SarahWrites

near the end of our whirlwind 4 city/16 day honeymoon extravaganza, the boy and i went to kew.

i’d lived in london in college and visited several times, but had never been to the royal botanical gardens at kew. boy was i missing out!

we spent a beautiful may day wandering the grounds and dreaming that we lived near enough to warrant buying a year long subscription.

my mom grew up here, but i haven’t been back in years.

i remember the summer i was nine years old and my grandmother had me come out and stay with her for two weeks. she did it with all the grandkids in our family when they turned 10, but i was lucky and got to go at 9 3/4!

i remember we’d take daily walks to what i now know was just a convenience store, but seemed to me a wonderland of forbidden candy and soda back then. to get there we had to cross the train tracks. we’d plan our walk near the time the amtrak went through so we could watch & wave. years later i took that train home from college (syracuse to sf via lots of america). we rode through at just after 6 am and i remember passing the place where grandma and i would stand. it was one of those amazing moments in one’s life.

my other favorite thing in painesville? thayer’s old fashioned soda fountain. if it’s still there, it’s worth a trip!

My husband and I got married at a family friend’s house in nearby Brione Sopra Minusio and had our reception in nearby Ascona.

The entire region is absolutely gorgeous and a great blend of Swiss efficiency and Mediterranean beauty.

You can take a train into practically the center of town and walk around most of central Locarno. There are a ton of restaurants and places to grab a drink. If you want a water view, you’ll pay a little more.

The town square holds concerts and movies in the summer. I believe the film festival is in August and usually has a good line up of European and American films.

The Park Hotel Delta in Ascona is a great place to stay if you’ve got several hundred Euros burning a hole in your pocket. If you’d like more budget-friendly choices, the Hotel Dellavalle Best Western in Brione has spa facilities and great views at very affordable prices. And this isn’t your grandma’s mid-western Best Western! I’ve stayed at both and been very pleased.

For a yummy bite to eat, stop at the Bakery Marnin in Locarno and for a drink on the patio with mountain and lake views, try the Osteria Svanesc in Brione. The pedestrian shopping area in Locarno has lots of great gelato and nice spots for a glass of local wine outside.