photography – Expat Mom Journal

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of early spring sunshine warming both your soul and your body. I absolutely love this sensation! I often wish there were a word or expression that could capture the intensity of this experience. It’s so full of hope for the warmer and longer days that lie ahead in the coming weeks and months..

Here in Ticino, the sunshine plays on our senses every day… almost every day! This mood-lifting phenomenon is exactly what I needed after 3 months of no-sunshine in the valley of Centovalli.

Carnevale in Ticino

Last month, we “scared” the winter away at Bandi Gianee by dragging tins along the ground and making loud noises throughout the town. February and March in Ticino are dedicated to Carnevale. Even the typical “ski holiday” is referred to as Vacanza di Carnevale, which translates to “holiday of carnival.” People greet each other with “Buon Carnevale” when they depart. Are you going away for Carnevale? This question is mainly to find out if you have any plans, particularly for skiing, during this specific week.

Tiny Trips

Ascona

Ascona is my current favourite place to visit. I am very lucky to live 10 minutes drive away. I end up visiting this place at least twice a month and each time I discover something new.

Ponte dei Salti – Lavertezzo

This double arch stone bridge is a renowned destination for adrenaline enthusiasts. Built over 400 years ago, it serves as a popular jumping spot for anyone looking to plunge into the turquoise river below. The river is slow-moving yet cold. From the bridge, you can see the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Lavertezzo. If you’re adventurous enough to climb the large, river-worn stones, you can capture a beautiful reflection of the church in the water.

Verzasca Dam

This was my second visit to the majestic dam in Valle Verzasca, and it did not disappoint. This time, the kids were awake, and we took the opportunity to explore the area thoroughly. We walked along the entire path on top of the dam, which leads to the opposite mountain where a hiking trail begins. The rocks had a way of playing tricks on our eyes. As we explored, the kids effortlessly climbed on the rocks, making it look like they had completed a challenging hike. The vastness of the space and the distance we covered suddenly felt much greater compared to our usual daily surroundings.

1000 Hours Outside Challenge

Longer days provide us with more opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. We spent just over 43 hours outside this month, which is 8 hours more than last month. Unfortunately, the flu continues to be prevalent in our neighborhood. From what I’ve read on social media, it seems to be lasting longer than usual this year, often extending beyond a month. This aligns with our experience; between the five of us, we end up passing the illness around. Despite being ill or not, we strive to get outside whenever we can.

We have completed 88 out of 1,000 hours by the end of February, which makes me doubt that we’ll reach our goal. Fortunately, the summer break lasts over two months in Ticino, and I expect to fit in the majority of the hours needed for the year 2025 during that time.

Hello March

“Vacanza di Carnevale” means a week off from kindergarten. We are in the midst of potty training, which begins with three days at home. After that, we can start taking short walks before we attempt a longer trip. Fingers crossed that we figure it out quickly! 🙂

San Giuseppe day is an official public holiday in the Italian part of Switzerland. On this day, all fathers are celebrated, just like in Italy.

Swimming Lessons, Back to Work, Winter Flu, Exploring Brissago, Family Pool Fun

Brissago

Driving straight into the winter sun, which is sitting low on the horizon. Lake on the left and mountain on the right. The road hosts two way traffic but with the width of two old minis, very narrow. It is full of twists and turns. Just around one corner a garage door amongst the rocks of the mountain. Park the car and take the lift to get to your residence.

There are many such garage doors along the road south from Ascona just like that. Each one has a concrete lift shaft above. I can only imagine how people live / commute from places like this. I wonder what happens when the lift breaks down.

We kicked off the trip at the southern part of the town. Parking near the lido of Brissago, we planned to check out the slide leading to Lake Maggiore. However it is closed in the winter and it is not accessible with a buggy / trailer due to the stairs.

Chiesa di S. Maria di Ponte

A few meters further to the south on foot, we found a church. Large wide stairs leading down to what it looks like to the lake. To the right the cemetery to the left the most well maintained church yard, I have ever seen. The church is open for visitors from April until November. However the surrounding garden is open all year around. The lawn is manicured with precision, the trees are pruned for the next season. It is a great spot to fill up on vitamin D on a nice sunny day.

