Hiking near Lugano, Switzerland

I couldn't believe we had spent an entire year here and never actually been to Ticino - the "Italian" Canton of Switzerland!  Well, we had seen it on the train - but clearly that doesn't count - right?  So it took me a few days, but I convinced Nathan that we should do a hike here for our last weekend in Switzerland! 

I found a hike on myswitzerland.com (one of my favorite sites!) from Monte San Salvatore to Morcote and then ending with a boat trip back to Lugano.  Boat trip?  Um hello - you know I'm in!  The train ride was a little far for a one day trip - 3 hours there and back but we had a lot of stuff to do on Sunday (including pack) so we sucked it up and even convinced Sarah and Zann to come with us!

This 4 hour hike was said to have some of the best scenic views in Switzerland and it didn't disappoint!  From the very start it was beautiful!

The summit of the Monte San Salvatore

Same location but to the South

I thought we would have better views of the water during the middle part of the hike, but the trail went through the forest a lot - we even hiked through the Lugano Botanical Gardens - it was still a little early in the season but I know it will be beautiful in a few weeks when everything is in bloom!

Nathan chillin' in the botanical gardens:)

The end of the hike was so amazing - I really thought we were in Italy!

And then - the boat ride back to Lugano!

It really felt like we were in Italy - but cleaner and the public transportation ran on time - ha!:)

Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

(ok.- beer the generic beer of Switzerland - ahhhhh!)

The whole time we have been here I have been trying to get a good picture of Nathan and I with the Swiss Flag and Sarah finally got it for us!  I like to call this the money shot!:)  Thanks Sarah!

We walked around the quaint little town of Lugano then had a great Italian dinner at Tango near the water- and topped it off with some gelato, of course!  Great final weekend in Switzerland!

Here's a link to the rest of the pictures it you want to see them!

Skiing Flumserberg and the Zurich Zoo!

Last weekend our friend Miriam flew in on Thursday night from Hamburg to hang out for the weekend!

Friday morning we headed to Flumserberg for a girl's ski day -Nathan had to work to pay for my trip - thanks honey:). We checked the weather forecast in the morning and it looked to be a beautiful day on the slopes! Sunshine and almost 30 degree F weather - my ideal skiing conditions! And Flumserberg is only about an hour from Zurich on the train so it is a really good day trip.

Well.... the weather forecasters in Switzerland are as good as the ones in Raleigh. And by that I mean they suck.:) It was snowing, -15 degrees Celsius, 30 kmph winds, and our visibility on the slopes was about 20 feet. Good times:) Especially since Miriam hadn't skiied since 2002! However, with that being said - we had an amazing day! Miriam did great and only took out one family:)!

Because it was snowing so hard (as you can see in this picture) we decided to eat lunch...

This was our view at lunch - nice sunny skies! So we decided to head back up the gondola...

This is what it looked like once we got up the gondola (less than 15 minutes later)! Where did the blue skies go? Totally my luck!
I had to post this (but I don't feel bad b/c Miriam made it her FB profile pic:)) She almost took out a dad and his daughter but at least she warned them by screaming to get out of the way!

Beautiful view of the Wallensee from the slopes!

Friday night we checked the weather forecast for Saturday and it was bad news. We had wanted to go to Andermatt but the weather forecast said -20 degrees C and up to 45 kmph winds! Yikes! I wanted to ski and all but that didn't sound like fun so we decided to skip it. And yes we checked other slopes but all of Switzerland had this freakish winter storm:( When we woke up on Saturday everything was white and the snow kept falling and falling and falling. By 1 pm we were stir crazy so we decided to go out and do something close to home - hike the Uetliberg. I wrote about that in my post here.

