Rimini

Rimini is pretty nice, it's like a myrtle beach type place. theres like a billion beach chairs and umbrellas that you can rent. Of course since its not beach season yet they aren't full so I've just been using them anyways. I have been hanging out with the girls that are in my room. They are from Australia and one of them is leaving to go back in a few weeks and the other one is staying in Europe and cambodia for a few more months. I think we are going to try and meet up for a music festival in Croatia in August so that will be awesome. I've been trying to figure out which one I should go to but I have no idea who these people are. I think this one is like a hip hop and reggae festival. That should be interesting. I've spent the last two days laying on the beach and thank God that it's a sandy beach! Those rocks were starting to hurt. Of course now the sand is like molten lava but I guess that's ok. This hostel is a really fun place it has a bar and everyone goes out every night. They had a pub crawl last night that I wanted to go to but I was watching the game and not really in the mood to go out. I think tonight we are going to make dinner and make some drinks and go to watch Italy vs Germany! I don't think anyone's expecting Italy to win so that's kinda sad. There's a water park that I think I might go to tomorrow or the next day! I can only take so much laying out before I'm bored. Plus I freaking love water parks! I also still want to go up to murano do I might try to do that whatever day I don't go to the water park. Yesterday at the beach we got a ball and played some soccer and tried to play volleyball at one of the sand courts on the beach but our feet were on fire!

Bologna

I didn't do much today. I walked around for a few hours but my knee started hurting so I went back to the hostel for a while. The movie playing tonight at the film festival is point blank so that should be fun. Something in English where I don't have to read subtitles!! I'm excited. I was going to go to the Lamborghini or Ducati museum but let's be serious I don't really care about cars or motorcycles and they were way out of town haha. I tried to go back to the place I went for dinner last night but it was closed on Monday's. All of the things I wanted to see we're closed so I was sad. They have a medieval museum that would have been cool. I did go to the archiggnisio which has the first anatomy theater where they cut up bodies and stuff. So that was kinda cool. When I went and got gelato there was a boy that was sitting there with his 8month old puppy! The puppy was so cute he kept trying to chase he pigeons off. So tough! Anyways the guy ended up being the brother of the guy who owned the place so yay for free drinks and free gelato! The bar was right next to where they were having the film festival. The movie was kinda good. It was point blank and the director John boorman was there to introduce the movie! It was a little strange but interesting.

I've decided I have a weird irrational fear of the trains that just blow through the stations. I hold on to my stuff and the bench like its going to blow my away! The go so fast it's kinda scary. Or I'm a chicken. Who knows. I'm on the way to Rimini which is on the coast and I've heard that their beaches are actually sandy! Yay!

Bologna 6/23 - 24

Last night was fun, I went and had dinner at the same place as the night before. I think I finished dinner around 9 or so but since they didn't close til 12 I went back and took a nap. When I got back we had drinks while waiting for the last people to leave. We ended up not going to the club which was perfectly fine with me! We sat around and drank until 330am! Getting up at 8 was sooo hard except the window was open so it wasnt so hot and the sun was up so I couldn't stay asleep. I had so much fun hanging out with them and they were all so nice.

The hostel in bologna is pretty cool. It's just two rooms and a kitchen and bathroom. Pretty small. I met a guy from Florida and his family is from Italy. We went and found somewhere to eat and I got a bottle of lambrusco which was so delicious. It's like sparkling red wine and it was perfect since it was so hot out! There's a film festival going on in bologna right now. We watched the movie that played last night, it was a silent film but there was an orchestra that did all of the music! And it was made even better by the fact that we got a bottle of wine and drank it out of coffee cups. Always classy. It was really cool. Tonight they are playing lola which is a movie in French maybe? Or maybe it's silent too but it was made in France. I have no idea but I think I'll probably go see that tonight. I tried my first expresso today! It was not very good I don't really like coffee anyways but it's like a very Italian thing to do. This morning we climbed up the torre asinelli. It was even taller than the tower of Pisa! There is a second tower next to it but it is leaning so much that they cut the top of it off and you can't go in there. The earthquake a few weeks ago made it lean over even more.