Looking around we can see the nearby lido and long slide just behind the church. On the lake the island of Brissago is visible. It’s botanical garden offers a couple of hours excursion for the visitors. On the other side of the lake, the mountains go from green bottom to brown middle to white caps.

From here we carried on towards north of the town. Along the way, many of the Mediterranean features can be spotted. The houses have warm colours, the palm trees keep their unique shades all year around. Stone dominates many of the walls, bridges and due to the steep hill Brissago is built on, there are many not-so-hidden stairs along the town.

Lungolago of Brissago

Lungolago is filled with benches to rest on. Unique statues and fountains break up the path. Lemon and orange trees show off their fruit even this time of the year. The winter sun makes long shadows creating a dramatic effect on the photos we took along the journey.

Below the promenade the large stones form theater seats like structure. Great spot to admire the the ‘vista’ in front.

The houses are colourful with large balconies maximising on space to admire the view of the lake and mountains. Tranquility dominates the lake side in January. I imagine that it is the perfect calm before the high season storm begins.

However the winter sun has now disappeared behind the mountains. We pulled up the zips of our winter jackets, to keep the cold out and headed back towards the main road. Behind the fire station, a lively sport field breaks the serene site.

Along the main road, the town is busy with locals chatting in the bars, rushing from one place to another. Busy traffic rushing in front of the hill covered with terraced houses facing the lake.

It was our first time visiting Brissago, however, we would love to visit in the high season, to be able compare the atmosphere between the seasons.

Brissago in summary

It was a great 2-3 hours trip (including playground pit stop, which is unavoidable with little kids). The playground is secured with a fence and has a few different features. There are many parking spots available around the town with various facilities. The trip can be stretched out to a whole day experience by visiting the Botanical Garden on the island of Brissago.

Visiting with a buggy / trailer was easy. The only challenge was to drag the trailer back up the wide stairs from the church to the main road. The stairs are really small and deep, so the passengers did not complain.

Swimming lessons

While waiting for the lesson to kick off, M had a few rounds on the water slide. She is gaining confidence in the pool. During the lesson we walk in big circles with the little ones (1 & 2 year old) across the whole lane. Each round we do a different activity. This is the quietest time in the pool. I can hear the lifeguards’ chatter faintly while focusing on blowing bubbles underwater for M’s entertainment. She is mesmerised with all the toys and busy keeping them in her hands while being pulled around in the water.

I hope next week O can join as well. He is home with flu, he needs a rest.

Back To Work

Holidays are over and M is back to his work routine. It was so nice to be together for a couple of weeks. But as anything, this is now over, which means I need to get my sh!t together again.

Winter Flu

Baby is moaning, temperature soaring above 40 degrees Celsius. Last night I called the hospital for advice. I was reassured that I can safely increase the amount of meds given to keep the fever in check. Next day, we were due for O’s one-year-old routine check up. Our paediatrician prepared me to keep fighting the fever potentially for a whole week. ‘It is flu season!’ Important to keep up the dosage every 4 hours. However, during the night I let him sleep through one 4 hour window. At 3 am I woke up for an inconsolable crying for help. His temperature was nearing 41 degrees Celsius. From that point onward I skipped zero 4 hour windows. The following night was even worst and I had to give him another med, which is like a horse kick. It takes ages to make a difference, but once it works it lasts for 24 hours. Eventually we got out of this madness by the second part of the week.

Family Pool Fun

Sunday FunDay. The pool was the busiest yet plenty of space to splash about. Four grown ups for 3 kids is a great balance in a busy pool. Huge inflatable across two lanes keep the bigger kids busy and the parents anxious. Blue elephant slide keeps M focus sharp. She is growing into a little adrenaline monkey. Sliding down, immersing under water, climbing out of the pool and starting all over again for another twenty rounds. Before she disappears behind the stairs again, but instead of appearing on the top of the slide, she is off to the baby pool. Luckily Granmy with little O are already there splashing on the tiny water fountains.

Tag: photography

Goodbye February: welcome warmth in Ticino