As the title suggests, I've rejoined the pack to recommence our "round the world" tour. I arrived last night about 8 pm after an uneventful 22 hour trip from Haliburton to Toronto to London to Basel to the Rustico.
This cabin is a lovely spot, perched on a steep mountainside overlooking a valley. Cars get parked at the bottom of the hill in a farmer's yard, as the last 200 m is uphill by foot, culminating in 101 granite steps to the front door. (They have a cable lift for stuff, but people aren't allowed to ride.)
Today, after a leisurely morning, we drove north of Locarno to a nearly hidden valley to walk the riverbed and visit some villages. It was a sunny, crisp fall day. I really felt like we were seeing a little bit of the "real" Switzerland that many tourists would miss. This evening, we cooked sausage on an outdoor fire, had a leisurely dinner, then practiced my children's newest hobby - poker.
As it turns out, I don't have any deep philosophy tonight. Life is good. I'm back with my family, drinking wine made from grapes grown on this very property. In it's own way, this place is as nice as a lakeside cottage in the Haliburton Highlands. Tomorrow we have another easy day here, before heading north Saturday (through the 17 km Gotthard Tunnel) to meet the relatives.
This cabin is a lovely spot, perched on a steep mountainside overlooking a valley. Cars get parked at the bottom of the hill in a farmer's yard, as the last 200 m is uphill by foot, culminating in 101 granite steps to the front door. (They have a cable lift for stuff, but people aren't allowed to ride.)
Today, after a leisurely morning, we drove north of Locarno to a nearly hidden valley to walk the riverbed and visit some villages. It was a sunny, crisp fall day. I really felt like we were seeing a little bit of the "real" Switzerland that many tourists would miss. This evening, we cooked sausage on an outdoor fire, had a leisurely dinner, then practiced my children's newest hobby - poker.
As it turns out, I don't have any deep philosophy tonight. Life is good. I'm back with my family, drinking wine made from grapes grown on this very property. In it's own way, this place is as nice as a lakeside cottage in the Haliburton Highlands. Tomorrow we have another easy day here, before heading north Saturday (through the 17 km Gotthard Tunnel) to meet the relatives.