So I think I have had the best meal in the past month at this restaurant bar called il calice. The noodles kinda looked like fettuccine and it was so delicious I might go back tomorrow night for some more! After dinner I went to a bad for a beer while waiting for the Italy vs England game to start. the film festival Is in this giant square and so one of the restaurants around it had tvs set up for the game. I got some gelato and had to stand on my tippy toes to see what all was going on! It was such a good game 0-0 the whole game and through extra time so the game ended with a shoot out both teams made the first Italy missed the second and England missed 3&4 so Italy won!! It was so crazy everyone was driving around honking all night long. I really want to go to the game on Thursday vs Germany but its in Poland I think. That would be so amazing to see!

When we were walking around we saw one of those street performer guys. He was bent over and on his back it looked like two people. His legs were he guys legs and his arms were the girls legs and the were dancing and stuff it was so funny to watch!

Sarzana to Torino 6/21

Well this is fun. I had to change trains twice but the second train to genoa is like an hour late. They have these ticket booths that are just a computer so you don't have to talk to anyone and they are in English! So I tried to find the next train out which is in like two hours but it goes straight to Torino (Turin) so I found somewhere to eat because my stupid bread cheese and salami sandwich was not so good this morning. It's like ridiculously expensive and for some reason she said they don't have pizza. I wish I could ask why bc it's always the cheapest thing to get! I guess it makes up for not having bought breakfast this morning. I want to know what happened on November 19th at least I think it's 19 or maybe 9? Whatever iv novembre is. Every city I've been in has that as a street. Anyways I'm in perfect view of a tv and they are playing commercials for a movie. At first it looked like one of those ghost hunter shows but then it's that Chernobyl diaries movie. Really? We are going to inflict that movie on not just us but internationally? I'm all for crappy horror movies, sharktopus is my absolute favorite but at least it didn't try and come out in theaters, only the scifi channel. Oh well I guess. I got four different Disney trivia games while I had Internet last night so I guess I'll busy myself with that while I wait!

So besides fast food and my dog I currently miss being able to belt out all of my favorite songs in my car. It's so hard not to on the train right now!!

Last night (6/21) was a lot of fun. I went out wandering around for dinner and came to this place with a girl outside. They weren't serving food yet so I sat with some wine until I could eat. It's like a family business, the girl sitting outside runs it and her brother is the chef. Her and I tried for a while to talk to each other, but she only spoke a little English. Her brother lucca spoke more English so it was nice to be able to ask her questions through him. I think I sat in there talking with them for 2 hours or so. I met their mother and there was a waitress that had just started from china but she has lived in Milan the past two years and she also spoke English. They were so nice to me and kept filling up my glass with wine. And I know I keep saying that every place has the best tiramisu ever but this place was sooooo good. The mom makes it and it was just awesome. They definitely didn't charge me as much as they should have either! We made plans before I left that we are going out tonight to the clubs! I'm excited it's going to be so much fun!

Right now I am sitting on another train, this time to Asti. I can't wait to drink some Asti Spumante! I was trying to find like a wine tasting tour but apparently they are really expensive. Oh well we will see what I find when I get there! This morning was nice, I went to the church where the shroud of Turin is kept. You were only able to see what it is being held in but still just being there was amazing. They had a video playing that explained everything about the shroud that one of the men that worked there was nice enough to put in English for me.

Ok couldn't find a wine tour so I made my own up. Chad you'd be maybe a little proud except I didn't know anything about the wines! But they were either produced in Asti or alba. My fav red was a Nebbiolo d'alba and then I really liked the moscato I had. Since I couldn't find a tour I went to a wine bar and made a new friend! The waitress was so nice, she's from Asti but lived in bath England for two yes and now she's back. I think this is the whole favorite part of my trip is meeting so many new people. And not being stuck in one place everyday!

Dove has become my new favorite word, it means where. I used it a lot this morning in Turin bc the bus from the duomo di San Giovanni was forever late so I tried to walk there.

