The Last of Lugano

June 23, 2007

I won't be able to update for at least a week, I think, because this is my last day in Lugano, Switzerland. Tomorrow we say our last goodbyes to the half-program members of Summer Abroad and head out into the Continent. Bekah, Crystal, and I will be spending two nights in Salzburg, Austria; two nights in Lucerne, Switzerland (where Crystal will then leave us and head to Zurich to fly back to the USA); one night in Paris, France; and one night in Calais, France, where we will then take the ferry across the English Channel to Dover and a train to London. One month in London and a week of travel in Scotland, and then I come home on August sixth. Pretty scarily quick!

Well, now that my travel plans have been laid out so cleanly, it's time to recount what happened today. Turns out that my journal was due at 8:30 AM, and I still had two requirements to fill! I visited the Parco di Florida, a second-story garden/park across the street from where I live. I was the only person there at 8 AM, and I spent some time wandering through the old marble archways and gardens, taking a few moments to play on the swingset. I felt more like a child, swinging back and forth with my backpack still on in a park in Switzerland at 8AM, than I have in quite a long time. It was wonderfully refreshing.

Nothing lasts forever, however, and I quickly realized that I was late to breakfast. I defeated the Hellish Hill and scarfed my croissant, cereal, and yogurt before heading to the cemetery on the hill. The Lorengo Cemetery is beautiful and simple, with detailed mausoleums and small in-ground graves the majority of the place. Next to it is the Santa Maria di Lorengo church, a beautiful but simple church that has mass mainly to bless the dead before they are interred. I spent the rest of the morning finishing my journal before turning it in for the final grade (I got an A! Be proud!) and relaxing with my friends. A basic shopping excursion was much-needed, even though I found only ONE shirt.

Lizzy made dinner for us, wonderfully delicious Penne alla Caprese, and then we played cards and listened to old-school Michael Jackson until the wee hours of the morning. Speed and War can get pretty intense, ya know!