Sunday was freezing, but no more snow (thank goodness). Unfortunately we couldn't ski ,because Miriam's flight home was around 6 pm so we decided to go to the Zurich Zoo! It was SO awesome! I can't believe we waited this long to go! I mean HELLO - of course Zurich's Zoo would be awesome - everything here is PERFECT! I saw my first ant eater - not what I expected it to look like (not that I'm sure what I expected it to look like), the rainforest exhibit was amazing, the Penguin Parade through the zoo was soooo cute, and the animals living in natural like conditions made my happy. We liked it so much we kept delaying our departure and had to rush home so Miriam wouldn't miss her flight! If you plan to go - give yourself at least 4 hours - we wish we would have had more time!

Penguin Parade! The furry brown ones in the back of the line are the babies!

Great weekend with Miriam! Now when are we heading to Hamburg? hmmmmm
Picture albums for Flumserberg and the Zoo!

Hiking the Uetliberg

Today is catch up on the blog day! There are several things I never got around to writing about so here I go...

The Uetliberg is the mountain range that you can see from downtown Zurich. It isn't that high - only 873m (2864 ft) but it has a great view of the entire city of Zurich, Lake Zurich, and a beautiful panaramic view of the Swiss Alps.

View of the Uetliberg from around Bellevue area

During the summer, right after I got back from the States, we decided to do a hike along the Uetliberg mountain range. While I was gone (it was almost a month) Nathan had been riding his bike up to the top (it is his goal to get to the top without stopping before we leave Zurich) so he wanted to take me there. I would like to take this opportunity to say that this is not MY goal. I NEVER want to ride my bike up that thing!:) Hike yes. Bike - not no but HELL no.

I can't believe I never shared the pictures from the "Top of Zurich". During this particular trip we took the S-bahn (line 10) to the Uetliberg Station, climbed to the top of the tower for some spectacular views of the city, and then hiked from the Uetlierg Kulm to Turlersee (about a 4 1/2 hour hike). It was really beautiful (as most hikes are in Switzerland) and a great leisurely day during the summer. I vaguely remember getting lost (which is almost impossible to do in Switzerland b/c there are little yellow signs pointing you in the right direction all over the place) but I'm pretty sure we did on this particular day. But since it is Switzerland (and the public transportation system is amazing) when I had finally had enough (after about 6 hours of hiking) we searched for a bus stop and were taking to Thalwil where we caught a boat back to Zurich. The only probably with catching a bus in the mountains is that they don't come very often, so be ready to wait - I think we had just missed it so we ended up waiting for about 45 minutes. But anything was better than continuing - I still remember how my feet felt on that particular day!

Cool light posts on way from Train station to viewing tower.

Zurich photo op from top of viewing tower.

View towards Swiss Alps

View of Zurich

Boat ride from Thalwil to Burkliplatz - you know how we like to BE ON A BOAT!

This is one of my favorite shots of downtown Zurich and the lake!

Pan forward from that weekend in July to the last weekend in February. It was a particularly warm weekend and most of the winter here has been freezing(!), so we really wanted to get out and do something active. We decided to hike up the Uetliberg. A lot of Zurichers do this on the weekend as it is a pretty leisurely hike (for Swiss people) and it takes about an hour. We took Tram 14 to Triemli (the end of the line) and started our hike there. It was a great day and we both loved being out and hiking again.

I think Nathan has finally been Swissinized - do you see this outfit? I think it would have been better if he had on "man capris" though!:) Which of course he REFUSES to wear - although he was okay being seen in public like this - hmmm...

Here are a couple other pictures from our hike on this day - totally different from July! I for one am ready to see the green trees again! I know we wouldn't appreciate spring and the rebirth of everything but geez - enough is enough! (Can you tell I'm done with the winter?) We hiked from Triemli to Uetliberg Kulm to Felsenegg (another 1 1/2 hours) and then took the cable car down to Adliswil.

The very next weekend (last weekend March 5 -7th) our friend Miriam flew in from Hamburg for a ski weekend! We were so excited to ski again, but Mother Nature had a different idea. A HUGE snow storm basically covered all of Switzerland and it was impossible to ski on Saturday(at least for us non-expert skiiers). So after it snowed about 6 inches in Zurich we were stir crazy in our tiny apartment and decided to hike the Uetliberg again. It was a little late in the day to go farther from home and we were excited to hike up and sled down!

