Photo Gallery

lots of photos have been added to the gallery today. You can get to them thru the smugmug link to the right. The order is a total mess and may not be straightened out for days. Sorry about that one. D and P

FYI

the rest of Monday's story has been added if you are interested.

Saturday May 24th Bellinzona Market Day

Today, although it was cloudy and drizzly we decided to head over to Bellinzona to the market.  We pulled right into a parking place not even a block from the market.  The smells, sounds and sights at the market were amazing.  First stop was a booth with rocks, the lady was so nice and spoke great English.  She shared with us these fine needle like crystals that came from this region of Switzerland, the Tecino Region.  We bought a small grouping of these crystals and she said, "Now you have a bonsai of the Swiss Alps!"  The next booth we visited was a spice booth.  What a variety!  We chose a few special spices and asked lots of questions.

We saw whole chickens and rabbits and decided that would be a yummy lunch.  Mom bought already roasted chicken and pork roast.  The first meat we could afford in Switzerland!!  And those 2 pieces were $40!!

Their were so many cheese booths and there was sausages and salami hanging all over the place.  And bread booths galore!  And of course veggies and fruit like you wouldn't believe.  We are very curious about the veggies and herbs and try to ask questions, but even if someone knows a little English they generally do not know the translations for vegetables or herbs.  So there were quite a few things we were not familiar with and still are not.  We were admiring and photographing this crinkly  cabbage and the shopkeeper asked me if we would like to just buy 1/2, so I said yes and she just chopped it in half and asked me to choose the half I wanted.  What a great idea!

    Another interesting thing was that a lot of the veggie booths had plants for sale.  Well that's not the interesting part...they are not in pots or 6-paks or anything, you just buy the plant with the dirt and roots open.  I love how much they don't waste in this country.

     The town of Bellinzona had a fortified wall that went across the whole valley to protect the town from the Romans.  There are portions of the wall still evident throughout the town, it was very neat.

    We drove home and enjoyed our roasted chicken and pork and some sautéed Chard and fresh bread, all purchased at the market!  We napped for several hours this afternoon, the rainy day was very conducive to this activity.  When we got up Don and Edith were playing Cribbage, Donna was working on pictures so i went for a walk around the neighborhood.

     It is so amazing walking through the neighborhoods...you cross over so many waterfalls, everything is on a hill, there are stairs everywhere, and the landscaping is amazing.  It is very temperate here so there are palm trees, yuccas and tons of succulents.  Of course there are the familiar geraniums, petunias, impatiens and things like that too.  As you walk along, if you sneak a peek down into yards you see the  most amazing raised bed, rich soil, and perfectly tended vegetable patches.  Even big apartment buildings around here compost their scraps and have vegetable gardens beside them.

   Looks like we are finally up to date with this blog.  I am writing this on Saturday night.  Sunday A.M. we are going down to the internet cafe again to download everything and do some research on weather and to see if certain mountain passes are open so we can plan out the last week of vacation.  Today, after one full week of vacation I am lonesome for home.

by train to Domodossolla

Friday morning Pauline and I decided to take the scenic train to Domodossola and spend a few hours exploring before we had to catch a return train back to Locarno. First stop was Empirio at the Locarno train station to use the free internet access there and to post a few blogs and of course to enjoy a cappuccino. After we enjoyed our coffee, we purchased out train tickets and headed down to the track. It is about a 1 3/4 hour train ride that starts by heading out through the Val Vigezzo, a very scenic river valley. At the head of the river you cross into Italy and head down into the valley where Domodossola is located. And when I say down, I mean it. It was quite steep, the train squealing all the way down. The views of the Alps as we descended were incredible.  Once in Domodossola we just started walking down any interesting street that we came to. Within about 15 minutes we found ourselves in the heart of the oldest part of town. Beautiful buildings, narrow roads, dogs running free everywhere and countless balconies with flower boxes just waiting for us to take pictures of.

