Of Castles & Waterfalls

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Part One: Castles 

Nestled in between the Swiss mountains 45min north of Lugano is a charming city called BELLINZONA. Home to three different castles {all designated by the United Nations as sites of cultural importance} Bellinzona is an underrated gem! I have yet to see any American or Asian tourists here (which is really saying something because they are everywhere!) I just don't understand it.. I mean check out that view ^^! Plus if the prospect of exploring middle age castles wasn't lure enough, consider that Bellinzona is still in Italian-speaking Switzerland so you can grab some incredible gelato + a pizza after you explore the castles! My kind of place.

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Part Two: Waterfalls 

And from there the weekend only got better! The next day, we took the entire incoming class and headed to VALLE VERZASCA, a favorite region of mine, home to a massive waterfall + glacial rivers + quaint villages. Our large group of english-speaking students seemed so comically out of place in these mountain villages, I couldn't help but smile as one of the DOUBLE DECKER tour buses struggled to navigate a narrow cobble stone road lined with balconies.. #EuroProbs. Comedy aside, I was more than thrilled when the buses finally stopped to let us off for a picnic by the river and then a hike up to the base of the waterfall. When I came here last year I had no idea what to expect, whereas this year I was excitedly urging the incoming students along the path to the magnificent falls. Can you blame me? 

the view from a mile away! ⇡

see that little speck circled in the bottom right? ↗ that is a person. yeah.. this waterfall = gigantic.

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Part Three: The Plunge 

And then to wrap it all up I jumped into a glacial river  (like literally. it is glacier melt.) Interestingly enough, the night before said plunge ^^ I watched The Titanic..  coincidence? I think not. I feel for ya Jack and Rose!! My legs went numb after just two minutes in the water! But the thrill of it all was worth it. 

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And thus concluded my last weekend of 'summer'. Orientation is done. Classes officially started this week, so it is back to the daily grind of homework/work/classes/more work, etc. But I certainly am not complaining, because I have an inkling that this semester is going to be brimming with the best adventures yet.  I am ever grateful for this chance to live in such a breathtaking region of the world, for the escapades I have the opportunity to go on, the people I get to meet, the friends I have been able to make, etc. I can feel it, a tingling kind of sensation in my bones, I think that this is going to be my most exciting year yet! so bring it on world.

PS you can find last years posts about Bellinzona + Valle Verzasca here and here