Public Transport on the Border: The South

Today, a detour to the south is on the agenda after Bargen and Vinadi. Pedrinate Paese is the southernmost public transport station in Switzerland.

The village was first mentioned in 1291 under the then name Pedrenate. Even under the Duke of Milan, the village was a municipality.

A picturesque journey through the drought-stricken land is about to begin. With the beautiful rolling stock of the Voralpenexpress, I head to Arth-Goldau. There, I switch to the EC 15. This train is quite nice too, but the coaches of the SOB have a very special charm.

The base tunnels through the Gotthard and Ceneri drastically shorten the travel time, and soon I'm in Chiasso. Normally, you just pass through here on the way to vacation. At least today, I'm changing trains. In the shimmering midday heat, the bus slowly creeps to its stop at point D. A cheerful group of nonnas boards the bus with their shopping carts. In their friendly dialect, they are likely discussing shopping experiences and the planned lunch menu. The switchbacks on the narrow road and the oncoming traffic demand everything from the driver. But he handles it with stoic calmness.

Pedrinate Paese is as lively as Bargen and Vinadi. The list of sights is short, and the next Osteria is not within walking distance.

Therefore, I board the bus again after a record-breaking ten minutes, which takes me to Chiasso. To keep myself entertained, my deputy calls me from somewhere in the middle of nowhere to inform me about the latest developments regarding drought. Thanks to technology and geography, however, I receive his well-thought-out ideas only as a gap text. After two years of intense collaboration, our thoughts now complement each other so well that this poses no obstacle. Since he already has carte blanche from me, our exchange is more due to his efforts to prevent me from sinking into boredom rather than a real need on his part.

Well-informed, I now travel back home. At 215 km/h, I consume the Thonbrötli and wash it down with a focus water. Like pearls on a string, the lakes line up: Lake Uri, Lake Lauerz, Lake Zug, Lake Lucerne, and Lake Sempach, each with its own color and character – what a contrast to the parched landscape!

The postcard Switzerland passing by the window of the air-conditioned railway carriage almost makes one forget the summer of the millennium. Only when changing trains, when the heat stands like a wall at the door, can one fathom how all the road builders, farmers, and traffic regulators cope, who must do their work under the scorching sun.

Gratefully written from the coolness of a summer-ready house.