another weekend gone by

i went to the lovely south of switzerland saturday to lugano. it was really amazing. my friend ida here is from there and says that it's very boring there in winter but it was far from boring in spring. the hills were filled with lush growing trees....they looked so soft i thought i could just curl up and let the trees usher me to a peaceful slumber.

stayed at a hotel that had a spa! i never have gone to a sauna and it was delightful. there were some ladies in there when i went in and since i had my glasses off i mis judged the ceiling height and bonked my head good and the girls all laughed at me. good stuff.

then i cooled off in the pool....then went in the jacuzzi!

had myself a good italian meal of asparagus soup, tortellini, and red wine. for dessert i had the best treat i have ever had, especially after a heavy italian meal. just plain fresh strawberries with the juice of half a lemon and a bit of sugar. so good....topped off with a coffee of course....

next day was spent wandering the town and up to monte bre in the hills overlooking the city of lugano. very cool.

it's so amazing that just a few hours away by train is a whole other world with people speaking italian. nisey asked me 'have you been to swiss switzerland' and there is switzerland everywhere but they just speak different languages....

i felt very italian! i cannot wait to get to rome which is in two weeks.

i am planning to do a 'hitler' tour. i know that it might sound offensive but really i am fascinated with WWII and so i figure i might as well go to poland, austria and to the home of hitler himself!

this weekend i think i am going to calw or stuttgart...haven't quite made up my mind. then i get the 21st off for ascension and i will be able to lay low that weekend then off to london rome and so forth!

i finally got all the many pieces of paper in the mail to be able to log into my bank account online so this is pleasing....instead of going to the bank to have them do transfers for my bills i can just do it my own self now!

have a meeting thursday night with mom and dad here to discuss many things....my main issue is gernot's troubling aggressiveness toward wolfie.....but it's good. they can tell me what they want in their very german no frills way and i can probably have a good cry about it!

hopefully playing chess with the italian fellow i met that lives here as well as a live music show on friday at paddy's with the ladies from the G locals website....so i am doing alright. i am meeting so many nice people finally.

it's weird, i figured i would meet people right away and it seems opposite....i have already been invited to dublin for new years....it's a bit far off so not sure on that yet as well as ida's bday party in the alps in july....

mondays in may are my favorite days for the boys both go to playgroup and i get a few hours off. today i went home and got some disinfectant laundry soap so i can soak my clothes all day in it and have hopefully cleanish clothes.....

i am working on getting more packs out but i am trying to find things that are wholly swiss instead of just sending chocolate all the time.

i found giant swiss army knife toys for kids so i will get a few of those and i will send get well chocolate to oren and his broken back!

be well my friends!
don't forget you can mail me postcards or short letters.

michelle marcoccia
Wiesenstrasse 14
#26
4057 basel
switzerland!