Hiking in the cinque terra

Last night was terrible! I took the wrong train like 3 times before I finally got to this tiny town. The directions to he hostel were awful and took me like 45 min but to get to he train station today took maybe 10 min. Anyways I got here and it turns out I had a whole apartment all to myself. Needless to say my stuff is everywhere. It's been nice not having to worry about it. I woke up and did some laundry and went and found some breakfast befor heading to the cinque terra park to go hike. I went hiking for bout three hours which is the most hiking I've probably ever done. On he way up one of the mountains, I ran into a couple from Connecticut who teach music and biology at Yale. The husband spoke Italian which was helpful bc we couldn't quite figure out where this one path started. The guy he asked ended up giving us a lift up part of the mountain so that was pretty sweet. I left them after he dropped us off and the path was like this tiny dirt path that looked like we were in someone's backyard. Most of it didn't have like a guard rail so that was fun. There were some places that if you stepped too far to the left you were going down! It was really pretty and there were flowers everywhere. I wanna say that it smelled like magnolias or gardenias but I never know what smells like what. It was a 20 min hike from riomaggiore to manarola but from manarola to corniglia is over two hours and I passed it for a while before deciding I was done with hiking! So I had to go back and I think going down is the worst part. Gravitys a jerk. You start going faster and faster and you have to stop yourself or you're going to fall. It's a good thing clumsy me wasn't out in full force today or I'd probably be dead in the cinque terra somewhere!! It was a great day for hiking, it was cloudy and almost tried to start raining so it wasn't too hot.

When I got back to sarzana I was disgusting so I showered and then tried to go find dinner. Like last night, every place had only drinks so I went and found a grocery store and got bread cheese and salami. And wine and some chocolate cake things. The wine was the only tasty part of dinner. Somehow I got the dessert that was reduced fat. Figures! But it works and it will also be breakfast in the am. How yummy. Not the wine, it's gone. Tomorrow I set off for Turin for two days and then bologna and Rimini. So soon til I get to see biggie! And be in a real house. And see my niece!!! And I'll be 24!!!! How scary, who would have thought I would be over here for my 24th! These people still don't believe in ax but it's not so bad here. But there are pigeons right outside my window and I am terrified they will get in! All I can remember is in the blue house in Cary I think some bird got in the house and it was chaos. Oh well. Hope anyone reading this is doing well!

Lessons learned : know which train you need and which stop is yours. Frustration. Also fill your water bottle up again before going on the next trail bc it may not be til the end that you find a water fountain!

Lake como 6/17-19

Lake Como is so freaking pretty! It's surrounded by mountains which makes it even better. I wish it had been semi cooler but at least the lake was cold! The first night I was here, everyone from the hostel went out to the bar. I have no idea when we got back but I had the best time drinking and dancing! When I got back I threw my purse up on my bed and some girl popped her head up. Apparently someone took her bed so she thought it was ok to take mine. I was freaking livid. Thank god there was a bed in the hallway so I slept on that. The next day some girl was like why did you try and come in our room? I said I came in MY Room and some girl was in MY bed. That shut her up pretty quick. I didn't do much that day except I went to belaggio for a few hours. It's like freaking tie heaven so chad I know where you need to visit! Yesterday was just amazing! There were two girls from Vegas that I met the first night and we went kayaking. but before we went, we went to the store and bought a box of wine. We drank allllll five liters while out on he lake! It was so fun the water was perfect and we kept tipping the kayak over and one of the girls kept trying to get in hers but would fall out of the other side! So funny! We were only supposed to be gone 2 hrs but I think it was four before we got all the stuff up and back to the hostel. It was so hard to get out of the lake with the kayaks I think that took like an hour on its own. We have pictures and the beach looked like someone had been shipwrecked on it. Life jackets and oars everywhere! That was probably my most favorite day yet! One of the girls passed out on a bench at the hostel and the other one and I ate two pizzas. I went to bed shortly after that and woke up at 10 or so because it was so flipping hot in the room. No ac just an open window. I was so hot I went and took a cold shower so that I could cool off enough to sleep. This morning when they came down, they were covered in the most ridiculous amount of bruises! I guess I got lucky bc I just have some big scratches on the back of one leg and my big toe is in a lot of pain. We decided on Monday to go get tattoos before we had all the wine but the place was closed and when we went back today they were really rude and said they were open next week. Sooo if I go to Vegas and see them we are all going to get a tattoo! oh all three of us lost our sunglasses if that gives you an idea of what messes we were!

