Switzerland

(These titles are becoming less and less creative as the clock in this internet cafe keeps ticking.)

         The day after my last exam I left before sunrise to catch a flight to Switzerland, since my Swiss neighbor Cecile invited me and her roommates Emily and Luc to stay with her for a few days. They had all finished finals well before me, so I met them for the last days of their stay. I was in Switzerland five years ago and it was one of my favorite countries I´ve ever been to, so it was great to have the opportunity to go back. Cecile lives right outside of Lugano on the Swiss-Italian border, and we explored the lakeside city after they picked me up from the train station the first afternoon. Later we had drinks in a plaza, and one look at the prices in this incredibly rich country broke my Granada bubble--2 euros for a beer and tapa in my Spanish home is more like a dream than a reality in any other European city.

Lake Lugano

         When we arrived at Cecile´s house later I was absolutely blown away. She basically lives in an Italian villa overlooking all of the lake and mountains. Her parents were so welcoming, and although I've sort of considered my whole year in Granada as a break from reality, my time at Cecile´s was a true vacation. All the days sort of blended into one, so here´s a rundown of my time in paradise:
          Sleep in (in my own room) until 10:30 am; have breakfast and coffee on the garden terrace overlooking the lake; swim and sunbathe down at the lake; come home to Cecile´s parents´ homemade delicacies--fresh pesto lasana, meatballs and tabouli, caprese salad, wine, etc. Pick blueberries and raspberries from their huge garden and make a berry crisp for dessert; head to Grandma´s pool and tennis courts during the afternoon; have drinks on the lake in the evening with Cecile´s friends; more homemade feasts for dinner. I felt so relaxed and pampered the time that it was hard to believe I was visiting a friend instead of being on my honeymoon.

Emily and Luc picking berries

The view from Cecile's house

Cecile's mom's pesto lasaña

Lunch on the terrace

          One of the nights we went to a free concert in Lugano (probably the only thing that has ever, or will ever, be free in Lugano) by a world-famous violinist. Although I wouldn´t call myself a classical music fan, it was the most incredible playing I´ve ever heard. However, the man was like the Lady Gaga of classical, dressed in outrageous costumes and doing over-the-top theatrics throughout the whole set, to the point where I experienced that uncomfortable awkwardness when you feel just plain sorry for the performer because you wonder if they have any friends or if they repel everyone they meet with their unbearable personality.
          On the last night Cecile´s friend Davide drove us all to Milan so we could have a nice time together before our flight left early Saturday morning. We went to drinks and aperativos by the river, and later to an Italian restaurant for dinner. The saddest part of the trip came that night when it was time to say goodbye to Cecile and Emily, some of my closest friends this year in Granada. But I´m confident I´ll see them again, either in Europe or California, so it was only a temporary goodbye.
         Then Luc and I headed to the Milan airport at 4 a.m. to catch our flight to Sweden!