A wet and cold week

A grey week in Paris

It's been two weeks...

When it rains, it pours...

This year, Lugano and the rest of the continent experienced an exceptional autumn enjoying sunshine and temperatures as high as 29 °C in the month of October. All this came to a crashing halt when over night deepest fall hit us. 

Looking forward to our half-term or "pont de Toussaint" as it is called in France, we headed towards the "Sonnenstube" (sunshine capital) of Switzerland only to find ourselves submerged with wet weather. The past two weeks have brought NOTHING but rain, rain and more rain accompanied by some exceptional thunderstorms and winds up to 180km/hour.

But nothing stops the Swiss from getting out and about... no matter what the weather.

Not looking promising...

Leftovers from the storm the night before

Lugano's iconic gate onto the lake

No boats in sight this week

Wondering how long it will take before the floods arrive

Escaping from the rain at the LAC (Lugano's Art Center)

Some special customers 

Another Lugano landmark: Farmacia Internazionale!

Hidden corners of Lugano

Abandoned benches with a heart

Churches hiding between the autumn foliage

When will the sun return?

I'm off to the Caribbean...

So, I've decided I have had enough rain to last me a lifetime this winter. Don't anybody ever tell me how bad the weather is in London, Paris is worse! I am off to the Caribbean... if only in my dreams!

A whole new outlook!

If I were a letter, I'd post myself to this destination!

The locals here are so much more laid-back.

Palmtrees wherever I look 

I'd get my flamingo friends out for the day... 

... and have lunch with a view...

... go snorkelling in the afternoon...

... and have a little workout before dinner!

Unfortunately, reality at the moment looks like this!