Italy to Switzerland: July 20th

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEX!!!

We got to have a nice birthday video chat with Alex on her birthday! I wish we could've been there to celebrate with her! Well actually, let me rephrase that... I wish she could've been with us (in Italy) to celebrate! 

Lexi, hope you had a great birthday!! I love you!

Travel Day!!

Today we traveled from La Spezia, Italy to Düdingen, Switzerland! We pretty much traveled all day. The train we planned on taking, that would've been a straight shot to our place, was full so we had to get creative with our new path. We found a way to hop to 3 different stations to arrive at the place we were spending the night at. The only problem is that it would take forever and get us to our final destination around 12:30am. We were able to get in contact with our host and she was very nice about our situation and said she would send her 17 year old daughter to pick us up at the train station and walk us to their house. What a relief!!

These are the kind of days that we have to be really flexible and laid back. We learned early on that things normally don't go according to plan, but it all works out in the end! 

At one of our stops in Domodossola, Italy we had 2 hours to kill before our next train ride. We had a great time exploring the city a bit. It was the cutest town!! We definitely stood out as we were walking among the locals with our backpacks and cameras! I should also add that we both looked our traveling best... Not much make-up, nasty hair, and I even wore my sweatpants in public (and not just for pj's) for the first fine this trip. No need to waste make-up, hair product, or cute clothes since we are living on limited resources. The glamorous life of backpacking through Europe and being on trains all day! :)

Thumbs-up & Finger guns... 'Murica!

(Shout out to Andrew! I know how much you love the finger guns! Haha)

Smiling for the camera, but this is more like it! ;) 

After a long day of riding trains we eventually made it into the small town of Düdingen, Switzerland! Our host's daughter walked us to their house that was surrounded by rolling hills! It was pitch black while we were walking so I didn't actually see the hills and greenery until the morning when I looked out the window. 

Cinque Terre, Italy: July 19th

Montarossa Beach

On Saturday we spent the whole day relaxing on the beach! This is such a nice change compared to our busy schedules with a bunch of places we want to see. I got a lot of reading done and tanned/burned a bit! I'd say it was a productive day! Haha

The Italian Riviera is so beautiful! If it wasn't so hot and humid I would call it paradise! I am grateful the sun was out because there was rain before and after we were in town. Phew! I am counting my blessings! 

Cinque Terre, Italy: July 18th

(Friday)

Cinque Terre: the Italian Rivierra 

Today Alex and I had a relaxing day at the beach!! It was wonderful!

Bus strike & taxi scam

Our day started by going to the front desk to ask for the best way to get down to the beach. This was a brave act for me considering how bad I wanted to avoid the front desk and possibly running into my buddy ol' pal that I mentioned in the previous post. Luckily he wasn't working. The guy who was said that the bus is the best way to get to the train station, but that he just found out that the busses were on strike that day from 9-5pm! (I had heard stories of that happening to people, but was still pretty surprised that it really happens!) So our options were to either make a 45 minute trek down the mountain or to take a taxi. We chose to take a taxi to avoid getting hit by a speeding car as it winds through the curvy roads on the mountain. Everyone drives fast and crazy here! Even in big busses! The taxi cost us €30, so expensive!! I was confused with the price so I even questioned him about it but he said it was because it also counts his time driving to get us. Without knowing a ton about taxi's in Italy and hardly being able to speak to him, I had to drop it pretty quickly. We later found out he scammed us and overcharged us. So annoying! Especially since we suspected it but couldn't do anything about it without being able to talk to him in Italian. 

Vernassa Beach

We took the train to the first beach we tried, called Vernassa. Super pretty, but has a very small beach area to hang out on! We only stayed there until the next train came to hop to another beach.

Montarossa beach:

This was such a gorgeous area!! This spot had much more beach space and had an amazing view of the green hills and ocean. The beach area where people lay down was super crowded, but you get used to people laying right beside you tanning or basically all the couples around you making out and cuddling. Actually, I don't think I got used to all the PDA. Some people just needed to get a room. But anyways, once you blocked that out of your view, it was incredible!

It was so nice to be able to sit and relax without amusingly other plan on the agenda. Most every other day is filled with things to do and places to be. Alex and I intentionally planned these days to be a break. It was definitely worth it! I listened to music and started the book Divergent!

