Over the last few weeks it is very evident that Spring has arrived in Lugano (which I love because it makes me feel much more at home when there is more sunshine)! The sights around the lake are so beautiful on a clear day. Before I left to go skiing in Andermatt on Saturday, I went for a long run along the lake enjoying all the sights. Of course I was wishing I had my camera. It was great until I stopped by the UBS atm to get some cash for the weekend and the machine retained my card. This did not make me happy considering this was the second "MAESTRO" or debit card I had already had to reorder because of it being dysfunctional. There went my coffee and items I was planning on buying at the markets on the piazza. Not sure why it was "retained" except for the fact my account contains so much money and I am such a suspicious American... :)
Saturday midday I took the train to meet my friend Stephan in Andermatt. The train ride takes about 2 hours total. From Lugano you ride to Bellinzona, which takes about 30 min on the slower train and then from there through the San Gottard tunnel to Goshenen. From Goshenen, it's an easy 10 min trip on the Glacier Express to Andermatt. We had the afternoon to walk around town and enjoy a coffee at a local Konditorei, basically a little coffee shop that usually has great pastries and desserts too. Stephan definitely has a sweet tooth and is a apple strudel connoisseur. I usually have to have at least one bite to test it's credibility! After some apres ski (where we ran into some TASIS friends) even though we hadn't skied we checked out some different restaurant options. Since neither one of felt like fondue, we decided on a boutique hotel restaurant called the River House. We expected it to be good, since the chef was from Austin. Our high expectations, we definitely met! We had an amazing meal all made with fresh ingredients from the region, including some special chutney that had berries that came from the high Alps. I had some fish from the nearby river, but I can't remember the swiss german name...? It was a nice change from the italian fare.
Sunday we spent skiing at both mountains, one the sunny side and one the shaddy, but more challenging. Natschen and Gemstock are the two main mountains. We started off at Gemstock, since it didn't look like the sun was going to peak out, but then decided to grab lunch in town and move over to Natschen where the sun was shining. It was a great last day of season ski for me. There is still plenty of snow, but it's starting to get less welcoming, especially as you take the last run down. I love the fact that in Switzerland most mountains also have long sledge runs. As you are skiing down what my mom would call "the cinch trails" you'll see a kid and their mom or dad flying down on their sledge or sled...not sure where "sledge" comes from. Andermatt is definitely more of a local town and mountain. I also love that the Glacier Express train, which connects St.Moritz to Zermatt creeps through the mountain pass nearby. It's such a unique experience!
My train ride home was of course beautiful, but I missed most of it, since I was worn out and sleeping most of the time! Only two weeks until spring break and more visitors arrive this week!!
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