(not necessarily in that order)
Here’s something I love about Switzerland.
You can look up as you exit the car on the way to visiting a friend, and see cows grazing on the other side of the parking lot.
Yet, as you can see from the buildings, this is not out in the boonies somewhere but in a rather densely populated area.
Yet another delightful thing about this beautiful country.
Ramesha and I are truly grateful for the blessing of spending time with family and friends here in beautiful Lugano. At the same time, having lived in spiritual community for so many years, after a few weeks we find ourselves missing satsang with fellow devotees.
Last year there just happened to be an Ananda event that we were able to go to. This time we decided to be proactive and arranged to do a music workshop for the Ananda Ticino meditation group that meets regularly in Bellinzona.
What a joy it was!
First of all, we got to talk about music, consciousness, community, spiritual growth, etc. Then we got to simply enjoy singing with everyone. That was followed by time to answer questions and have some interesting discussion. And then we all went out for super delicious pizza.
The absolute best thing, however, was getting to know this new branch of our spiritual family. Even the ones we only met last night feel like longtime, dear friends already.
(P.S. I used the word “bliss” in the title because in Sanskrit the word “Ananda” means “joy” or “bliss!” So, “Swiss bliss” is my way of having fun describing an Ananda meditation group in Switzerland. 🥰)
Today was a really good and eventful day. But I’m so tired that all I can do is share this cute kitty with you all.
Good night!
The clouds and sky were amazing this afternoon!
Equally amazing was the view from the Chiesa di S. Giorgio.
We found time for a nice chat and cappuccinos in the sunshine this morning.
As the old coffee ads used to say: “The pause that refreshes!”
Although the weather in Lugano Centro was cold and rainy as we ran errands this afternoon, we had some thoroughly enjoyable encounters with a number of delightful people. And that always makes my day.
Finally a day with just a simple lunch of gnocchi with pesto at Silvio’s (Ramesha’s father). We would have only been there maybe an hour and a half total, except that today we had to do…
Yep, you guessed it…laundry. Which kept us there all afternoon
It was actually a good thing because had a chance to plan the program we’re doing for the Ananda group in Bellinzona this Sunday afternoon, on “The Power of Sound and Music on Consciousness.”
It’s kind of amazing how full this first two weeks in Lugano has been.
Today’s lunch was in Camorino (about half an hour from Lugano), at the apartment of Ramesha’s niece, Nicole, and her boyfriend, Antonio.
It was another delicious lunch, in another beautiful location, followed by yet more walking through lovely surroundings. The only real difference is that the sun came out and stayed out, so it was quite warm.
We were there for almost four hours altogether and, while we thoroughly enjoyed our time with Nicole and Antonio, I have to admit that by the time we get home it’s hard to focus on accomplishing anything else.
Turns out that yesterday’s walk up the hill above our apartment was just a warmup for an excursion with Ramesha’s family today.
We went to the quite amazingly beautiful Parco San Grato, located high above Lugano, to walk the grounds and have a picnic.
There are plenty of photos to share, but I’m too pooped to deal with them tonight.
We only walked/hiked for about two hours altogether, but there was plenty of up and down, plus dealing with uneven, rocky ground. All in all, it was the most physical activity I’ve had in a while and I am definitely feeling it this evening.
The rain finally stopped and I was able to go for a walk in the neighborhood.
This time I went uphill from our apartment and took photos on the way down.
I love noticing how the vista changes when viewed from different elevations.
