Bellinzona.

So we trained into the neighbouring town of Bellinzona. Our first adventure out of the little, and increasingly nothing-to-do town of Lugano. Train tickets were 5.90CHF after using the half-card. We paid 249CHF for the Swiss Half Card + Track 7 which allows us to buy tickets at half price and travel for free between 7pm and 5am. It’s a yearly card, but we decided we’d have to make it worth it and travel around Switz more then.

On the train, climbing altitude and passing by other small areas.

The main town areas in this part are small but the landscape is just ridiculously pretty every way you look. I haven’t NOT seen a mountain anywhere.

There’s a carnival going on in Bellinzona this week called Rabadan (sounds like Ramadan hor?). Everyone from the teeny little kids to the old folks dress up in costumes and there are loads of bands and parades and stuff. But unlike Ramadan, the festivities include a lot of drinking (at night) and these hilariously hungover sunflowers were one of the first sights that greeted us upon entering the city center.

There were cute little tots EVERYWHERE.
Small, chubby, wide-eyed, pink cheeked European babies are just too adorable.

Then we visited one of the three castles in Bellinzona – Castlegrande. We were too busy being trigger happy and enjoying the sun and lovely grass to bother cheong-ing all the castles.

We didn’t bother paying 5CHF to enter the castle museum, but you’re free to wander around in the outer courts. The castles of Bellinzona aren’t really castles in a sense but more of defense forts.

And here’s the view from the castle. Beautiful ain’t it?

And this is my first Swiss cat! My favourite subjects are a rare find in this country. Generally there are as many dogs here as there are babies. Every other person you meet owns a dog and generally spend lots of time walking them.

After enjoying the castle we strolled back down into town to walk straight into the ongoing parade. Really enjoyable and makes me miss playing the saxophone. These people really know how to have fun.

Friendly t-bonist smiling at me from across the courtyard as his bands heads out to play.

Okay a couple more pics from the castle.

Today we’re going to Ikea, I think. If we ever make it out. We’re all just nuaing in our rooms on this Monday morning because we have no school.