Lago di Lugano

Though I know it was slightly ambitious to try and visit two countries in just one weekend, I couldn't not visit my friend Marina in Lugano, Switzerland where she attends university. So early on Saturday morning, Shalina was nice enough to wake up early with me and take me to the Milano Centrale train station. The station was very old, very ornate, very beautiful, and very large. I bid Shalina goodbye and thanked her again for such a wonderful day yesterday. I really did have a lot of fun seeing Milan and getting to know her even more. Today, I was bound for the little city of Lugano, situated on the Swiss and Italian border!

My train, though being delayed 45 minutes due to technical difficulties (I understood the conductor saying that in Italian!), took me through the most beautiful Italian scenery. I even got a glimpse of Lake Como, as well as many other little Italian towns nestled between towering mountains and glassy lakes. Northern Italy is truly a spectacular place!

Lugano

Waiting for me at the train station was Zaynee's high school classmate and our family friend, Marina. It was so cool getting to see her again, and in Switzerland! We immediately went into the town of Lugano to look around and pick up some groceries for her dorm. The downtown area was very quaint and the lake was pristine, surrounded with green mountains strung with low clouds. Everyone was speaking Italian and being so friendly in the cloudy morning air around the main square.

In Downtown Lugano

Once we had bought groceries, Marina took me up one of the mountains to her dorm room. I can't say it was the most majestic dorm, but she was on a mountain! In Switzerland! So we had lunch there and rested a bit before going up even further to take in the views of Lugano. It was a shame it was so foggy, but I could still see how beautiful the area was. I can't even imagine how lovely it is on a sunny day!

Similar to the first picture, but higher up! It was so pretty and the air was so crisp and fresh!

We wandered along the sleepy streets on the mountain, chatting, and she showed me her university, Franklin. Its hard to believe that this was the college experience she was getting; it was so different from mine! It was right in the middle of a neighborhood that looked so very Italian, sprawled across the hilly terrain.

Houses on the mountain

Walking through the quiet neighborhood

After a short break at her apartment, we got ready for our dinner out on the town! In the fading light, we made our way down the mountain It took about 20 minutes and then we made it to the town. 

Leaving the dorm and ready for dinner!

Side street in downtown Lugano (no cars were in the heart of downtown)

Our first stop was to Manor, a 5 floor department store. We had passed a very elegant chocolate shop in town and I remembered that I had promised Hanaa to get her a bunch of amazing Swiss chocolate. Instead of blowing tons of cash at the luxurious sweet shop, Marina took me to another place to buy Hanaa's gifts. Four Ragusa bars and two Mousse bars later, and 10 Euro poorer, we left and walked down by the pitch black lake. It was like a dark abyss, sucking you in. But in the distance, you could faintly make out the outlines of the mountains and see all the spots of light along them.

Lago di Lugano

Marina and I walked around part of the lake, and then turned back to the downtown, which had become a lot quieter than when we were there before. It was only 6:45 but we were ready to eat!

Marina and I by Lago di Lugano

Marina took me to a very nice Swiss restaurant and we both ordered fantastic steaks. Since neither of us have been on a date in quite a while (it's hard when the boyfriends are in a different country!), Marina wanted to make this a date. So we had lovely food, dessert, and sat in the warm and elegant Swiss restaurant for a few hours, chatting. It was the perfect way to end a day in the beautiful town.

Our fantastic steak dinner

I'm so glad I managed to visit Marina in Switzerland. I loved seeing what her college life was like, because it's completely different from mine. She's very lucky to be able to enjoy the European and Italian lifestyle and immerse herself in the culture for four years. I only got a small taste of it on the day I visited, but it was a wonderful visit.

Misty morning in Lugano