The rain hasn’t dampened our spirits, it has merely kept us from enjoying the cocktails the patios offer. Plenty of time for that. I’m confident we’ll make up for it. 

The arrival in Lugano has been soggy. We have not represented well here…so hard to pull off European sheik when it is teeming with rain.  One of us might as well have been wearing a fanny pack for how frumpy and disheveled we look in our rain coats and soggy shoes. (And by “one of us” I mean Mom. Kim and I would never be caught dead wearing a fanny pack.) 

The welcome we had planned for Mom & Kim was thwarted by their ability to hop on an earlier bus leaving the Milan airport. Despite my good upbringing which had us arrive at the train station more than half an hour prior to when they were set to arrive, they beat us there. Hearing my name being called across the train platform, I looked up and spotted two figures, huddled together in their rain coats at a bus stop. Darn it! We barely had time to unfurl the Swiss flags we brought as we dashed into the tunnels to find our way to the other side of the tracks

Reunited at last, we began the wet journey down into town to catch the bus up, up, up to our house. Upon arriving we got straight to the business of enjoying a Swiss feast.

Today’s forecast was worse than the light showers yesterday. Today can be accurately described as “socked in” with the view from the terrace coming and going throughout the day. Despite the rain we made the most of a day exploring Lugano. Hit a few of the key spots like the markets, the art gallery and the Nespresso shop. Showed off the insane price of produce, nearly $11 for a half pint, at best, of raspberries. To be fair, they were the prettiest raspberries you ever did see.

Once soaked through to the bone, we hopped back on the bus to return home for dinner. The excitement of giggling into the wee hours with my adult companions has yet to materialize. So far my weary travelers have been tucked into bed both nights by 9:00 pm sharp, leaving the kids and I up to carry on our nightly routine of stories and tuck-in. Hoping tomorrow they’ll outlast my children. 

That said, there’s nothing I respect more than an early bedtime. As a morning person myself, I would never begrudge someone who feels the call to crawl into bed, despite the promise of a fun, late night. Having been that girl on many, many occasions, desperate to escape to bed while the party roared on, I am happy they are enjoying these cozy beds. Having nearly lost them both to head bobbing and long blinking at dinner last night, I know they need some time to adjust to this far-away time zone. 

Plus tomorrow I have a big day planned…train rides to Italy, funicolare rides to mountain tops, hiking to seaside villages…sleep now while you can Ladies.