Tessin
Am Dienstag stand das Tessin auf dem Programm. Dort waren wir ja vor etwas mehr als einem Jahr mit einigen Escholzmattern. Die Erinnerung war so angenehm, dass wir die paar Stunden Bahnfahrt gerne noch einmal unter die Räder nahmen. “la l’église, la troisième…”, wie
Emil so schön sagte, NEAT-Tunnelbaustelle, schönes Wetter nach dem Gotthardtunnel, etc.
Wir fuhren dann mit dem Funiculaire auf den Monte San Salvatore und spazierten von dort herunter zur Mittelstation. Das Schiff erreichten wir nicht ohne vorher eine feine Glace zu kaufen. In Gandria genossen wir die engen Gassen und die Wärme der Herbstsonne. Die heimfahrt erschien mir noch länger als die Hinfahrt 
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Tuesday 9th Oct.
Ruth: “Up early ‘with the larks’ is our NZ saying - but we don’t see that many larks,so I don’t know if they are the earliest risers of the bird family, but the Meier’s and the Hanna’s got up early and caught the 7:18 am train down the country to the warmer, Italian speaking part of Switzerland, called Tessin. We go up Mt Salvatore (900 m) in 2 cable cars (it is a very steep route), but a wonderful view, especially if fear of heights isn’t a problem - it has a resemblance to Wellinton but of course older and bigger and like Wellington, very pretty. We have a picnic lunch at the halfway point coming down - and finish with lovely gelato before boarding a boat on Lake Lugano to have a cruise down the lake and see where the border is between Switzerland and Italy and visit the village of Gandria which is perched on the side of the mountain like the Cinque Terre in nothern Italy. We enjoy some freshly roasted chestnuts (a similarity to our NZ kumara - or sweetpotato) from a vendor in Lugano (our first taste) then walk to the station for our 3 1/2 hour journey home, arriving in Escholzmatt at 8-30pm. Enjoy lots more lovely scenery and take lots of photos - but a bit misty so not as many as our day on Titlis). Arrive home hungry but happy, and Sarah had kindly made a salad and set the table up and we four travellers enjoyed (for Ruth and Wayne), our first genuine swiss cheese fondue - very yummy, very rich and we were very full when the bottom of the pot was cleaned out with the last bit of bread!”