I don't like that all of the hostels say breakfast included. Its bread and jam and butter. Not actual food. Other than that it was really fun. They had a bar and had dinner every night. Every one would stay up to watch all the soccer games going on and you could bet on who would win. Olivia actually won one night. You got a free liter of wine. Im real glad she didn't decide she wanted it last night! Its so nice to meet new people at the hostels. I've met people from Oklahoma and Georgia and lots from california. I am now on my way to la spezia so I will be in the cinque terra. I think I'll go hiking tomorrow. After that it's on to Turin and Rimini and then to carries in Germany for my bday!! I can't wait to see biggie and my precious niece!! I can't wait to go see Switzerland and be up in the mountains. One girl I talked to said hat wherever she was, they took you up in the mountains and you would slide
Down waterfalls and jump off cliffs but you had to do exactly what they said so you don't fall on rocks and die. I think I will try to find it and do it, it sounds so fun! I also want to find a place to go white water rafting or something. So excited for what's next!!

Milan 6/14-15

I'm a few days behind in writing this by that's ok. I am on one of those hop on hop off buses that I got on yesterday but my ticket is still good today so I am gettin a free ride to the train station! Yay cuz my shoulders hurt. Milan has been fun. I saw all I had been wanting to see plus some! The last supper was just so cool. It's so crazy to see something you've always heard about but never thought you would actually see. It was kinda breathtaking knowing how old and famous the painting is and knowing who painted it and that the building it's in has been bombed but the painting is still there. It's painted on a wall and the way that da Vinci painted it wasn't good on the wall so within ten yrs of it being finished it he already started falling apart. The other big thing I wanted to do was spin on the bulls balls. Yup you read that right. Inside this big mall area near the duomo is a mosaic of a bull on the ground. If you spin on its balls(or where they used to be) it brings good luck! It took me forever to find but i found it this morning and realized that if I had gone left instead of right I would have found it yesterday. Oh well. Then I tried so hard to find a store where I saw this gorgeous Tiffany's blue dress! I talked myself into trying it on nd possibly buying it as a birthday dress. But I couldn't find it so I'm pretty sad. Maybe I will find another one somewhere maybe. Next time I see something I want I am just going to try it on. So the first night I was here I decided I was going to find a bar. The guy sat me next to these three guys from England and they were just awesome. I think they were in their 40s maybe? They bought me my first shot of grappa. The grappa won. I felt terrible yesterday morning. But it was fun and they took me to dinner last night at this place called sabatinis. They gave me their business cards and told me that when I come to London they would take me out for fish and chips. Yay for new friends! Today I am headed to lake como for three days. I can't wit I have heard its so pretty! And maybe I'll find George clooney. I can only hope hah.

I love all of the street performers. They are everywhere and have the weirdest talents. Two guys were like break dancing and doing crazy tricks with soccer balls. One guy blew up a balloon and got inside and was dancing, that was pretty awesome he looked so ridiculous! And a group of guys were playing the violin and stuff and they sounded so awesome! Another group looked like one of those bands from the 20s or something. Pretty cool!

I went to la scala which is a really famous opera house. It didn't look like much on the outside and you didn't get to go all the way in because they were practicing for a performance but you could watch them through like a plexi glass window. amazing! I almost cried, so now I want to come back and see an opera. Holy cow I am covered in bug bites still and they are so flipping itchy! I look like I have the chicken pix on my arms and legs.

The duomo was very impressive! It has like 3000 statues on it. I wonder how hard it was to make all of those and put them up. It's kinda scary looking but pretty at he same time. I think it's the biggest church I have ever been in. I think it could hold three of my churches from Texas.