Ticino, Lake Como, and Graubünden

On Sunday, after we left church, we got our things together for an overnight stay and drove down to the Italian part of Switzerland.  Darren had planned the whole road trip, so it was fun to find out what he was interested in seeing.  We stopped first in Bellinzona, since Darren hadn't seen the old castles there and I took him to the best two.  It was much warmer than the last time I was there back in February!

Darren at one of the old castles in Bellinzona

Looking from Castle Montebello to Castelgrande

Me on the grounds surrounding Montebello

The inner parts of Montebello

It was after we visited the castles that Darren realized the camera was on the wrong setting and fixed it.  Good thing he pays attention to these things.  After seeing the castles in Bellinzona, we drove farther down Switzerland to another cute town in the Ticino region called Lugano, which is on Lake Lugano.  This is a popular vacation spot for the Swiss who like to experience the Italian culture without the Italian chaos. :)  We walked along the lake and stopped to have a great dinner next to the water.  The sun set and rain clouds started to roll in while we were at dinner, so we walked back to our car with small rain drops falling on us.

Camera fixed!  Pictures are big again!  Me next to Lake Lugano

We left Lugano and drove along very, very tiny roads (it was a little tense when cars would squeeze by going the other direction) to leave Switzerland for the famous Italian region of Lake Como.  Lake Como is the third largest lake in Italy and because of its clear waters, pleasant weather, and idyllic mountain views, it has been a popular vacation destination since Roman times.  Many celebrities have homes somewhere on Lake Como, including most famously, George Clooney.  

We drove through Italy to the northwestern part of the lake and ended up in a small town called Gravedona where Darren had booked a hotel for that night.  Since it was dark, we didn't get to see the amazing view from the hotel right away, but we unpacked our things and read for a bit before going to sleep.  In the middle of the night there was a big thunderstorm that rolled through the area.  Lightning was flashing all over the place outside, but there was just a small amount of thunder.  By morning, the skies were completely clear and we got up early to look at the fantastic view from our balcony.

The view of Lake Como and the town of Gravedona from our balcony in the morning

Another great view of Lake Como

We got up, had a delicious breakfast, and then enjoyed some time by the pool before we had to leave.  Darren knew I had wanted to take a beach vacation this summer, but with our busy travel schedule, we had never made it to a beach location, so he was nice enough to plan this time for me to enjoy some sun.

Our hotel from where the pool was

Soaking up some sun, but never seeming to get any more tan

Darren did a few laps in the pool

We then left Gravedona and drove around the northern side of the lake over to the town of Varenna.  We then took a ferry boat over to the popular resort town of Bellagio, which is located on the point where the lake separate into two parts.  The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas is named after this place.  Even for a random Monday afternoon in September, the town was still busy.  We enjoyed walking around the cute small streets before having a delicious lunch of prosciutto with melon and fresh pasta.  We also enjoyed eating food for only 9 Euros!

One of the ferries on Lake Como

The town of Bellagio on Lake Como

Us on the Bellagio waterfront

Me on a cute street

We didn't spend all day at Lake Como because Darren wanted to take a drive through southeastern Switzerland while we were in the area.  So we left Bellagio to get our car and then drove up from Lake Como back into Switzerland.  The southeastern part of Switzerland is called Graubünden.  This area has some of the world's best ski resorts at St. Moritz and Davos and contains the Swiss National Park.  The whole country feels like a national park to me, so that must be saying something about this area if the Swiss single it out in that way.  Our drive took us through the Engadine Valley and we found that the area was really beautiful as promised.

We stopped at a very small town close to the Italian border called Soglio.  Darren had figured out earlier that this was where the picturesque town was that is on the cover of our Switzerland travel guide.  It really was a super cute town and seemed like nothing had changed in hundreds of years.

The view from the windy road up the mountain to Soglio

A comparison of the cover and the real thing

Us in front of the famous view from Soglio

Darren with a great mountain background

After out quick stop in Soglio, we continued our drive and passed through both St. Moritz and Davos.  With huge hotels, restaurants, and spas all around, these two cities were a stark constant with the quaint, old towns just down the valley and they weren't that appealing to us.  Though, I imagine they are more beautiful in the winter with the great skiing and the celebrity clientele.  We then made our way back home from there.  What a relaxing and fun weekend!  I think after that trip, we have hit every major city in Switzerland with the exception of Basel.  We feel pretty good that we have made an effort to explore a lot our temporary home.