More European trip chronicles

Having gone through an amazing sensual trip in St. Moritz, situated between Zurich, Milan and Munich, it was time to pack the bags and head for Lugano, Switzerland’s third most important financial district. It was a short two-hour drive and the scenery was still breathtaking as we cruised along in our BMW X3s, past grazing cattle wearing large cow bells on wide Alpine meadows.  Incidentally, these cow bells, along with the famous Swiss chocolates, make fantastic souvenirs and “pasalubongs”.

Lugano has a Mediterranean flair, lush and rich with parks and flowers.  All the houses have flower boxes on their window sills, and everywhere else, flowers bloomed in large boxes downtown, a riot of colors on the sidewalks.

Lugano is closer to the Italian border, and the influence is discernible. The first thing I learned about it is that it is a territory of Switzerland but has very strong Italian influence. Italian is spoken more prominently. We deposited our overnight bags at the Hotel International AU Lac and left the bigger suitcases safely in the wide and spacious trunk of the BMW X3. A useful tip: When doing road trips, just unload your small luggage which should contain your sleeping and bathroom essentials and your wardrobe for the next day or two and leave the bulkier bags in the car. Also, do invest in good quality, super light but durable luggage that has efficient wheels.  Our Rimowas served us excellently all throughout.

Since we’re talking tips, one of the best things you can do when travelling in a group is to ask everyone to contribute to a kitty which should cover all group expenses like meals, gasoline, toll fees, etc. to be handled by a designated member. It is convenient for everyone and is quick and easy to account for at the end of the trip. In our case, all seven of us each gave 300 Euros, and by trip’s end, we had a reimbursement of about 57 Euros each. Simple.

Another tip for long trips? Have some quick, simple snacks like multigrain crackers and a few other things like potted meat, canned sausages, bottled sardines, etc which everyone can share. Meals in Europe can be very pricey, and if you’ve just spent quite a few hours on the road, you may not want to venture out. Eating in the hotel room every now and then can be fun; anyway, there’s always the hotel breakfast buffet to look forward to in the morning.

Hotel Au Lac, another 4-star hotel, is old and traditional. A curious sight from its window was the long (and I mean long) flight of stairs, very steep, at the hotel’s side flanked by photos of old people all the way to the top. We never found out the story behind this, but someone in the group joked that they were photos of the people who attempted to reach the top and expired. Morbid indeed.

After a short day of sightseeing which included the majestic Lake Lugano, we were off to a quiet night of snacks inside the room.

The next day, we were off to Milan, Italy, the fashion capital of the world an hour and a half away. Home was the Quark Hotel for two days and one of the first things we did was to rush to the Santa Maria delle Grazie Church, hoping to catch the half-day tour to get a glimpse of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” as well as the decorated ceiling in the Sala delle Asse in Milan’s Sforza Castle.  Alas, one needs to book way ahead for these tours, and we couldn’t even get past the guarded door.

So it was two days of shopping for us in this fashionable city where H & M, Zara, etc. are still much patronized. On our last trip to Milan which was several years ago, we ventured into the street where the short line of the original fashion houses (the global headquarters) of Prada, Gucci, Ferregamo, Versace, Valentino, etc. were located and saw for ourselves how luxurious these stores were. If you had the money, you could have the time of your life choosing from the delicate pieces on display.  On a champagne budget, you could have a fling, but on a beer budget, one had to be careful that your bag or a careless elbow does not break anything in the store.

We were content with the moderate purchases we had, and contented ourselves with sipping coffee leisurely on the sidewalk cafes. The stark contrast between the sparklingly clean streets of St. Moritz, and Lugano, the serenity of life there versus the spirited fast-paced life, the graffiti-splattered walls and dirty sidewalks.  By evening, we ventured out and had an excellent pizza and pasta for our Italian treat.

Next day, we were off to Lucerne, a historic lakeside town of Switzerland with several interesting sites, a short three hours drive from Milan which was both scenic and relaxed on board our BMWs.  It was a rainy day, so we had to duck into stores for quick purchases. An excellent find was a leather shop that sold fine young lamb’s leather, and we went crazy over them, luggage space be damned. The shopkeeper was the owner, so we could haggle to our heart’s content.  By late afternoon, my brother Rey and I each had three leather jackets in tow that we struggled to shove into our already packed luggage. No regrets on our part, but our suitcases groaned achingly with the bulky addition.

The cuisine in Switzerland depends on where you are staying. Bordered by Germany, Italy and France, the cuisine varies and is dictated by the nearest border except in the heart of Switzerland. Yes, the variety of cheese available can tickle a cheese lover’s fancy, and we loaded our carts with fondue, brie, raclette, and some not-too-foul smelling variety, but they are also quite pricey. When we came to our senses, we had to return some of our original choices, settled for a few select ones and added some good Swiss chocolates before heading to the counter. Aside from being pricey, the cheese added a lot of weight and, we discovered later, lent a lingering disagreeable smell to our luggage.

Tomorrow, we head for Strasbourg.

Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino.

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