That was the journey to the canton of Ticino today. This is the Italian part of Switzerland at the very bottom of the country. I had been wanting to go since I read a brief description of it. The problem is, as you saw, it's a long ways from home. Seven hours round trip is a big commitment to visiting something for one day. I had been trying to plan out an overnight to Asocna but it didn't happen. So Tom and I made the commitment. I'm so glad we did.
Certain Swiss readers may be slightly ashamed of me when they hear this, but if I ever move to Switzerland, it would be to Ascona. Why? Well, the first thing to greet you is the sun and palm trees and sun. My favorite. I have yet to go to Italy, but the atmosphere is what I imagine very similar. Everyone is speaking Italian. Street markets are set up on cobblestone squares. Brightly colored shops and houses line narrow alleys. It was perfection. First things first. We went straight to the water to have some lunch in the sun.
Then began the wandering. We walked past restaurants with patios on the water side. Trees grow over the patio to provide shade. It's winter, so nothing is growing now. But still cool to see. We watched a grandpa walk with his grandson down the path. We walked past houses with rose bushes as tall as the house. Flowers were everywhere. Boxes on the sidewalk, covering buildings, lawns front to back full of flower. Everywhere you looked, gorgeous flowers. I can only imagine what it looks like in the summer!
Not to shabby, right? I told you. Anyway, back to the day. On the bus from Locarno to Ascona, I had seen what looked like tomb stones lining the hillside. This is all the information I had for Tom. I dragged him along looking for this site. Just as we were becoming convinced I was crazy, around the corner there it was. Four different levels of a graveyard went up the hillside. Tom happily pointed out to me just because we found this one doesn't mean I'm not crazy. Maybe... Nonetheless, we walked through all the levels. It took quite awhile. Probably longer than we had to spend on our journey south. But it was amazing. It was beautiful. I understand that's an odd word for a cemetery. But every grave had flowers and was spectacularly well kept. Each stone had a picture of the person/people buried there. But to top off the beauty, some of the tomb stones were carefully carved pictures or designs. These alone were reason to see such an amazing cemetery. We also noted, after seeing a 102 year old buried there, everyone mostly seemed to have died later in life. I concluded it's the sun Ascona offers daily.
We caught a bus to Locarno, next. Next to the bus stop was the "Walk of Fame." In stones, famous singers had put their handprints. At least 22 groups had been there- starting with Billy Idol going to ZZ top. I guess Locarno really appreciates when stardom comes their way. Nonetheless, I got very excited putting my hands to celebrities' and seeing how small my hands are. I took pictures of some highlights.
(Elton John⬆️)
(Sting ⬆️)
(Ben Harper and Jack Johnson ⬆️)
(Back Street's back, ALRIGHT! Ahem... Backstreet Boys ⬆️)
Tom didn't appreciate the Walk of Fame quite as much as I did. We decided to split up so he could conquer Ingress stuff. My next stop was the Piazza Grande. It's the heart of Locarno. It's where a Film Festival, The Moon and Stars concert, and many film projects are held. But mostly, it's the classic looking cobblestoned town center.
I continued to wander the narrow busy streets. I tried to use the tourist information guide but, as I've mentioned, knowing where I was going just wasn't as fun. I kept it just in case, but continued my wanderings. I found churches that were full of intricate designs and paintings, simplistic churches, and churches with women crying saying prayers. I managed to go in a side door to a church, only to get inside and realized I was locked in. A happy nun let me out after I'd looked around. 
I loved walking through the narrow alleys full of flowers go back courtyards. I think sometimes I ended up in backyards sometimes, but I saw the prettiest areas. I left quickly when I did. Don't worry. Finally, despite wanting to wander the streets for so much longer, I headed to the lake. The sun was low in the sky but still warm enough to inspire people to go on scenic walks by the water. A mom watched her son feed the birds. An elderly couple sat on a bench conversing in Italian. Runners sweated in the beating sun. I sat and watched all the people. I smiled into the sun, enjoying every moment of the wonderful day.
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