A visit from la famiglia
I realize that I in all my excitement to have my parents visit us at our home in Leysin, I took barely any photos of them in/around/near our home! Still, we had a few amazing days in Switzerland — seeing the Tour de France (on my dad’s bucket list!), enjoying a farmers market and picnic on Lake Geneva, and meandering the wildflower-covered alpine slopes (my mom’s favorite!) — before we packed up the car fully to the brim and drove southeast through the mountain passes towards Lake Como and our house in Lierna.
a few photos from the Swiss visit
In Lierna, heat was high and the lake was cool, so we spent much of the week lounging about, reading books and dipping in the dark blue waters that beckoned from just beyond our boathouse doorstep. My sister and her friend — one of my family’s recent beloved exchange students — joined us and were quickly followed by other international “siblings” from Germany and Russia.
The Lierna Boathouse
The house was full of sweet holiday energy, and there was always someone to partner up with for a paddle board ride, gelato walk, or ferry ride across the lake. Together, we adventured to the famous Bellagio, and discovered that the nearby medieval village of Varenna (just north of Lierna, the town we stayed in) captured all our romantic italian lakeside holiday fantasies. We toured lush villa gardens and marvelled at lakefront architecture, delighted in many a late-night dinner on the patio as the sun went down, and took an unforgettable pasta-making class from a local chef just up the road. Obi’s highlight of the week? The various neighborhood cats that took up residence in the house at random points of the day, sneaking in through open windows just to catch him by suprise during an afternoon snooze. He sure loves cats.
Lakeside Adventures
Pasta!
All too soon, it was time to say goodbye — everyone dispersed by various means of transportation — my family on the train up to Amsterdam, others back home by plane, train and automobile. We’re already dreaming of the next time!
Love from Leysin,
sbmc
