Day 5 - Lugano to Locarno

Day 5 was relatively restful. My daughter spent a leisurely day reading, swimming and eating in Lugano whilst I took a short train journey beside the lake to Melide to see Swiss Miniatur.



It was a blisteringly hot day but the modelling was of a very high standard and the whole thing is well executed. It's well worth a vist if you already happen to be in the area.

A rail journey of about an hour took us to nearby Locarno. I found Locarno to be more to my liking. Although similar in many ways to Lugano, the Piazza Grande has a more interesting range of shops and the lakeside seems more attractive. We arrived just before the Film festival was about to start - which takes place in the Piazza

We booked into the Hotel America - which is tucked away just off the Piazza Grande above a bar. It was clean, pleasantly decorated and comfortable.

After a thunderstorm and torrential downpour we ventured out in the evening to await the grand firework display - which was staged on the lake. I have never seen such a spectacular display - which must have lasted a good 20-30 minutes.

Day 9 - Lucerne to Lugano

Out penultimate day saw us boarding a paddle steamer to takes us across Lake Lucerne as part of the Wilhelm Tell Express journey. It was a glorious day, both in terms of the weather and the trip. The Stadt Luzern is one of five paddle steamers still in service on the lake.

The fully inclusive ticket entitled us to a meal in the first class lounge. The menu is set and hence the choice is limited to the dish of the day. However, it met our needs and we supplemented it with an excellent bottle of wine.

The journey along the lake lasted nearly three hours, but there was plenty to see and we were entertained by the antics of the other passengers.

At the far end of the lake we joined the train at Fluelen for the last leg of the journey. This included three glimpses of the church at Wassen as the railway loops its way back and forth across the mountainside to gain height.

This time, the first class panorama coach was quite crowded. We passed back through the Gottard Tunnel and traversed the Freggio, Prato, Piano Tondo and Travi spiral tunnels in grand style.
I had booked us into a hotel in Lugano which was more central. Tucked away between two shops the Hotel San Carlo was more stylish than our previous experience in the town.

In the evening, we tucked into an Italian meal at a restaurant in the square and absorbed the ambience.

Beside the hotel, a group of folk singers performed their repertoire as we retired for the night.

Day 10 - Lugano to Milan to Liverpool

The original plan was to take an early train to Milan and spend the day sightseeing in the city. However, having already toured the city on Day 2 (and been singularly unimpressed) we decided to spend a more relaxing day in Lugano.

I hopped aboard the Funicular which plies between the centre of the town and the station to investigate changing our booked train to Milan. The assistant was very apologetic but was unable to change the booking and suggested buying another ticket for a later train. 'What the heck!' I thought, 'Why spoil the last day?' So I asked for two First Class single tickets to Milan - total cost approximately £16.00! If I had thought to use my Swiss Pass, I would have got them cheaper as the journey to the Swiss border would have been free.

A pedalo ride worked off the breakfast. Once again, it was scorchingly hot!

The salad at the little lakeside cafe was more than adequate, followed by a leisruely stroll and a bit of souvenir hunting.

All too soon, we boarded the train for Milan and, with considerable regret, bade farewell to Switzerland and its marvellous railway system.

But it is definitely 'Au revoir' rather than 'Adieu!'

Coaches for Bergamo airport run conveniently from beside Milano Centrale station, obviating the need for a train followed by a taxi ride. We returned to a dismal, wet UK.