Italy! Here I come!
The Gotthard rail tunnel reopened on Monday
I kind of had to hop on a train to Italy on my day off. I think that’s definitely the rule. I’m on the same train for 2.5 hours and it’s a really comfortable Swiss one with a table and everything. Perfect for writing.
From Aarau I have two options to get down to Ticino and then on to Como. Here’s how I choose. Leaving Aarau at 6.31 traveling via Zurich is the direct train; 7.31 also traveling via Zurich you have to change in Arth-Goldau (where the lines from Zurich and Lucerne meet). So, if I want to leave then, I take the 7.30 train from Olten. That way I’m already on the train when people from Zurich get on in Arth-Goldau. Direct trains alternate between Basel and Zurich, but you do have a train connection from both cities every hour.
Did you follow that? Probably made more sense in my head.
I love that I have the option of always being on the direct train. Location, location, location. I prefer the route via Olten because that’s the route I walked. Looking across the fields seeing the hiking route and smiling right now. There was a lot of swearing and “why am I doing this?” every time a train passed me - of course there was.
Annoyed that I forgot to charge my headphones. I have plug-in ones, but that means that I can’t charge the phone at the same time as listening to music. Not ideal but also not the end of the world.
Sooooo not looking forward to the long tunnel. I mean, I totally love that it’s open again. It makes the train journey to Italy so much shorter, but man is that tunnel long. Twenty minutes. And it’s at the base of the Alps, so you literally have the Alps on top of you. Best not think about that too much, I guess.
Fast forward about 95 minutes and we’re now close to entering the tunnel. I’m already hating it. One last stop. Last chance to hop out – Altdorf UR. Next stop will be south of the Alps. Mentally preparing for the tunnel. It is 9.09 Uhr. Got my stopwatch ready. I need that to breathe my way through the tunnel. We’re speeding up. I don’t think that’s a good thing at all. It’s one of the few stretches on the Swiss railway system, where the route is entirely straight. I see my hiking route across the valley.
And we’re in at 9.11. Now the announcement that this is the longest rail tunnel in the world. First in Italian, now in German – surprised that’s the only two languages. It used to be English and French too. We’re traveling at 195 km/h now. Doesn’t seem safe.
Crap only two minutes in and I’m already not feeling great. Slight panic setting in.
I mean 57 km and 20 minutes – who came up with that bs. I need to have a word. Focusing on my breathing and typing away. People are chatting like it’s nothing. Hello?! Don’t you know that we’re in a freaking long tunnel and that there are actual mountains right on top of us and that …
People are weird. And how is it that only four minutes have past now.
Could time please move this slowly when I do something I like? I mean seriously, what’s up with that?
Five minutes – and BREATHE.
Back to my Metz/Nancy newsletter for a bit.
Six minutes now.
Wow, out after 17:45.20. The train driver must have found a shortcut. Much appreciated. Now it should be plain sailing all the way to Lugano where I arrive at 9.58. Connecting train to Como is at 10.02.
**
Okay, here are my thoughts on Como. Totally overrated. You’re better off going to Lugano in Switzerland. Same general feel but Swiss infrastructure. The entire area itself is beautiful. No doubt. But that’s my initial reaction. Okay, it was raining for parts of it and that didn’t help. There is some stunning historic buildings, the lake is beautiful, but seriously I think a small village like Morcote in Switzerland has more stunning views to offer and the lake front there is breathtaking. I might be slightly biased of course.
There was a book fair going on and of course I had to go check that out. My favorite book was La Balena Gluglù (The whale called Gluglu). Not sure why – it just caught my eye for some reason. What a great name for a whale. Yes, I am easily amused. I found it online if you want to check it out.
I can read easy reader Italian books and I can listen to and understand audio books for the most part, but I didn’t buy anything on this occasion. It was raining and I wanted pizza.
Having said that Como is overrated or overhyped doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go there. Of course not. Me, personally - I just might go to Bellinzona (draw back – no lake) or Lugano or Locarno instead in future.
However, there are a couple of places I have to go back to. I found this charming restaurant. It’s in what felt like a non-touristy part close to the train station. I saw it when I walked down and I was like “I’m gonna eat here later”. It was too early just then, but on the way back I stopped. I wanted pizza but I let myself be talked into trying their homemade pasta patata. I’m not complaining, it was lovely. I’m just gonna have to go back for pizza.
They also gave me bread with olive oil. The olive oil was already on the bread. How good was that?! It was a family run restaurant with kids coming home from school and friends dropping of cake and having lunch there too. I loved that. In the end I paid € 22 for a plate of pasta, 4 slices of bread with olive oil (that was €3) and a bottle of sparkling water. I had looked at the prices down by the lake or on the square in front of the dome or some of the ones that have pictures of their food on the menu. A simple plate of pasta alone was like € 28. I don’t pay Swiss prices in Italy - sorry.
I walked out of the restaurant having figured out the train situation and headed for the station. Did I pass an ice cream place that had just opened for the afternoon? You bet! Did I go in and talk to the owner? Yep again. Did I feel adventurous and try two new flavors? Surprisingly – yes. So I tried Fiordilatte (I'm sure I had that one before but couldn’t remember) and Professor’s coffee. I was able to taste both first. They really complemented each other in flavor. The owner was super nice and explained everything to his customers – something about eggs and cream.
I just looked it up and this recipe is available in English. Why not make your own? Oh, and if you’re not following Italien cooking nonnas on YouTube (and I guess tiktok) or Instagram you’re missing out. I don’t know the account names, but they keep popping into my feed. So good and fun.
I promised the gelato guy a Google review IF I liked the ice cream, which I did. It’s called Gelato Crea Lake Como. I think Google reviews could become a thing I do. I actually enjoy that. I might need a Tripadvisor account too. Could this turn into a side hustle I wonder …
Anyway, I really hurt my thumb at the station in Lugano on the way back and it’s still a bit sore. Luckily there doesn’t seem to be any permanent damage, it’s just bruised. Makes typing a bit more difficult than it needs to be.
The train ride back was uneventful, I even missed us entering the tunnel. I wouldn’t recommend hurting your finger for this to happen though. I didn’t do what the Swiss Railway app told me to do. I stayed on the train all the way to Olten. I wasn’t gonna run across the platform to get the train to Zurich in Arth-Goldau even though it would have gotten me to Aarau 9 (or 16) minutes earlier. On two very crowded trains while mine emptied in Arth-Goldau. Nope, that was never gonna happen. Convenience will always win.
What a nice little adventure that was. Helped me think things through and catch up on some stuff. I love working on trains.
Let me rephrase that – I love working on nice Swiss trains that are reliable and comfortable.
Have a lovely Saturday everyone.
It’s nearly 8am in California, so I enjoyed escaping to Como with you this morning! 🇮🇹🍕
Yes, escaping to Como on a Saturday must be bliss. I’m ready. What time is the train…….🚂? Enjoy your day! 😽😽 We are!