Happy Easter!

“Buona Pasqua tutti!” or, Happy Easter everyone;)  It is a hazy and warm Easter day here in Switzerland.  The streets are calm and everyone seems to be in a restaurant or at home enjoying the company of family and friends.  This morning I walked into Chiasso where I joined close to 1,000 other people for Easter Mass.  Today was my second time going to Church since I have been here in Switz.  The first time I went was back in the Fall and I did not understand one bit of the sermon.  Today, however, I was able to pick up on quite a bit more and follow the priest as he told the story of the Risen Christ.  After church I was invited to lunch with Cinthia and her family.  We went to a little restaurant called, Picolo Mondo.  There were 12 of us in total.  The meal was wonderful and left all of us feeling quite full.  The first dish was an antipasta, second was lasagna, then came meat, vegies and potatoes and lastly was dessert!  I haven’t quite figured out how these Europeans can eat so much without putting another notch on their belt.  We talked about the differences between swiss and american food.  Juliano, Cinthia’s uncle, couldn’t believe that I am accustomed to drinking a big glass of milk with my meals instead of water, wine or ice tea;)  After 3 1/2 hours of talking, eating and toasting I said my goodbyes giving out 3 kisses to each person and went home to relax a bit.  I had to rest up since we were off to play tennis later in the evening.  

From left to right, Cinthia's grandma Rosilde, her mom Liliana, me, Rose (Cinthia'a aunt), Otto (Cinthia's dad).

So, that is a quick snap shot of what my Easter Day looked like.  This past week was packed full of quite a few different things, watching tennis, playing the part of an Easter Bunny, hiking, practices, Easter Markets, Birthdays, American Breakfasts and of course, the journey to Sierre.  

From left to right, Lisa my teammate, Mirko, me, Lucas, Rudy, Cinthia and Erik

On Monday I had the pleasure of watching Lucas and Cinthia play tennis.  Besides enjoying the back and forth action, I thoroughly enjoyed sitting in the bleachers, soaking up the rays of a beautiful day and admiring the wonderful view.  It’s not everyday that I have the opportunity to lounge beside a tennis court that is planted right in the middle of such a lovely landscape.  

Wednesday morning was another experience all together.  As a favor to Liliana, Cinthia asked me if I would act as the Easter bunny for her mom’s elementary school.  Ha, this was definitely a first in my life.  So, I went to the school with Cinthia, and upon arrival I was given my bunny costume.  I was covered from head to foot in white, furry, polyester that did not want to let me breathe whatsoever.  I swung my basket of 60 chocolate eggs into the crook of my elbow and pranced off to the playground.  Meanwhile, my partner in crime, Cinthia, followed me with a video camera and a bunny mask of her own.  I frolicked around the playground depositing eggs here and there, swinging on the swings, sliding headfirst down the slides, riding the tee-tor-totter, kicking around a soccer ball and doing other typical bunny things.  All of the children were glued to the 2nd story window of the school building looking down at me with excited/curious faces.  As I neared closer to the window I was greeted with high pitched salutations of “Ciao, CIAO, CIAAAAAOOOOOO!”  The children banged away on the windows with enthusiasm and started singing an Easter song for me;)  After all my eggs were dispersed about the yard I waved goodbye and exited the playground.  When I took off my mask I was sweating just as much as if I had just played a basketball game!  

The Easter Bunny and her loyal companion.

Entertaining?

Saying hello to the screaming children who were watching from above.

Later that day Cinthia and I went for a hike on a trail that is about 5 minutes from her house.  The trail lead us down, down, down, into the depths of the mountain where the icy, clear, mountain water was running in full force.  This year there was a surplus of snow and rain which has increased the water flow immensely.  Down by the river we came across an old Mill that was covered in green moss and taken hostage by the multitude of vines that had wrapped themselves in, out and around every nook and cranny of the old building.  Cinthia said that it was well over 100 years old.  

