A beautiful, clear day in Lugano...so Rick and I took the #9 bus from Pregassona up to Cureggia (the steepest climb! Bus is great for this part!) There are not many buses up to Cureggia, so we had to wait until 11:57 to get a bus - this is the one that also takes the little school kids home for lunch. Besides the driver, we are usually the only passengers over 6 or 7 years old!
From the bus stop in the center of Cureggia we follow the yellow hiking path signed to Alpe Bolla. An alpe is where cows or sheep would normally be brought up to in order to graze. Many Alpe will have a "capanna" where you could get a meal and sleep. It's a little too early in the season for them to be open. This hike takes us along the side of Monte Boglia. We will try to get up to Alpe Bolla and back to catch the 3:45 bus back down. After all, our neighbor often jogs up to the top and back in the mornings - she says her record is 1 hour 9 minutes to Alpe Bolla. Let's see how we do......
A couple minutes into our walk along the side of the mountain and we come upon a little religious grotto. These are very common in Switzerland - especially in Ticino!
40 minutes into our hike and we come to our first open view - an old grotto/restaurant that is currently closed and needs a little TLC. Here we are looking down on Lugano and its suburbs. What looks like a white cloud just above the mountains a bit left of center is really snow-covered Monte Rosa, the tallest mountain in Switzerland - 15,204 feet.
Enjoying a homemade sandwich and a great view from Alpe Pietragrossa.
The gate to enter the Alpe Pietragrossa. So nice that the Swiss don't have everything all fenced off and gated shut, and we are free to enter to have our lunch.
And the amazing thing.... there was a jeep parked in a little "garage" at this grotto! Now, how in the world did that jeep get up here! There is a very narrow dirt road - you'd never know it's a road, as it looks like a path, that the Swiss manage to drive on to get to amazing places in these mountains!
Here and there we see huge trees that have uprooted and fallen - especially during heavy rains on the steep slope. Rick stands below one of these huge monsters! You see the pieces are cut. Someone always comes and "cleans up" the forest and the paths, clearing away trees that block one's way.
Other than lunch at the abandoned grotto, there are no open views, as we hike through the forest - but the forest is so peaceful and beautiful! I love every step!
Lime green spring colors of leaves and moss.
We hike up about 35 minutes more, and from our map app we see that we still have about 45 minutes more to go. Rick wanted to try, but my legs are already tired! Besides, if we continue, we'd have 5 minutes to enjoy ourselves up there and then have to hurry down. We decide to turn back - we will do the entire hike another day and start out earlier in the morning.
On our way back down, we decide to hike just a bit on the "road" that had led out from our lunch grotto. Because of this "road", you can find little mountain houses along the way. I'm standing by one house, looking towards the next - and the steep slope! Don't try to cut this grass - let the cows, goats or sheep do it!
Ahhh, we are back to civilization! Just in time for the 3:45 bus from Cureggia.
It took us 1 1/2 hours to get back from where we decided to turn around - good idea! Still can't believe my neighbor can run up to Alpe Bolla near the top in just 1 hour 9 min!!! And that is from Pregassona, below - and we are taking the bus back there because it's SO steep!!!
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