'Tis the Season: Part Two

Christmastime in Europe can be so magical! Lugano may not be a big city, but its tree is the largest one I have seen yet, so props to you Lugano! It dominates the city's main piazza, towering above the nearby buildings! Curious about how it arrived in this little town square? Well by helicopter of course! Scroll to 1:00min and check the video out HERE as captured by a local news crew!  Oh Switzerland! 

For eighteen years of my life I was missing out on the warm and yummy goodness that is a roasted chestnut. Sure, during the holidays I would sing THIS carol with the phrase "chestnuts roasting on an open fire", yet I never realized that people still ate chestnuts.. I don't know what my deal was, but I thought that chestnuts were something that people only ate back in the 1890s.. Yeah, don't ask me where I got that idea from! I am happy to report though that they are in fact far from "extinct"! In fact, during the winter season, chestnut stands can be found all throughout the city of Lugano. If you ever pass by one, do yourself a favor and spend a few francs on a small package of warm and yummy goodness. But don't even bother buying them from a stand that cooks the chestnuts in anything but a big black cauldron, it's the only way to go! 

^^ The Christmas tree in all its beauty (see how small the people are in comparison!) + pretty Christmas lights

I can hardly believe it, I will be back stateside in ONE WEEK for the winter holidays!  So, now that I am all stocked up on groceries and christmas cheer, I think this may have been my last trip downtown for the year :( catch ya on the flipside Lugano! Buon Natale to all my Lugano friends, see you in January!