LUGANO: LIVING ON THE EDGE

San Salvatore mountain is right on the edge of Switzerland and Italy.  I had the joy of taking a funicular train up the mountain and hiking back down on a strangely beautiful day.  It was incredible.  To trek through the forest was refreshing and exhausting, and it began to pour near the end of our descent.
When we got to the bottom of the mountain, we were tired and wet and looking at this amazing lake at the base of these mountains, a valley lake.

 

It was calm except for the pouring rain.  And we decided to jump in.  Unplanned, in our hiking clothes.  And it was glorious.  Swimming in that cool, but not cold, water...in a valley, mountains all around...all quiet except for the tinkling, sparkling sound of the pouring rain on the otherwise still water.  It was too much to take in.  Too perfect, too beautiful.  So we treaded water and prayed.  It was the only possible response.  God was speaking to us and we had to speak back, to praise him out loud together for the fullness and glory we were experiencing.  It was a moment you can't plan, you can't prepare for, you can only be lead to.  

And when you're lead there, you have to be ready to jump in. 

CHE BELLA!: CINQUE TERRE AND RISK TAKING

On a day trip from Milano to Manarola this summer, I saw the Mediterranean for the first time.  The whole thing was an adventure, barely figuring out the train, bringing a pack of wandering Americans to a tiny seaside cliff town.  But it was magical.  The sea was amazing.  Stunning and a welcome sight after not seeing a distant horizon for a number of weeks.  I love the horizon.  I've said that.  It connects me to infinity and eternity and things that are bigger and more vast than I can fathom.  I need that in my life.    While I was there, I decided to jump off a cliff.  It was at least 25 feet up.  It was terrifying.  This is the picture to prove it, but I'll just say it took me about 15 minutes of standing on top of the rock and seeing other people not die to convince me.  The whole crowd of onlookers (on the side of the picture taker) were chanting my name by the end of my experience.  I just couldn't jump.  I was so afraid I'd do it wrong and die.  But I wanted to know what it was like.  I wanted to be part of the adventure.  I wanted to be and feel brave.  In the end, I couldn't look.  I couldn't think about it anymore.  I couldn't analyze.  I just had to jump.  I'll never do it again.  But I'm glad I did.

The rock formation in the center is where we jumped from.  The water come in from the right to the other side and the jumping picture was taken from the walkway below where the buildings are.

MILANO: FLOORED

For the record, I am completely overwhelmed at trying to begin blogging after spending most of the summer in Milan, Italy--taking in too much doing/making/seeing/tasting to possibly tell in any complete way.  Not that anyone exactly reads this, but for my faithful friends (thanks for subscribing Michelle), I'm just going to jump back into it.  This way I can get on with life and sharing the lovely things I'm experiencing as I return home for a New England summer.  And perhaps an Italian post will show up from time to time.

To give you a tiny taste of Milano, here's some pictures of the FLOOR of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.  It was stunning and is constantly being repaired and refreshed (just like the Duomo that stands a few hundred yards away).
I did a whole lot of walking in this city.  A whole lot of dusty, grimy, dog-poop dodging and walking.  But this was by far the most beautiful surface I crossed.

MANGIA!: INSALATA MISTO

I'm in Milano for a while this summer, and I'm finding my staple to be this:  a mixed salad, dressed with salt and oil, and bread.  I'm loving the Italian twist, which tends to include fabulous tuna (totally unlike what I'm used to in America), olives, mozzarella and corn (in addition to the classic tomatoes).  It is a great mix of subtle flavors and freshness, while still offering protein, and it's cool enough for the sweltering heat.

When I put together a salad from the grocery store, my staple has become a shredded salad mix that includes scallions, ripe pears and brie, also dressed with olive oil and salt and eaten with great bread.  I'm not typically one to splurge on bread, but the bread here is different.  And the oil too.  So much flavor just in those two items!  Give me that and l'acqua frizzante (water with gas) and I'm set.

NEW KEYS AND KEY LIME PIE.

First adventures upon arriving at Thames Street...

KEY LIME PIE.

• 6 yolks from large eggs
• 2 cans (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 4oz Rose's sweetened lime juice
• 4oz fresh squeezed lime juice (preferably key limes, but that takes about 25...so I learned)
• graham cracker crust (I used Keebler ready crust, but you can make your own!)

Preheat oven to 325ºF.
Beat egg yolks into sweetened condensed milk with electric mixer on medium/low.
Add and beat in lime juices.
Pour mixture into crust.
Bake for 40 minutes.
Cool, then chill.
Serve chilled with whipped cream.