SwissMissMeg

April showers brought May visitors. For the first half of the month, my parents rented a room at the Residence Bellevue, here on Montagnola. This is a particularly pretty time of year to visit and Lugano put on a good show.

A former hotel turned into a long-term residence, the Bellevue has decent monthly rates (even for Switzerland). With a bus stop right outside and free local transportation ensured for the length of your stay, it’s a win-win. And you really can’t beat the view…

On their first Sunday in town, we made our way over to Gandria for lunch. With the seasons changing, the boats have returned to Lake Lugano. It’s a little tricky to determine the schedule but my dad’s tenacity won out. We took the SNL ferry back to Lugano and tried to spot my apartment from the water.

During their stay, my parents got to enjoy daily life here on the mountain. We cooked dinners at my place and explored downtown Lugano at their leisure. Moloko also was happy to welcome her former housemates and bask in the extra attention.

For Mother’s Day Weekend, I planned a getaway to St. Moritz. Only a 2.5 hour drive from Lugano, we enjoyed stunning views on our climb into the Alps.

The town of St. Moritz sits at an elevation of 5800 feet and boasts an alpine lake of the same name. Standing at the water’s edge brought back memories of my visit to St. Moritz with my brother nearly 20 years ago. It was summertime and we rented a little sunfish to get out on the water. From the pictures I found, it looks like Brett managed well with some strong wind that day.

Back in the present, my parents and I enjoyed lunch at a charming restaurant featuring picturesque views straight out of a magazine. No shortage of blue sky and stunning views!

After, we walked around the lake, just under 3 miles in total. I painted a little, we got gelato, and enjoyed in the bubbling brooks running down from the mountains into the lake. On the far side, we found a trail of packed earth and pine needles, reminding me of New England.

Dinner was a happy find as we discovered an excellent farm-to-table restaurant called Hauser in the quaint city center. With a warm and welcoming vibe, I would highly recommend this spot to all visitors looking to eat local. The connected patisserie proved the perfect spot to find treats to take home.

My birthday bookended our time together and all too soon it was time to say goodbye. We had such a wonderful, relaxed visit and I hope they’ll return again soon. For now, it’s time to wrap up this school year and get our seniors graduated!