours of inactivity.  That and the oral antibiotic seemed to recharge my batteries.  By the time Kim returned from her afternoon adventure, I was feeling much better.

All boats have the Swiss flag on back

Although we'd had the entire day free, one evening activity was scheduled.  In late afternoon, our tour group was to board a boat for a cruise across Lake Lugano.  A cooking class and dinner at a local restaurant were on tonight's agenda. 

Lugano shoreline

It was a beautiful evening as we met our ferry boat on Lugano's waterfront.  The town had a wide pedestrian walkway hugging the lakeshore, making for a delightful stroll.  All types of tourist businesses were situated here.  I was especially amused to see a group of paddleboats that looked like racecars. 

 

Buildings crammed on the hillside

Sunlight illuminated the adjacent buildings and green hills.  The lake's waters were calm and blue.  Several mountains rose steeply from the shoreline.  As we motored out of the harbor, I tried to photograph the spectacular city views.  Buildings hugged the adjacent hillsides, climbing high up their slopes.  They seemed to defy gravity.  A tall, green Mt. San Salvatore loomed prominently over the southern shore - rising 912 meters (nearly 3000 feet) above Lake Lugano.  This was the mountain where Kim had spent her afternoon.

The daily selfie!

Like most of Switzerland's lakes, Lake Lugano was a long, narrow glacial water body.  The border between Switzerland and Italy was very close - crossing the lake's eastern finger a mere three miles east of Lugano.  I also learned the Italian city of Milan was about an hour's drive south.  No wonder everyone spoke Italian here!

Church tower

As our boat motored along and the urban congestion faded away, smaller villages began to line the water's edge.  Lofty mountains rose abruptly from the shore. There didn't appear to be much flat ground anywhere.  Picturesque stone buildings climbed steep hillsides.  I marveled at the roads zig-zagging up these slopes.  Boats were docked beside every home, with several featuring garages for their watercraft.  And because we were still in Switzerland, every town had a tall clock tower.

Kim is enjoying the scenery

What a visual feast for the eyes! (And my camera.)

Buildings right on the water

Lakeside village

Interesting buildings

Pastel colored homes

As the boat traveled eastward, I began to notice dark clouds ahead.  It looked like a big rainstorm was brewing.  Hopefully we'd arrive at our destination before any precipitation began to fall.

Rain coming in

After a lovely, relaxing hour spent cruising the lake, our boat headed towards a brightly-colored burnt orange building along the shore.  Festive lights hung from a covered deck.  This delightful place would be our evening's destination.  

Our destination

Skies remained dry as our group deboarded and walked along a stone path towards the restaurant.  A sign proclaimed we were at the "Grotto Teresa."  Ancient-looking stone walls held back the steep hillside and tall trees framed the buildings.  A most enchanting place!

Pretty little restaurant

Path to the restaurant

After gathering at the restaurant's ground level, our host explained a bit about the region's wines.  This area of Switzerland produced a unique variety of wine called white merlot.  The restaurant had its own wine cellar, and after her initial talk our host led us inside to have a look around.

Getting directions from our host

After exploring the wine cellar, we climbed upstairs to the deck area.  It had a great view overlooking the lake.  A spread of hors d'eouvres was laid out across several tables.  At one end, someone was filling wine glasses.  Everyone could drink as much wine as they wanted (or could handle!)

Exploring the wine cellar

Sadly, the antibiotics I was taking forbid the consumption of alcohol.  So there would be no wine for me tonight.  (Although I now regret not trying a small taste of the white merlot.)  Due to dietary restrictions, Kim couldn't drink the wine either (but she could, and did, have beer).  It was hard to sip water and watch my tour-mates enjoy the local vino.  

Happy hour!

The program for tonight was a lesson on how to cook risotto, an Italian dish of rice cooked in broth.  The area was set up in cooking stations, with several small camp stoves and a large cooking pot on top of each.  After everyone had sufficiently stuffed themselves with appetizers and wine, Tony asked us to split up into groups of 3 or 4.

Time to chat

Kim had been chatting with a man named Allen.  His wife had decided to skip tonight's dinner, so he was on his own.  Kim suggested buddying up with Allen for our cooking lesson.  So we became a team of three.  Allen loved to cook, which was a good thing, as I wasn't the best chef, and Kim declared she was on vacation and no way was she cooking on vacation.  So Allen and I took turns stirring the risotto.  I learned it takes a long time to cook this particular dish - slowly adding broth to rice for at least 30 minutes and stirring the entire time.  No wonder I'd never made this before!  I didn't have the patience to hover over a hot stove for that long.

Time to make risotto! 

At some point into our cooking lesson, the skies opened up and it poured.  Luckily we were mostly under cover, so everyone escaped a soaking.  Kim and I had fun chatting with Allen.  He was from Texas and had traveled quite a bit, so he entertained us with interesting stories.

Group dinner

Slowly, each group's risotto was deemed ready.  Our group's, however, was one of the last pots to finish.  When everyone was finally done, we all took seats at a long table, and bowls of risotto were passed around, family style.  Each group had made a different flavor - some with herbs, others with mushrooms, and others with cheese.  The risotto was supplemented with stewed beef and roasted vegetables.  And of course, more wine!  As the dinner wore on, several of my tour-mates got louder and louder.  Some folks appeared to have taken full advantage of the unlimited supply of vino.  Sensing the need to cut people off, Tony declared to was time to return to Lugano.

The wine was flowing!

The return trip was much faster, or so it seemed.  By now it was dark, so there was no scenery to gawk at anymore.  Allen had told us of a gelato shop in Lugano that was rumored to be very good.  Upon our return to Lugano, he was going to fetch his wife and check it out.  It sounded delicious, so Kim and I decided to get ourselves some gelato too.  When our boat docked back at the harbor, we consulted Google maps and went off to find the place.  We arrived just minutes before closing time, but the nice young lady behind the counter was happy to serve us.  And, oh that gelato was worth the extra walk!  Heading back to our hotel, we ran into Allen and his wife hurrying to get some gelato of their own.  (Spoiler alert - they made it in time!)

Night lights on Mt. San Salvatore

Lugano ended up being my least favorite of the cities we visited in Switzerland.  I'm sure part of it had to do with the fact that I wasn't feeling well the entire time I was there.  Tomorrow our tour would leave this laid back Swiss-Italian community for a stop at the ski town of Zermatt, before ending up at Lake Geneva and the French-speaking corner of Switzerland.

Full details (and photos) in my next post!