We quickly found the piazza that was the center of the old section and were pleasantly surprised to see a vegetable market set up there. They were just closing up but we got to see many of the things that they offered. Across the piazza there was a small sidewalk cafe where we stopped for lunch and another cappuccino.There were a few others there and we were also joined by several pigeons who sat on the table next to us and many dogs running all over the piazza. We really enjoy going to the cafes around here and seeing people bring their dogs in with them. The dogs are always well behaved and wag their tails like crazy when meeting up with other dogs. Another enjoyable thing was the number of people who ride bikes everywhere they go. And you very rarely see a bike locked up. Every town has large bike racks that are usually full and you always see one or two in front of a store or cafe.

After lunch we spent the rest of our time wandering down the narrow roads and alleys, enjoying the sights and smells of the area. Soon it was time to head back to catch the train to Locarno. The train ride back was quiet and relaxing, except for once when I was taking a picture out the door and a woman standing there said 'It certainly is beautiful'. When I said 'yes, it's heavenly' she looked at me and said, 'Oh my gosh, you speak English!' Twenty minutes later we were still speaking English.... She was traveling with some friends from Vancouver and hiking in the various places they visited. It is not hard to get around here without speaking the local languages (German, Italian and French). Most people, if you are patient and pleasant are more than willing to work with you to communicate, but it sure would be nice to be able to converse with them in their own tongue.

After arriving in Locarno we had to figure out how the bus system works since we had decided that we wanted to get all the way back to the house using public transportation. We managed to buy our tickets from the vending machine, get on the right bus and get off at the right stop! At least at this point it was all down hill from here.....  For those of you with strong stomachs I will be posting a video later of a portion of the bus ride home.

When we got back, Mom and Dad had fired up the wood fired pizza oven outside and had all the fixings ready to go. We enjoyed our pizzas and wine out on the patio and all headed off to bed early for some much needed rest.

Thursdays travels....

After all the rain yesterday we thought it would be a good day to head up the Valle Maggia to see the waterfalls up that way and to visit a few out of the way places. Shortly after we entered the valley we came upon a beautiful waterfall on the left side of the valley. Pauline and I got out to take a picture and Pauline realized that there was another one on the right off in the woods. Turns out there was a wooden bridge over a small stream that led to a path that went right to the bottom of another amazing waterfall. Another kilometer down the road as we were stopping to photograph another one. There really were so many that after a while we just enjoyed them, no more pictures. Many people have mentioned that with the rain here lately there are waterfalls where you hardly ever get a chance to see one. Two days before we arrived, Locarno had 6 inches of rain in one day, with the snow level coming down to 1500 meters. All the peaks around were covered with fresh snow which is unusual here this time of year but has only enhanced the number of waterfalls.

We stopped in the town of Cevio to see some of the sculptures there and the local architecture, we kept driving up the road through town which soon became a stomach turning series of switchbacks that never seemed to end. The road would occasionally straighten out a bit and go through the middle of a small village. In the middle of most of the villages along the way the road was barely wider than the car. The amazing thing was that there is daily bus service up here in a full size bus. Watching them get around some of the switchbacks is amazing. They have a short wheelbase and the front of the bus is literally out over the edge. One minute I think that I want to move here and drive a bus, the next I can barely get the car around a switchback and wish that I was somewhere else. This road climbed up to about 1,500 meters ending in the village of Bosco Gurin, surrounded by rugged peaks, the tops of which are the border with Italy. Along the way up we passed sheep and goats just roaming free around the hills.

     We headed back down to Civeo and took another road up the valley to the town of Foroglio. This town had been completely abandoned during WWII when every one there moved to the US. It is slowly being re-inhabited  and restored. There is a charming Grotto there with an amazing view of, yes, another waterfall. We headed back down the valley, stopping frequently to photograph the villages along the way and we even managed to back track once to check out another waterfall. We were all pretty well fried when we got home. The constant going here and there and the time difference was finally catching up with all of us. Had a light supper of soup, bread and cheese and headed off to bed early.