From Almost Italy



Lucerne, Switzerland (Photo by Avery Cropp)

If the unfortunate circumstance arose that I had to stop my trip right now for any reason beyond my control, I would be content. Switzerland is a beautiful country, the people are pretty friendly, the scenery is fantastic and I'm having a great time exploring.

My friends here might be happy to know that Switzerland might even be edging out Spain for the ranking of favorite place in the world.

It's been a busy few days here in Zurich, Switzerland. My friend Carlo showed me around to several places in the Zurich area, including a town called Lucerne and on Sunday we went south to "Almost Italy" in Southern Switzerland.

The most epic Imax movie ever (photo by Avery Cropp)

By "Almost Italy" I mean that you can see the Italian border or could take just a short train and you'd be there. The cities are Bellinzona, Ascona and Locarno.

Now, I've always wanted to go to Italy, but due to time constraints it won't happen on this trip, so I think settling for "Almost Italy" is okay by me.

I travelled through several trains and German, English and Italian language changes on this little trip. So by the end of the day my head was spinning.

Despite the long train ride it was totally worth it because on the route we followed I felt like I was in a really epic Imax movie. You just twist and turn around these mountains and they are so green and beautiful. You pass a bunch of little villages and lakes and the landscape constantly changes as you pass through the tunnels. It was better than a movie.

It was more about the journey than the destination for me.

As you get closer to the Italian border the signs change to Italian, the train ticket checkers greet you with a "buon giorno" and little children beg their parents for Gelato.

Ascona, Lago Maggiore, Switzerland (photo by Avery Cropp)

These little towns, when you arrive are just so beautiful that words are hard to describe them. Ascona and Locarno surround the lake, Lago Maggiore, while Bellinzona isn't near a body of water. They're so quaint, peaceful and beautiful you don't want to leave.

There are nice little cafes and restaurants everywhere and little shops you can look at too, as long as they're open.

These little towns are what you make it. For me it was a lot of photography, walking around and having my own personal tour guide tell me a

Bellinzona, Switzerland (photo by Avery Cropp)

little bit about these places since he's spent a lot of time here recently.

It's totally worth the day trip, especially if the weather is nice. Tomorrow I head for Geneva, Switzerland so keep an eye out for more entries soon!

Until Next Time,

Avery Cropp