Lugano

Lugano

On Easter weekend, we drove to one of the southern-most cities in Switzerland, Lugano, in the canton of Ticino.






We left Langenthal on a rainy Saturday, ran into snow at the entrance to the Gottard tunnel, which caused quite a delay.  The Gottard tunnel is about 16km long, one lane each direction, so it frequently has a long line at the entrance.  It is one of the points where you can cross the Alps, without going over (no other option in winter).

We stayed at a reasonably priced hotel in Lugano, the Atlantico, very simple and cute, managed by a very friendly young couple.  Great breakfasts.

Easter Sunday, we hiked up Mount San Salvatore, passing on a cable car ride, to the summit.


Freaky stairs off the roof of a church, perched on top of San Salvatore:





From the top of San Salvatore, looking south, you can see those villages on the hillside (picture below).  One is Carona, which we hiked down to, for lunch.  From there, we went down to that land-bridge and caught a train back to Lugano.
  



On Easter Monday, we took the easy way up to Monte Bre, riding a cable car to the summit, and hiked our way back down.    











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