Wearing shorts in the cold...

The three of us wearing shorts in the Swiss Alps.
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We woke up early this morning, ate breakfast and boarded the charter bus with the rest of our group.  On our way to Switzerland we passed our bus driver's hometown of Milan and also the Lake Cuomo region where many American stars (like George Clooney) have homes.  The drive into the Swiss/Italian Alps was incredible.  We truly began to appreciate our busdriver's skills here.  In Rome, he had impressed us by getting us safely from place despite the insane Roman drivers but his driving skills became even more impressive when he navigated our enormous and wide bus through narrow, winding mountain streets.

A view of St. Gotthard's Pass.
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On the trip itinerary, there was a brief lunchtime stop in "Flower-Festuned Lugano." This town also has the nickname the "Swiss Riviera." The town is very quaint and clean and it reminds you of wealthy resort towns that you might see in Canada.  The lake is surrounded by mountains and there was a beautiful park in the center of town where our bus stopped.  We ate a quick lunch at McDonald's (on the site of a former famous cafe) and then took a stroll through the beautiful park.  Each of us took some amazing pictures here.  Rows of trees were planted alongside the lake and mimicked its shape.  The scenery here positively took our breath away.

A gate facing Lake Lugano.
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Later on, we boarded the bus again to continue on to our final destination, Lucerne, Switzerland.  When we initially left Lugano our guide become disappointed when she heard that the famous "St. Gotthard Pass" was closed.  (The fastest route to Lucerne from Lugano.) We would have to rely on our bus driver to find another route; however, as we approached the road signs closer to the pass they stated that "St. Gotthard" was in fact open. Luckily, we were able to take this route afterall.  St. Gotthard's Pass is 6,935 feet about sea level.  Once we reached the top we stopped at a rest stop. The three of us had packed shorts in our suitcases and we weren't able to wear them in Italy (They have strict dress codes in most churches in Europe)so we all wore them for the bus ride to Lucerne.  We looked pretty humorous standing together at the top of the mountain with the snow-capped Swiss Alps in the background!

A view of a mountain through a poppy field in Lugano's lakeside park.
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In the late afternoon, we reached Lucerne.  It is so picturesque.  The buildings look like images out of a  classic storybook and the entire town is surrounded by snowcapped mountains.  It seems like everywhere we went in this town I kept saying the same thing repeatedly "Oh come on that CAN'T be real.  It's too perfect.  It looks like a backdrop!" Switzerland is by far the prettiest country that I've ever seen.  The Swiss seem to take real pride in their country.  Everywhere you go is impeccably clean.  While walking along the waterways, there are "poop bag" dispensers for dog owners.  They really seem to appreciate their surroundings and not ruin the landscape by overdeveloping it.

Our bus let us out right at the entrance to our hotel.  After checking in, we left to go buy some Swiss chocolate and found a place to eat dinner.  We decided to try the "William Tell" which was a boat that is docked on Lake Lucerne.  The food was very good and you certainly couldn't beat the setting.  We ate at a table on the outside deck and had a lovely view of the Lake and the surrounding mountains.  On the top of one of the mountains were two flags.  One representing Switzerland, the other Brazil.  The next evening we found out why the Brazilian flag dotted the landscape.  Apparently the Brazilian soccer team was in Lucerne training for the Olympics (I think, or was it just for the World Cup?).  Once we finished our dinner we took a stroll around town.  Lucerne is just as picturesque at night as it is in the daytime.