The weather was pretty warm and very humid, so the cold water was refreshing! The water wasn't too bad though, definitely warmer than California beaches. It was a great balance! And guess what?! All of the women had tops on! Yay! Maybe topless beaches are not a trend in Italy. Speedos are most definitely a trend though! Haha!

My main man:

Another highlight of the day was getting to talk to Andrew!! :) Since it's hard to coordinate our schedules with a 9 hour time difference, we don't get to skype very often. It was soo good to see him and talk to him for a while! I miss him a lot and can't wait to be with him again! <3

La Spezia, Italy: July 17th

(Thursday)

This was a crazy day because we did a lot of train traveling and didn't really have a solid plan as to where we would be staying the night. We tried to make a reservation for a room on airbnb, but hadn't heard back from the host yet. So in between train stations we had to search for wifi to see if they had answered us about staying at their place that night. It can be a little bit stressful not knowing where you will be sleeping that night. It's mostly just confusing because you don't know what trains to take and where you want your end destination to be. 

We have grown to really like hanging out at train stations.

We eventually heard that their place wasn't available, which was actually a relief because then we could be a lot more flexible with where we wanted to train to and what could get us closer to the cinque terre, the amazing beaches in Italy. As we are standing outside a cafe with free wifi, in a city called Milan, we were diligently searching websites and apps to find a room to stay in at a resonable price. Difficult task when you are close to the Italian Riviera! Alex and I both came across a cheap room at a place called Hotel Nella. It said came up in the search for one bed and two people. The pictures looked reasonable... So we booked it! Then we quickly got vague directions to the hotel and walked back to the train station and trained another hour and a half to get the the closest station. When we reached La Spezia we had the fun task of finding the bus to take us there. We found the right bus and were a little confused as it started driving up a mountain! Haha! We were thinking, "Oh boy! What did we get ourselves into?"

Towards the top of this mountain the bus stops and we ask if Hotel Nella is close. The driver nods his head and points in a general direction. We quickly found it when we turned the corner! Hallelujah!

Although it seemed a little strange to be on the mountain, the view was gorgeous!!

On the website it said the room was for one person... We figured that was more of a suggestion rather than a rule... But just to be on the safe side I went alone to check in while Alex sat and waited across the street. Haha!

I was greeted by a friendly fellow at the front desk. I checked in and he guided me to our room. The moment he walked away I literally burst with laughter!! The room was SOO small and the bed looked like it was for a child! The image of Alex and I sharing that bed was hilarious and frightening! The floor even had tile so sleeping on the ground didn't seem like a good option. After the coast was clear I went out the side door and got Alex. She also had a good laugh at the room. Then I found that there was a pull out bed. What a life saver! 

Funny experience: After being in the room for about 10 minutes there is a knock on the door. Alex immediately runs to the bathroom to hide, making quite a bit of noise on the tile. I go to the door and it was the guy who checked me in. I'm thinking, "Oh great, he found out there are two of us!" But then he started telling me about happy hour the next day. (I was really confused and was thinking he must have forgot to tell me some info before). Then he suggests that I go to happy hour with him and hands me a card with his name and number written down. Gutsy!! (The creepy winks and head nods he kept giving me are what really clued me into what was going on! This guy is asking me out! Ahh!) So I immediately start kicking into excuse mode. Excuse #1: Thanks for the invite, but I don't drink. Him: That's ok. You don't have to drink. Excuse #2: I actually don't have a working phone without wifi, so I wouldn't be able to call. Him: Well, you have Facebook? You can find me on there and call or message me. (He goes ahead and writes down his last name on the card). Excuse #3: I have a "friend" in town so if I was free around that time she would be coming too. Him: That's fine! (Wink, creepy head nod). Me: Ok, thanks for the invite. I may be at the beach all day, but if not I'll let you know. Then we said bye and he left without getting any commitment from me, so I felt like I was off the hook. You can safely assume we made sure to be at the beach the whole next day. I also avoided the front desk at all costs after that to be sure to avoid a really uncomfortable encounter with my new buddy. Just couldn't handle the winks and head nods. As I replayed the conversation in my head, I don't know why I didn't use the most obvious excuse of telling him I have a boyfriend. Maybe because I'm sure he would have replied, "That's fine! We can go as friends!" Me: speechless... 