Thursday afternoon Cinthia and I took the bus to Como, Italy where we strolled and browsed through the many portable shops that had been set up by the vendors.  This market was special because it was the Mercatino di Pasqua, the Easter Market, and so it was quite large.  Walking through the streets one could buy, clothes, jewelry, toys, furniture, kitchen utensils, yard work tools, fabric, rugs, and of course, plenty of food.  That night back in Chiasso, the boss of Borgovecchio was throwing himself a birthday party.  So, Jess, Polona and I all went to wish him a happy birthday and to try some appetizers.  Without doubt, I tried something new, something called Tartare.  Tartare is otherwise known as raw hamburger meat.  Here in Switzerland it is a specialty that is quite expensive.  The texture was quite strange and I’m not sure I would enjoy eating it again, just knowing that it is raw hamburger meat does not sit well with my stomach, but you gotta try it at least once, right?;)  

TarTar, hmmmm, yum?

After a few appetizers Cinthia and I were on the move again, heading to Mendrisio for the annual Easter Procession.  Mendrisio is the only city in Switzerland that puts on a procession of this magnitude, so people from all over Switzerland load onto buses and come to watch.  The procession is a reenactment of when Jesus carried the cross and walked through the streets of Jerusalem.  The costumes that the participants were wearing were even more marvelous than the costumes during carnivale.  There were men riding on large horses and atop their heads were authentic looking metal helmets, complete with bright red feathers.  Their chests were protected with armor, they held large spears in their right hand, and they had on very heavy looking boots.  The horses were also draped in decorative garments.  Along with the men on horseback, there were young boys running about in long, brown cloths, some carrying torches in order to light the way.  All of the people watching the procession stood silently, and so the clip clop of the horses hooves, the sounding of the trumpets and the slow rhythm of the drums were magnified, making the whole experience feel remarkably real.  Towards the end of the procession there was a man with long, scraggly, brown hair, he was without shoes, and his body was hunched over under the weight of the cross which he was carrying on his back.  As he inched forward down the street there were other men that would run up to him, circling around him, pointing and yelling “A MORTE!” “Kill him!”  After Jesus passed by us, a few kings followed, wearing extremely lavish robes and jewels.  The whole experience was very unique.  It amazes me that the whole town and surrounding towns get together to put on this procession and have been doing so for many, many years.  

Easter Procession.

After spending a night back in time, the following morning I jumped a few centuries forward and prepared an American Breakfast for Cinthia, her aunt and her two cousins.  The menu consisted of blueberry pancakes, french toast, fried eggs, bacon and strawberries.  Cinthia’s aunt and cousins had never eaten french toast before or tasted syrup!  When breakfast was over, they were all quite full and not in any hurry to think about lunch, I think they actually skipped it;)  

Friday night after practice I had the pleasure of hosting one of my teammates and her boyfriend.  They were staying with me because we were leaving somewhat early on Saturday morning to take off for Sierre and they both live about an hour from our gym so it was just easier for them to stay the night.  Anyway, we ate dinner and talked about differences between Switzerland, Italy and the States.  My teammate, Judit, is originally from Hungary, but now lives in Switzerland.  She speaks Hungarian (one of the 3 hardest languages in the world), Italian, German, English and French!  She will be 20 in just 2 weeks and she just recently got her license.  She was telling me that she is still a little nervous to drive when it’s dark outside.  Upon hearing this I had to marvel at the fact that I had been driving for 4 years prior to being 20 years old.  Everybody in Switzerland thinks that letting 16 year olds drive is absolutely ridiculous, and maybe it is, but it’s normal for us.  When you get your license in Switzerland, however, for the first 3 years you cannot get into an accident or receive any sort of ticket, because if you do they take away your license and you have to take all of the classes over again and pay even more money.  WOW.   

Ok, onto the game.  We endured the long bus ride once again, but this time more comfortably as we drove a double decker bus which left all of us with 4 seats to ourselves.  In the beginning of the game we were keeping up, going back and forth with Sierre, but it was just a matter of time until they took control.  We fought hard, but their starting 5 are all foreigners and we are just no match for them.  We lost the game 73-53.  

The bus ride home was long, but the time passed as we watched, The Bucket List.  

So, now I am pretty much on vacation for the next 4 weeks.  Ha, I know it sounds like I have been on vacation this whole time, but I did workout, shoot or have some sort of practice almost every day, I promise;)  Now, however, I will have multiple free days in a row that will allow me to actually go somewhere other than just around town.  I will be here in Switzerland until the 10th of May, so until then I plan on doing a few things that I was not able to do during the season.  Well, I hope everyone had/is having a wonderful Easter! 

ciao,

Leslie