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We took a very similar route yesterday, up until the town of Goldau. Where yesterday we continued onward towards Luzern, today we switched trains and headed South. The train ride went through the Urner Alps and the Lepontine Alps, however, the train windows weren't clear enough for any good pictures. Nevertheless, the view was spectacular, not just of the mountains, but also of the little villages along the way.
It's really cool to see the difference between the German-speaking and Italian-speaking regions. Obviously, you can tell because the train goes through a few big tunnels, but you can definitely notice when the architecture changes from the northern German-style to the southern Italian-style. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures from the train - you'll have to go yourself to see it! Maybe I'll take another trip down there someday and do a better job of taking pictures. Seeing all of these mountains was a great addition to the trip, and could have even been its own expedition. The only drawback is that you can't really get out at each little town along the way to take a look around, because 1. the fast train doesn't usually stop there and 2. it would take forever if you stopped everywhere.
A lot of the little towns that we passed by probably could have been day trip destinations in their own right, provided you were up for some hiking or ready for a small bus / gondola / train / etc. detour. We saw a lot of hiking paths and bike trails that one could take, perhaps to go on a camping outing. With a few days or weeks to kill, the Alps would be an amazing hiking / biking / camping destination.
Lugano
Lugano was great. Immediately after stepping out of the train, you could feel the difference. It was really neat to go to a region where I didn't speak the language. I understood a lot more than I thought I would, which isn't to say that I understood much, but often had a really hard time replying in Italian. I definitely responded to some people in Swiss German and/or English when my lackluster Italian couldn't conjure up the right words. Regardless, it was really neat hearing and seeing Italian all over the place.
We wandered around the town for a bit, made our way down to Lago di Lugano, and then got hungry. We found a restaurant called the Spaghetti Store, which had some great and authentic Italian food, but was a little understaffed. Micah and I split a large, delicious, Italian pizza, and mom got some pasta. After lunch, we meandered across the lakefront, watched part of a regatta, got some ice cream, watched some street chess, and saw more sights. Mom had her Rick Steves Switzerland travel book, so we had a good overview of what there was to see and do. There were a few churches she wanted to see, so we made sure we saw those. We eventually made our way back up to the train station for the 17:12 train and headed back up to St. Gallen.
All in all, Lugano was great. We spent most (all) of our time in the old city and on the lakefront; I'm sure that there are a lot more interesting things to do and see once you get into the rest of the city. The weather was a little hazy, almost as if a very thin cloud had descended over the lake, so you might not see the mountains in the background of my pictures as well as we could. We think we saw Italy, but weren't 100% sure which vantage points gave a view of Italy, and which gave a view of Switzerland.
Lugano also seems like it would be an easy place to spend a few days. There was a boat ride we could have taken, and with more time, we could have made an excursion up to one of the nearby mountains. Also, I think there were a few museums that mom would have enjoyed, and it may have been neat to go down to Italy. I guess I just have a lot of ideas for next time!
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