Venice, Italy: July 16

(Wednesday)

Venice was a DREAM COME TRUE!! I felt like I was walking around in a post card or painting! Everything is sooo GORGEOUS!! I just wish every person I know could've been there with us to experience how amazing it is!

Alex and I had a nice and relaxing day in Venice. We took a boat to get to the different stop where you can see new areas. That was fun! We also took TONS of pictures! Even my best pictures still don't show how beautiful everything is. 

My favorite areas of Venice were the spots tucked down random streets behind the main stores where there would be cute bridges and houses backed up to water. It was so picturesque with the boats and gondolas riding between the buildings. Everything about Venice makes me so happy! Alex and I felt so grateful to be there and be experiencing the happiest and most beautiful place on Eath. (Disney Land has nothing on Venice!)

Gondola ride:

My favorite part of the day was going on a gondola ride!! We decided we couldn't go to Venice and not ride on a gondola! It was so much fun! We absolutely loved the experience and had the best time!!!

More pictures:

Can you tell how beautiful it is?! That's why I couldn't stop taking picture! I was constantly switching between my SLR camera, normal point and shoot digital camera, and my iPhone. Haha! 

I absolutely LOVED Venice and hope I can't wait to go back someday! 

"It's a beautiful day and I can't stop myself from smiling!" -Michael Buble :)

Florence to Trevisto: July 15th

(Tuesday)

Florence:

Throughout the morning we walked around Florence and tried to see as much as we could with the limited time we had there. Duomo is a major sight there and it has a pretty exterior designs and architecture. I really enjoyed Florence's atmosphere. It's a smaller town, a lot less crowded than previous places we had been, and has a lot of greenery. 

Duomo

Arno River: I loved this view!

Trevisto, Italy: 

By 1pm Alex and I had finished our lovely walk through Florence and were on the next train to Trevisto! This is a small town that we spent the night in because it's only about a 30 minute train ride to Venice! Our host, Stefano, greeted us at the train station and we all went to get some dessert together and get to know each other. He is a really nice, older man. Super friendly!! Then he took us to his home, showed us around his place, and suggested to show us a good restaurant that night. After settling in a bit and getting plans ready for the next day, he took us grocery shopping real quick before dinner. And when I say real quick I mean it. We were power walking behind him as he raced around and said what we should get. Haha! I thought I was a quick shopper, but he put me to shame!

Not only is he a speedy shopper, he's also a speedy and crazy driver! If you know me well, you know that I'm not the best back seat driver and can be a little paranoid with other people's driving sometimes. Alex and I were scared for our lives in the backseat of his car, clenching onto the door handle. He just swerved between people, sped really fast through small neighborhood roads, went super fast around roundabouts, breaked right before we were about to hit the car in front of us, and so on. The only way I could describe his way of walking and driving style is fast and furious. 

Stefano was really into the restaurant we went to because his friend owns it. He said it has "very good price and quality." The food was pretty good. Then he wanted us to try the homemade gelato. We told him we weren't hungry, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. He told us to come watch them make it and as we are watching he is explaining what goes in it. "Just a little bit of Vodka...." Alex and I just look at each other and have no idea what to say to him since we don't drink alcohol. I told him we were very full and didn't want any. Then he goes on to explain it helps bring the food through the system and that we'll be able to eat it and keeps saying it's just a little bit. Well, the guy kept pooring more and more vodka into the bowl he was mixing everything in. The more he poored in, the more uncomfortable we felt. I told him we don't drink Vodka and he still kept pushing it. 

So here are the 3 of us sitting at the table with our vodka black licorice flavored gelato. He's eating and Alex and I are fiddling with the spoons in the bowl, hoping he won't notice we aren't eating it. Didn't work. He just stared at me, waiting for me to eat it. "Go ahead, just a little vodka. You won't taste it. I don't drink alcohol either, but I eat this. Very good!" He wasn't getting that we don't drink it at all. As he was watching me I just started laughing and said, "Sorry, I just can't eat it. We don't have any alcohol, even a little." Then Alex told him it was religious and he backed off. Then he was telling his friend who worked there why we weren't eating it and they were laughing together. Talk about uncomfortable! 

