Getting to Lugano

I was lucky enough to get a flight from LA to Dusseldorf, Germany, and from there it was a short hop to Zurich. The first flight was delightfully empty - I got a pair of seats, aisle and window, all to myself. To top it off, they served wine with dinner and a digestif afterwards. It was quite luxurious.
When I arrived in Zurich I caught a train to Lugano, which was another 3 hours through BEAUTIFUL scenery. There was luscious grass, fields full of wild flowers beneath mountains covered in varying shades of green which gave way to snow-frosted pine trees. It was just breathtaking. At some point we went through a valley where it was snowing like crazy, at which point I had a minor freak out about the contents of my suitcase and the distinct lack of really warm clothes, but the weather was much warmer in Lugano. My sister met me at the station (but not before I tried, unsuccessfully, to find her dorm myself) and I will be spending the next week or so here with her doing graduation-oriented celebratory things.