This time we took Tram 13 to the end of the line and started there. This hike was more "straight up" but it was SO beautiful covered in snow (even though I am done with the snow I do appreciate its beauty:)). I REALLY want to show you guys pictures, BUT I forgot my memory card on this day and ended up taking pictures on the internal memory of the camera. So whenever I find the cord to get the pictures out I will update this post - okay? It was truly a winter wonderland!  I found the cord - woo hoo! 

There were a lot of shenanigans hiking up - Nathan couldn't resist throwing snowballs, shaking all the snow off of the trees onto us, etc - but we all made it to the top without frostbite. Although the ridulous amounts of snow that went down my back - inside of my jacket - could explain the terrible cold I have now! But I won't dwell in that...

We ended up renting sleds from the Uetliberg train station and sledding down. It turns out the sledding course ends up at Triemli - basically the same path we hiked in February. The fresh powder (and possibly the public sleds) kept us from going at warp speed but it was still fun! All three of us ended up in a snow bank face first at some point and I really wish I could have gotten a video of when Miriam landed in a ditch and her sled kept going - good times!:) Another great day in Zurich!

Link to all the Uetliberg pics!

We're back in der Schweiz!

After almost 2 months in the states - I am back in Switzerland and a lady of leisure once more:) I forgot how much work it was living in the USA:) I arrived in Zurich last weekend and realized that Nathan and I only have about 3 more months left here! So we HAD to hit the ground running - right? No time like the present! (And for all of you wondering - Nathan was in the states for about 3 weeks with me, and except for almost killing himself swimming in sub zero degree water and losing his wallet on the slopes he didn't do much here while I was gone - therefore no blog:))

I arrived back in Zurich on Friday Jan 22- we chilled on Saturday - then off to Mt. Rigi near Lucerne on Sunday for a day of Sledding and Schneeschuhwandern (Snowshoeing). Side note: If you are ever in Switzerland checkout the SBB Website - you can get pretty good deals on day trips - it is also a good place to check out what Switzerland thinks is worth seeing!

Mt. Kulm was where we started the sledding!

Our death dfying group - Zann, Emily, Sarah, me and Nathan

Let's start with sledding. Very dangerous sport. VERY. DANGEROUS. Seriously - you should need a license to get on one of those things! Or at the least a lesson and a HELMET! But nope - 10 CHF will get you a sled and on your merry way..... to near death experiences! Now don't get me wrong - I love adventure, rushes in adrenaline - hell "Strap a set on" is my favorite saying - but I swear while sledding (on Mt. Rigi) I saw my life flash before my eyes!

Let's start with the "Exciting Sledge Runs" (what they call the trail - not sure where the "g" comes in but whatever). Anyway, Mt. Rigi has 3 runs with the longest being 4.0 km. But let's get back to the word "exciting" - exciting means very narrow runs with steep drop offs and no netting to keep you from going over the side - oh yeah and let's just throw in some moguls for good measure! I wish I had a video of the time Nathan hit a mogul and landed head first in the snow - 15 feet IN FRONT OF his sled!:) I, on the other hand, hit a lady (who had stopped in a very bad spot if you ask me) head on going what felt like 30 mph because I hadn't quite gotten a hang of breaking (fyi - the "snow plow" technique does NOT work:)) I mean - don't get me wrong - it is HILARIOUS to watch and we made out with only slight bruising and one sprained ankle. Soooooo - who wants to go again?:)

Nathan right after he went head first in the snow - can you see the icicles hanging from his hat?

Probably taken right before I hit someone:)

After sledding we did a little snowshoeing - I love how Swiss this picture is so I had to include it:)

The next morning we woke up (very sore) and headed to Milan, Italy. Nathan had to go for work and he asked if I wanted to tag along! Hell yeahs! The trip was from Monday morning to Wednesday evening, so I thought I would check out the sites in Milan, take a day trip to Lake Como, and then of course check out the shopping scene in Milan!

