Geneva Polo Masters 2009

So who knew an afternoon of Polo would be so much fun?! We definitely enjoyed the posh sporting atmosphere of the Geneva Polo Masters tourney - only 2 miles from home! The weather was perfect and the scenery was the same. CDL (the kids school) was a sponsor, so the first match was an exhibition of the of the school team. We then sipped champagne (and beer), socialized with friends, stomped the divots at halftime, and had a great time!

Chamonix - Aiguille du Midi Cable Car

We took advantage of an excellent late summer day to visit Chamonix with Linda. The weather was stunning, so we opted for an excellent ride to 12600 feet for a 360 degree panoramic view over the summit of the Mont Blanc massif. This great ride ends with views of the Swiss, French and Italian Alps. We then spent some time half way down hiking around - a big highlight for the little Lary climbers.

Lago di Lugano, Italy and Ticino, Switzerland

Our "last minute" '09 summer holiday led the Swiss Lary's to the beautiful landscapes of Lake Lugano's shores in northern Italy and the Parco San Marco Beach Resort! After making a reservation on Friday night at 7PM - we were off on Saturday at 10AM for the 5 hour drive over the Alps into Italy. Our rest stop and lunch break was atop Simplon Pass at an altitude of 6,580 ft. This was a key trading route used by the Romans and later Napoleon who order a road built here in 1800-08. From here we descended into Italy and the small town of Domodossola.

Once arriving at the resort, it did not take long to hit the waterslides ... Daddy and Devan take a run!

Surrounded by high mountains and the Valsolda conservation area, including lots of palm trees, there was not a cloud in sight.

Devan and food - this was a common theme as you'll see ...

Dinner in the main restaurant ...

Looking East to the town of Porlezza, at the end of Lago di Lugano.

Evening fun on the trampoline ...

Spiderman emerges from Club Bambini - next stop, the pool!

Perched high and ready for the waterslide descent ...

The main pool scene ... Mom getting sun, Kellen by the steps and Devan in the water (and Daddy taking pics)!

Break time ...

A "threesome" as Devan called it ... tidal wave not shown.

Date night dinner at the Bistro San Marco, an excellent Italian meal.

An view of Porlezza at dusk. A great fireworks show took place this night, with perfect viewing from our lakeside deck.

Mules on-site ...

Relaxing in the hammocks post-breakfast and taking in the view...

Back poolside, lets just say the boys enjoyed this slide (at least 300 times ...)

Yet another bump and bandaid for Devan ...

Paddleboat time on Lake Lugano and lots of pedaling for Daddy. We were a tad surprised when Kellen lept in to the lake (with his life vest of course)!

Everyone was back in the boat once the swan family arrived ... slight panic after Mommy Swan started hissing alongside her cygnets. Maybe she didn't like the raisins Kellen tossed to them.

A morning run to the "Swissminiatur" near Lugano. This was a big hit with 1:25 scale models of Switzerland's most notable buildings and natural features ...

The Zurich airport...

Ok - and the Duomo in Milan (I guess the Swiss were influenced since it is only 50 miles south) - very impressive, even the inside was detailed and you could walk through it.

And a mini train ride for all the boys, big and small ...

Maybe we were not supposed to feed the fish - but they were VERY hungry!

A great view of Monte Bre rising 3,061 ft out of Lake Lugano - our resort was just down towards the end of the lake.

Free, unlimited ice cream for the kids - do you think we got our fair share?

Kellen picked up on the "big kid" trick of dropping the backside of your shorts to pick up speed! This lasted once as he nearly shot out of the pool!

Devan even got into the action, although he had a harder time getting his shorts down thank goodness ...

Kellen deciding how well he liked the fresh Italian olives as Devan devoured the salami (and mommy enjoyed a Prosecco cocktail).

Gelato in Porlezza.

On to Bellinzona, a fortress town from Roman times. During the middle ages, the dukes of Milan built three castles here, enabling them to defend this strategically placed town and control traffic passing through the valley. The Swiss confederates siezed control of Bellinzona in the 16th century and is now the capital of Ticino. The three castles - Castelgrande (pictured below), Montebello and Sasso Corbano are together a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Montebello and Sasso Corbano are in the background...

Coloring and snack break inside the castle...

From the outside - not too easy to overtake!

Doorway of Chiesa dei SS Pietro e Stefano (whatever the heck that means) in the center of Bellinzona ... ok, so its a Gothic church with a Baroque interior.

... stopping for gelato, again!

Heading home, we detoured from the southern opening of the St. Gottard Tunnel - why not head up in to the Alps on a small two-lane road? Nufenen Pass or Passo della Novena in Italian/Nufenenpass reaches 2,478 meters. The pass road from the Canton of Ticino to Valais links Brig to Airolo. This pass only opened to traffic in 1969, it was a spectacular drive ... and why not enjoy some snow when its 75 degrees?

A windy road indeed ...

And yes, a LONG way down...

To the east of the top of the pass is the source of the Ticino River. Towards the north is a spectacular view of the Bernese Alps, notably the Finsteraarhorn while there is a view over the Gries Glacier to the south (in the background here)...

Making a wish ...

It was a 360 degree view of the Alps, simply stunning.

Thanks to Kellen for the great picture of Mom and Dad!

Look Grandma, only one hand!

Devan, eating again, at the summit's gift shop atop a Swiss doggie.

And only a mile into the descent - a Swiss traffic jam?! Thankfully we only had to follow the herd for about half a mile. There was only one way down! Very amusing ...

If you've made it this far, we hope you enjoyed highlights of our trip! Our last night landed us in Fleisch, below the Aletsch Glacier, the longest glacier in the Alps. We opted for a quiet evening at the hotel (they had a nice park for the boys), and made our last push to AquaParc at the end of Lake Geneva for more waterslide fun. It was another day of 90+ degree heat but being lakeside made for a perfect ending to a great week!