Bernina Express in Switzerland St. Mortiz - Tirano

On Wednesday Mom and Dad Sodergren along with cousins Mary and Stan took a train to Milan for a tour that started in Milan.  For this tour we hopped on a bus to take us to the Bernina Express in Switzerland. This train journey took us along one of the most beautiful railway routes in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We made a stop at the resort town of St Moritz at the ‘Top of the World' and in a charming little town called Tirano.

Church in Tirano

Inside church

boarding the train in Tirano

starting out on the train trip

starting to climb and see a little snow

2.5 hours later we stopped in St. Moritz

St. Moritz

Me, Dad and Mom Sodergren, Stan, and Mary

Angera and Castle Borromeo

Well I finally made it across the pond to see the fortress that I can see every day from Arona!  It just opened again on March 22nd so I thought it would be a great place to visit.  This month I am traveling with Mom and Dad Sodergren.  We also have Matt's cousins Mary and Stan this week!

Cossogno

Is there a town in Italy that is not picturesque?  Even the tiny ones have so much character!

Now that I can speak just a little Italian (I mean just enough to ask for directions, order food, basic conversation, etc.) I have come to love talking to Italians.  If you are ever lost go ask an older Italian man (they are always walking about or looking for someone to talk to).  They love to help you out!  Now it does come with a lot of other questions, because they want to know where you are from, why you are here (which is usually followed by surprise in small Italian towns, because they aren't used to Americans being in the small towns), but they mostly focus on my dog though.  What kind is she, how old is she, is it a girl or boy, and does she bite or can they pet her.

Sasha and I headed to a tiny town in the Val Grande Park called Cossogno.  There was a post office and one restaurant and lots of hiking.

Hike from Stresa to Belgirate

Sasha and I took a hike last week from Stresa to Belgirate.  The hike runs about 2.5 hours one way and weaves between the lake, the mountain and a few towns along the way.  Here is our adventure:

We stopped and had a little picnic before making the 2.5 hour hike back to Stresa.

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I am updating this blog, because I repeated this hike with a great group of expats (Gary, Terri, Carlene, Nancy) and of course Sasha is always with me!  We set out from Belgirate this time and I am adding a few different pictures.