I need to update this blog more often than I do, but I suppose it's the eternal predicament of having so much to do and not enough time, especially when trying to enjoy as much as possible in a different country. Much has happened in the past two weekends, and I have much to tell about these happenings. I have a lot to tell about the past week as well, so I will write that in the next post.. I will start with two weekends ago, when I traveled to Ticino, which is the sole Italian canton in Switzerland. How different just this one canton is from the others in Switzerland! As opposed to the to-the-second precision of the trains in the rest of Switzerland, the train that changed on our way to Lugano, Ticino on Friday night was 20 minutes late, something unheard of in the other parts of Switzerland. After a 5 hour train ride, the four of us walked to our hostel, which was surrounded by palm trees and rippling creeks, making me feel as if I was in a lush resort by a beach.
Saturday morning we walked through the narrow streets of Lugano, lined on either side by miniature shops selling everything from food to recycled car parts in the form of art. The language had changed. The pace seemed to have changed. Everyone spoke Italian, and I felt a bit better about the language situation, as I was able to somewhat understand the Italian. Locals and tourists were milling around in the streets, eating food from stands, drinking coffee nonchalantly at cafes, and shopping freely. After walking for an hour and eating breakfast, we headed to Bellinzona, one of the three main cities in Ticino.
Acclimating ourselves to the town, we climbed a secluded staircase to one of the three UNESCO World Heritage castles in Bellinzona. I have always harbored a strong liking for castles and this one did not disappoint. High stone walls, parapet-lined pathways along the defensive walls, towering turrets, cobblestoned paths, and a grass plain in front of the castle made for an experience that I have always sought. It gets better though.
After a lunch of baguettes, cheese spread, and more cheese, we headed down back to town only to climb back to the largest of the three castles. This one dwarfed the previous one. This castle was what I had always imagined when I read books and saw movies with castles in them. If I could go back in time, one of the first places I would go is to a castle like the one I was at during the Medieval period, when the castle would have been in action.
Walking through the massive stone walls, we entered into a huge grass courtyard with Giacometti-style sculptures on display throughout. We then walked to the top of one of the towers where we soaked in a view of the entire city. The castle was already on one of the highest hills in the town. Continuing through the castle, we entered into another gargantuan courtyard, this one with a view of the entire city. Walking along the castle walls, we found ourselves at the beginning of a 3 meter wide castle wall layered with grass. As we took pictures we walked through the top of this castle wall.
Friday evening and Saturday were relaxing days. One of my friends here was leaving so we went out with him to celebrate. Saturday I spent in Lausanne, walking through town with friends, enjoying the city and then relaxing back at Planet Blue, which is where I live. That night we went out again with one of my previous roommates, who was back in Lausanne to visit.
Sunday, though, is the day that I want to talk about. Waking up at 7 AM, I took the 8:20 train to Brig, where I took a cable car up to Fiescheralp. There were six of us and we began, unaware at this point, a very long, arduous hike to the Aletsch Glacier. After 3 hours of hiking along the mountain, where we walked through Lord of the Rings-type rock structures, through clouds, and through pastures of cows with bells hung around their necks, we made it to the Aletsch Glacier. This glacier was stunning and absolutely enormous. It went off into the distance in both directions, where I was no longer able to see it. We walked on rocks down to a pool of water that the glacier had left behind, the color of which was a beautiful shade of blue. Ice structures were poking out of the water and rocks were frozen to the ice.
After spending some time at the glacier, we continued our hike around the mountain, on a pathway that had nothing between its edge and the deep drop to the bottom of the mountain. We traversed through angry sheep on the pathway, large pieces of their dung, sharp rocks jutting towards the sky, and streams of water. As always, I had the good fortune of smothering one of my shoes in a large, juicy piece of sheep dung. As we walked for 3 more hours, the glacier was at our side, flanked by mountains on either side. The juxtaposition of mountains that were snow-capped and mountains that were covered with grass and trees was spectacular. At one point, the 6 of us stopped walking, completely silent. All we could hear so high up in the mountains was the wind blowing, our own breathing, and water trickling in the distance. It was truly an amazing experience and a very scenic hike, to the say the least...one unlike any that I've ever done.
Seven hours after we started our hike, thoroughly exhausted, we took a cable car back to the foot of the mountain, where before boarding the train, I enjoyed a Swiss specialty known as raclette. It consisted of melted cheese with 2 full potatoes and small onions and pickles marinated in vinegar. The way to eat it is to cut a piece of the potato, smother it with the cheese, and then feel the fat traveling through your digestive system. After eating 3 of those, we took the train back to Lausanne (on which I slept), and I arrived home at midnight, exhausted beyond belief...
This past weekend was somewhat more relaxed than others and one that was much needed. I have a lot more to tell about my past week itself, so I'll do that in the next post!
Take care!
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