Santa Margherita and Portofino

Yesterday, Ali (a friend and co-worker) and I took a day-trip to Santa Margherita and Portofino. These are two small sea-side towns in Liguria and it takes just over two hours by train from Milan! I am really glad we went. The day was a bit overcast but I loved being by the water and it wasn't too cold to be out and about, enjoying the views.

Starting out in Santa Margherita:

We hopped on a local bus for a 15-minute ride to Portofino! Nice to see another town... and one with such a cute, picturesque harbor! We had a seafood lunch here and took a walk around.

Funny enough -- Ali and I both went to St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY for our undergraduate degrees! She is two years younger than I am but we overlapped. She actually recognized me when we started working at ASM here in Milan. During our orientation week, she said I looked familiar and then we figured out that it's from Fisher! Funny... small world.

Day Trip to Colico, Lake Como

Yesterday, I went with a small group of teachers from school to Colico - a small city at the north end of Lake Como. The train ride was less than two hours from Milan and it was a super easy, enjoyable day-trip!

There is a large grassy area in front of a stretch of water that is nice for swimming. It is also a very popular spot for kite surfers and wind boarders.

...bit windy!

The new school year is about to begin and the day turned out to be a really nice mini-trip before that happens!

Momers

The photos below are my mom's. We had such a fun day in Lugano! I wish she were still here  : )

LUGANO FAVORITES

Below are my favorite photos from my day-trip with Mom to Lugano, Switzerland.    : )

Lugano

Lake Lugano    : )

Legs for days!

Reflections...

This photo was cute... but became even better when I realized that there is a perfectly placed fake dog tail for the dog! Ha!

Funicular Ride for Mountaintop Views! - Lugano

Mom and I took a funicular ride (two, actually!) up to the top of one of the mountains near Lugano. It was a fifteen or twenty minute walk from the town of Lugano, along a lovely tree-lined pathway. We really enjoyed our time on top with spectacular views. There is a cafe at the top too - sooo nice to have a coffee or soda while relaxing with an overlook of a beautiful lake and mountains. ...I live near here?!?! ...Still amazes me.

Lake Lugano and the Lugano Prealps   : )

Lugano's gardens - FAVORITES

Below are some of my favorite flower-view photos from my day in Lugano, Switzerland with Mom!

The day was beautiful, as were the flowers along the waterfront. It doesn't get much better than a lake, mountains, and flowers... on a day-trip with Mom  : )

Lugano's Park and Read

There was a beautiful, big park in Lugano with people strolling along the path and enjoying the gorgeous day. One spot had tables and chairs set out with a table of books... it was so cute! Someone set up a Park and Read spot here... I love it!

Lugano - buildings

Lugano is a pretty town -- especially the "Old Town" section. Mom and I enjoyed walking around, even though many places were closed since it was Sunday.

Intricate details were painted around the windows on this building:

Mom standing in front of an old, beautiful church:

Lugano - around town

There was some sort of festival going on while we were in Lugano. Bands played, food stalls were in the piazza, old cards lined the main street, and there was an early afternoon parade with many farm-themed items. Below are some of my favorite photos from around town on this Sunday:

LUGANO, SWITZERLAND!

Mom and I took a train ride for about an hour... and were in SWITZERLAND! That amazes me. That various (amazing) places that I am able to get to in a day from Milan are incredible.

Her birthday present to me was a day-trip to Lugano. Neither of us had ever been to Switzerland before... although it felt a lot like Lake Como, as there is a gorgeous lake with mountains jetting up from all around. The town even felt very Italian, as Italian is the main language in Lugano.

We had a great day with wonderful weather!

going to Alba's Truffle Festival

School and its Orientation Committee for new teachers is pretty awesome... they have set up for us to take a day-trip to Alba... a town a couple hours from Milan. Alba is supposed to be famous for its white truffle... and, of course, its wine. Each year there is a truffle festival in Alba... and it's going on now!

Rather than for the actual truffle festival, I'm excited to go and see another area of Italy. It will be nice to have a mini trip.

Below are some Google Map screenshots of where Alba is in reference to Milan and some other places...

The red marker is Milan.

The yellow marker is Alba.