To be honest - there isn't a whole lot to do in Milan site seeing wise. On Monday, I visited the Duomo (the second largest Catholic Cathedral in the World). The Duomo was built in a Gothic style and is breath taking! If you have a chance, climb the stairs to the roof to see all the details up close! Unfortunately, it was a very overcast day so the views weren't that great though.:(

We went back to the Duomo at night with the ABB Team - good looking bunch!:)

Next I decided to just shop! Who can blame a girl - right? I had read in one of my travel books that January and July were the two months where everything was on sale - and they were right! So if you want some good shopping deals go then - you can get a Prada bag for $2500 instead of $5000:)! While shopping, I found one of my favorite ad campaigns EVER! LOVE IT! Not sure if it is in the States but look for it - they have a bunch of other signs that play off this one!

Tuesday - Lake Como! So maybe I am an idiot, not worldly, and from a small town in Georgia, but I thought Italy was supposed to be warm and sunny all the time!:) What was up with the temperature being around 1 degree Celsius the whole time I was there?! And it was a humid cold so it went right through you! BUT I wasn't about to let that ruin my time! I was on a mission to find George Clooney:)! (However, I should have checked with Hollywood b/c he was there for awards season - boooo!) Anyway, I started my day with a boat trip on Lake Como. Everyone else was sitting inside the boat, but going back to the idiot part, I decided to sit in the back - outside. My camera doesn't take very good shots through windows, so I had to take one for the team:) Don't you think my shots from OUTSIDE are great? You can see so much of the lake and scenery from my picture- right?:)

Beautiful Lake Como!:)

I also walked around the cute old town and took the funicular to the top of Brunate, a hill overlooking Como and providing a panoramic view - again probably better thing to do during the summer:)? I did see the sun trying to peak out a little! But I guess I am going to have to go back during the summer!

Dinner on Tuesday night was amazing! Fabrizio from ABB Italy took us to a great local restaurant. The staff didn't speak any English and Fabrizio didn't want to translate the whole menu so he asked us all if we liked seafood. Everyone said yes, so he told the wait staff to "bring it". And boy did the BRING IT!! Salmon, mussels, anchovies, octopus, calamari, and more-yum! And to top it all off - when we were finished and asked them to call us a taxi home the director of the restaurant said he would drive us instead! Now that is service! If only I could remember the name of the place......

Wednesday I toured around Milan again. I wanted to see the painting of The Last Supper, but when I finally found the place, viewings were closed due to some type of department meeting! Totally sucked - except that the temperature had reached 4 degrees and I saw the most delicious looking gelato so I stopped off for a little treat! If you are near this museum find "Chocolate - Milano" - the gelato was amazing! Another highlight was visiting 10 Corso Como - beautiful shop with a great little cafe! Granted I couldn't even afford a paper clip, but it was beautiful!

Where the Last Supper is located...not that I actually got to see it:(

Then the past Sunday we went Ice Skating on Lake Sihl.

Picture of the lake from the bus - it was a really big "rink"!

Nathan nor I had ever ice skated on a real frozen lake (only ice skating rinks) so we were excited! Although the scenery while skating was beautiful - do you think this was bad.....

Water in the middle of the course! Nothing to see here folks - keep moving!

Yeah we thought so too!:) But all the experienced Swiss just skated through so we did too! Don't worry Nate - they have a life preserver waiting about 5 feet from here! I'll save you!

The other thing is - you never know what the weather is going to do in Switzerland. Here are two pictures taken from the exact same place. The first in the morning when we got there and the second around 1 pm... so much for the beautiful scenery:) At least that meant it was time for gluhwein!

around 11 am...

at 1 pm!

So I have finally caught up on our "what we've been doing". The next post will be shorter - I promise!

xoxo,
Mandy

Links to all the photo albums:
Mt. Rigi Pics , Milan & Lake Como Pics, and Ice Skating on Lake Sihl Pics