Yesterday afternoon Dr. O took us on a boat tour of Lake Lugano, which took us us all the way out to Morcort where we saw the Chiesa da Sant Antoni. When the time came for the boat to take off, seven of our girls hadn't yet made it - they had hopped off on the wrong bus stop and were frantically running towards the dock to make it. We didn't see them until the boat had already taken off, and sadly waved back at their disappointed faces. Then to our utter astonishment (I mean, we were in Switzerland, a land of timeliness and efficiency!) the captain turned the boat around, circling back to the dock to rescue those those left behind. It was then that we remembered just where we were - Switzerland yes, but the
Italian region of the nation. It was so neat to get a firsthand taste of how different values are between the two countries - and yet how wonderfully they sometimes combine in Lugano (Switaly!).
Upon our arrival we
literally climbed a mountain to take a gander at the beautiful church along with the accompanying baptistery and cemetery.
As each person stumbled up the last few steps, a natural drinking fountain awaited to revive every parched traveler. It was probably some of the clearest and most refreshing water that I have ever tasted!
After that we went inside the church for a while to take in the details around us. The dark, stone interior was cool and inviting after our sweltering hike up the mountain, and I was happy to sit down on the smooth, wooden pews and tilt my gaze upwards. Intricate frescoes abounded, but because the chiesa was much smaller than many of the enormous duomos and cathedrals we have seen, it was much easier to take them all in and enjoy what I saw piece by piece.
The views outside the chiesa were wondrous - my pictures simply cannot do the sights justice! As I leaned over the wall and looked at the turquoise waters beneath me I felt closer to home somehow. I'm not sure why - maybe the lake and mountains resembled some views my mind recalled from western North Carolina, or even Colorado.
Whatever the cause, I was once again filled with a sense of awe at where I was and what I was doing. It was difficult to grasp it all - I was standing by a mountaintop church in
Switzerland. I was a continent away from everywhere else I had ever seen, and yet, I didn't feel so very far away from home. I could have been an hour or so away and I don't think I would have felt any different - and yet, I was in Switzerland. Wake up and grasp reality Bekah!
Next we exited out of the church and over to the gardens that lead to the baptistery. The grounds were beautifully manicured and overlooked an even more magnificent view!
The sky was clearer on this side of the church (I'm not sure why) and the water below sparkled in richer tones, like diamonds. Again, my camera by no means does the view justice!
Joy, Hillary and I were sweaty - and stinky too - but satisfied :) We had made it up the mountain in one piece and the view was 100% worth the climb!
Another shot of Lake Lugano:
Houses on the hill beneath us (and for clarification - this was not the side of the mountain that we climbed! The other side was much higher up and a lot steeper!):
Flowers from the chiesa/baptistery garden:
I had never seen an iris in this color before ... isn't that shade vibrant?
And what would a flower collage be with a sweet and delicate rose ... I love the pale pink edges that surround the yellows and creams.
Sign leading us to the baptistery ...
Here is a shot from inside the baptistry - it was one of the most aesthetically pleasing baptisteries we've seen on this trip (in my humble opinion). The creamy, white marble was lovely, and as tiny as this one was in comparison to say, the grander one in Siena, I thought it fit the location very well. One of my favorite aspects was the light that streamed in from the side windows - it was very subtle, but added a lot to the visual impact of the room.
And here is the gorgeous ceiling! I appreciated the softness of the colors and thought they meshed well with the purpose of the little chapel.
And here are the views that greeted me as I left the baptistery:
A shot of the back of the church:
Well I need to run soon, but as I'm going to be very busy these next couple of days with final projects and such, I am not sure how much more sight-seeing we will be able to do. I would appreciate your prayers as we all wrap up here in Switzerland and take off in our various directions. Eleven of us are continuing on to England after the final travel break and the rest are going back to the States, so on top of the stresses of last minute due dates we have the knowledge that many goodbyes on are the horizon. And, for those of us continuing on, new challenges, classmates, and cultures are ahead as well.
I miss you all greatly and am sorely regretting that phone calls are so pricey! We just got the bills back for May, and it wasn't pretty, so I'm needing to be very careful and stingy with my minutes - and that's been really hard. I think the communication gap has been the most difficult struggle for me over here because I hate feeling the disconnect from those I love. Please pray that God will use this time to loosen my dependence on family and friends and help me really lean on Christ when I get lonely, frustrated, or upset. It hasn't been easy, but I am beginning to see the deep value in this time of "communication separation." Pray that I continue to do so (!) and that I will persevere and be patient in each little frustration that come my way.
Much love and many, many baci!
Bekah
What really gave the dish a kick was the grilled salmon Hillary contributed. I've loved how much fish and seafood I eat over here! I topped of the plate with a picturesque trio of basil leaves for aesthetics. Miraculously, nothing went wrong and the dinner was a success!
And I had my Tide To-Go pen ready when I dropped pasta on my shirt! Saved by the pen once again - that thing has been one of the best purchases I made before leaving :) It has rescued me from pizza sauce, chocolate gelato, diet coke, and now pesto sauce.
Besides improving my culinary skills, I have also been hard at work on final projects for my art class (I can't wait to show them to you all when I get back!) and enjoying the city of Lugano whenever I get a spare moment (which isn't often, but I'll take what I can get!). Yesterday Hillary and I went shopping and I bought my first clothing items of the trip - be proud! I had withstood the many temptations for over a month and since the Swiss franc is worth about 85 cents in U.S. dollars, I was also getting more for my money. We had a blast trying on foreign fashion and I got some fun new clothes to breathe new life into my now well-worn wardrobe. As silly as it is, just adding a few new fun pieces to the mix excited us more than I can express!
I love my hall mates (L-R): Joy, Lizzie, me, and Hillary
That's all for now - more later!
