'Tis the Season at Franklin!

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The winter holiday season in Europe can be so magical and Franklin students are lucky to be immersed in it for a few weeks before the semester ends. Lugano may not be a big city, but its tree is the largest one I have seen yet!!  It dominates the city's main piazza, towering above the nearby buildings! Curious about how it arrived in this, not too large, town square? Well by helicopter of course! Scroll to 1:00min and check the video out HERE as captured by a local news crew!  We take holiday tree installation very seriously here in Switzerland :) 
Lugano also has the most delicious food stands spread across the city during the winter holidays. For eighteen years of my life I was missing out on the warm and yummy goodness that is a roasted chestnut. Sure, during the holidays I would sing THIS carol with the phrase "chestnuts roasting on an open fire", yet I never realized that people still ate chestnuts.. I don't know what my deal was, but I thought that chestnuts were something that people only ate back in the 1890s.. Yeah, don't ask me where I got that idea from! I am happy to report though that they are in fact far from "extinct"! In fact, during the winter season, chestnut stands can be found all throughout the city of Lugano. If you ever pass by one, do yourself a favor and spend a few francs on a small package of warm and yummy goodness. But don't even bother buying them from a stand that cooks the chestnuts in anything but a big black cauldron, it's the only way to go! Or if you find that you are not a chestnut kind of person, then I would highly recommend a visit to one of the hot chocolate, crepe, or waffle stands! Not big on sweet items? Lugano has still got a food stand for you! There are also stands that offer small plates of raclette (traditional melted Swiss cheese) + bread + potatoes and a bratwurst, all so very yummy! 
^^ The Christmas tree in all its beauty (see how small the people are in comparison!!) + pretty winter lights. Lots of Franklin students went downtown about two weeks ago for the official christmas tree lighting ceremony. From what I heard, it was an awesome event! There were children's choirs, tons of delicious food, and heaps of Christmas cheer. Sounds like a pretty rad setup to me! 
I can hardly believe it, I will be back stateside in TWO DAYS for the winter holidays! (photo credit: Marina Lorenzini)

In case you didn't know, most Franklin students are currently somewhere in between a state of studying like crazy and hibernating! Yep you guessed right, it is finals week around here! I have already completed three of my finals, but have two more to go! So wish me good luck with all the studying + packing I have got to do over the next 48 hours! eek! So much to do! But I want to wish you all a happy holiday season, Buon Natale to my Lugano friends, and I will see you in January! 



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