Switzerland

Location: Lugano and Bellinzona, Switzerland

Travel Time: July 10-11, 2014

We originally had planned on visiting Milan, Italy and then heading to Barcelona, Spain. However, we had already spent 10 days in Italy and we figured since we were so close to Switzerland, why not throw another country in the mix? So we changed trains and headed to Lugano, a city just north of Italy filled with Italian speakers. The scenery was absolutely beautiful; imagine a city off the lake surrounded by huge mountains. The train ride alone made it all the worth while.

On the train to Lugano, passing by Lake Como

Tj has a friend named Matia who lives in Lugano. A few years back, Matia had spent time in Chicago to learn English and was attending the same congregation as Tj. They kept in contact over the years and Tj went to visit him in 2009. Naturally, when Matia found out we were visiting his city, he invited us to stay the night with his family. They were so hospitable. That night, we went to their congregation meeting in Italian and then afterward, we went to a local pub to grab a bite to eat. It was so nice meeting all the new friends, some of whom were part of foreign language congregations such as Irish and Spanish.

Matia and his parents

Playing with the rabbits

Tj exploring their garden

The view outside their home

The next day, Matia’s mother made us some breakfast while his father filled my bag with some authentic Swiss chocolate. We really appreciated all the love and kindness they showed to us. Then, Matia drove us back to the train station where we took a short train to Bellinzona, Switzerland. There, situated on the Alpine foothills, you can see the many Castles of Bellinzona. We again left our luggage at the train station and took a tour of the main castle.

We only had a few hours before we had to be back on our train. Switzerland was very brief, mostly due to the fact that it was a very last minute decision. However, I’m very happy we went. When people ask ‘what was your favorite location to visit’, Switzerland is actually in my top 3. I guess you just have to experience it for yourself. Seeing the marvels of Jehovah’s creation really made an impression on me. Especially having lived in a modern city like Chicago all my life. To be able to look outside and just see so much greenery was fascinating to me.

Our next stop was Barcelona, Spain. We had a long commute ahead of us including another sleeping car on the train. We traveled through Port Beau, France and by the next day, we arrived in Spain. ‘Til next time Switzerland!

For the full album, please ‘click’ on the link below: