Islay Benham Update

 

 

I feel sometimes like I'm living in a dream and this month has been no exception. I seem to have caught the travel bug and have hardly been at  home this month. I spent a week with my host family to Tessin, the Italian speaking part in the south of Switzerland which was amazing.

 

My host dad and his sisters have a house there in a little village called Rovio which was very pretty. I can't wait to go back there when I have a chance! Tessin to me was like a miniature Italy. It was also very beautiful there, with mountains and pretty lakes. It reminded me of New Zealand in some places. I was also able to enjoy the lovely Tessin sun, which had been a bit absent in the north of Switzerland! I found the scenery in Tessin stunning. We did a day walk up to a place where you can go swimming, but you had to know where it was as it was pretty isolated. It was a little mountain side pool area with rocks and a waterfall which was beautiful. It was a good thing that the day was so hot as the water there is freezing. Refreshing and absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.

 

Our last night there was a festival in Rovio, where you can go and eat and enjoy music. This is something that every town in Tessin has and each town/village has it's own speciality and Rovio's was pork spare ribs along with other things like bratwurst, salads and cheeses.

 

This was really fun to go and see a real Tessin festival as it was different to others I'd been to. The atmosphere was also different, it was a party but didn't have such a party feel. I thought that it was really cool that each town in Tessin has something like this but every town is different.

 

The whole time I had in Tessin was unforgettable and I don't think I'll ever forget it.