At first I felt bad, but then when we were checking out Stefano had us pay for his dinner and I didn't feel bad anymore. It seemed a little odd that he invited us and was ordering all the food and desserts and then left us with the whole bill instead of splitting it. That place wasn't cheap either. Haha, he's got a good set-up since he said he takes all the people he hosts there and then he probably makes them pay for him each time. He's a smart man because we just have to think its part of their culture or something. He's a very friendly guy, but VERY intense and slightly overbearing. Those few hours of driving with him, running around the grocery store following him, and him not taking no for an answer with the vodka was exhausting! Great host though and made sure we were taken care of during the two nights we were in his home.

Rome to Florence: July 14th

Monday

Vattican City: the world's smallest country!

We got to check out St. Peter's basilica! It was decked out with incredible statues and murals!

After a nice walk near the cites in Vattican city we went back to our place, packed up our bags, and with our backpacks went to a Japanese buffet before catching our train. It's sad to say, but to me the Japanese food was the best food I had in Rome! Pretty strange! It was also a cheap price for a lot of food... So that also could've been a factor. 

The other night we went to a nice, little restaurant that had good prices for the food, but when we got the bill we were pretty confused as to why it was so expensive! When we asked he said it was €6 for each of our drinks and also a €2.50 service charge per person. What?! Where were those prices on the menu? Annoying. It made us a little sick to think our little can of soda cost us 6 euros, which was half the price of our food. Our waiter wasn't even nice or polite. And that's saying something because Alex and I are pretty easy to please and aren't picky at all. Oh well, live and learn! We check drink prices and service charges wherever we go now.

Train to Florence:

The beautiful streets of Rome and entrance to the metro system!

Alex and I had reserved tickets for our train from Rome to Florence. When we were at the train station it was only showing one train going to our stop and it was leaving about 20 min earlier than our ticket said. Strange. We waited to see if our train would show up before the other left, but it didn't. So last minute we do some major speed walking/ run to the other train. We assumed that the time just changed since it had our same destination and everything.

The ride was supposed to take 2 hours. About 2 hours and 20 min later we start to get a little worried that we haven't made it yet. We found a map on the train and notice that we are going the right way, but we weren't even half way there yet! We were so confused as to how that was even possible! I'm assuming that it was the wrong train and more of the normal metro train, compared to the faster trains that go longer distances and make less stops. It was just a weird situation since our other train never came up on the departing board. 

Then we start stressing a little because we realize we are going to get there much later than planned and will be really late meeting up with the lady who was hosting us that night! In those situations there's really not a whole lot we can do though because we have no way of contacting her until we have wifi. We ended up gettin to the train station in Florence two hours later than we were supposed to. Then we get on a bus our host told us to take and it was supposed to be 5 minutes away from the station and be the first stop. Well, that was not the case. She must have given us the wrong bus number. Hahaha! We kept waiting stop after stop for at least 20 minutes hoping one of the stops would be hers. It never came. The bus was also SUPER crowded and I was standing in the isle way with a ton of other people, with my heavy backpack the whole time. I literally couldn't move and was trapped. Luckily the stop never came because I don't think I could've squeezed through everyone to get off with my backpack. It was pretty funny. I can't help but laugh in situations like these! 

We were eventually able to weasel our way through the crowded bus to get off at a mall. Then we asked some nice Italian lady at the grocery store if she could call a taxi for us. She hardly spoke any English, but understood enough to help us out. What a sweetheart! This was our first time resorting to calling a taxi. We were desperate because our host had plans and had to leave in about 15 minutes from that point. In the taxi it only took us 7 minutes to get to the place we were staying at. The lady was so nice about us running late and was very understanding when we explained what happened. #gettinglostinEurope #ourfavorite 

Best Italian dinner!!

Throughout this trip we've been using Rick Steve's Best of Europe book. It has been very helpful! Rick suggested a hole-in-the-wall Italain restaurant called Craltoria da Giorgio that we decided to try.. Alex and I were in love with everything!! They served three courses and had one overall price, including both water and soda. That made us extremely happy! (Especially after dinner in Rome the night before). I ordered gnocchi, meatballs, and a salad and it was all amazing!! We walked away claiming that as our favorite meal in Europe so far! <3