Sooooooo... spring break was a million weeks ago but I am just now blogging about it. Micky and I spent one night in Florence and then headed off to Switzerland again. It was even better the second time! We rode many train to get there. I just read my book the whole time. Mick was upset. He got over it. This is what the trains look like here.
Trains here are actually really nice and a great way to travel. I wish we had a train system in the US.
In Switzerland we stayed in Balmers, the apparently famous hostel in Interlaken. I stayed there the last time I went and it was nice. But the showers this time sucked! The best part is that it was only 35euro per night.
It rained the first day and Mick was so tired we just kind of hung around the city and took a nap. It was actually a really nice day to do it. Cold and rainy!
The second day was the best. We took a train to the top of the mountain called the Jungfraujoch (Yoong-frow-yoch). I wanted to do it the first time I went but was not able to. We took at 2.5 hour train ride up the mountain. At a certain point we had to switch to a cog train.. I dont really know what they are but I know that there is a little hook on the bottom and it pulls itself up the moutain.. like this!
We also saw a really old man skiing. I think this is exactly what Mick will look like when he is old. He will also still be skiing like this man. Cant you see the resemblance?
So on the way up the moutain we saw many many many beautiful things. So I am just going to show you. I love how you can see the stages of the mountain. First, no snow and lots of trees.. then lots of snow and less trees.. then more snow and no trees. Its interesting.
And then we got to the top of the mountain. I had never really seen mountains before so I think I saved some really good ones for the first time.
This is the glacier. Inside the glacier is an ICE PALACE! I have misplaced the pictures at this moment...
Glacier.
Awesome Swiss flag.
Some brave person was driving on the glacier..
Thats me.
So we went to the ice palace, and all the lookout things, and we were going dog sledding which would have been AWESOME but they werent doing it that day.. And Micky told me no...
So.. I went to Venice at the beginning of March during Carnivale and still have no posted about it. Here is the post. I really need to post more.
Venice was amazing but it was during Carnivale and it was super crowded. All of Italy is pretty crowded. But it was still very cool. I love everything about water so naturally I would love Venice. So it is only a 2 hour ish train ride from Florence which isnt bad at all. And when you get there you step right out of the train station and are 30 feet away from the Grand Canal = awesome.
This is the Grand Canal but not the view from the train station.
So we go to our hostel called "A Venice Fish" and we are walking along the street and have to literally push people out of the way to get anywhere. And past the hoards and hoards of mask and glass stores he finally see our hostel.....
This is the outside of the hostel.. it had its own bridge and stuff. It looks like crap but so do most of the buildings around it so we didnt think much of it.
And this is the door. Again we didnt think much of it. We rang the door bell and a girl popped her head out of the window and told us how to get it.
And so we go inside and this is what we see. A crappy run down room with crappy lights and paint peeling off and my first thought was "Holy crap.. I'm going to die here just like a scary movie."
This was on the door.. It worked.
But when we went upstairs things didnt get much better. I didnt really take any pictures I was just happy that I survived the night. I mean, it really wasnt that bad I just never took off my shoes and didnt really sit on anything. They made dinner for us though and I am happy to say I did not die from it. Then we just walked around Venice and went to the famous San Marco square, where there are no more pigeons by the way. Its illegal to feed pigeons in Italy..which I did not know until police officers surrounded me a week or so ago and started yelling in Italian....
So while we were walking around we saw a whole bunch of people dressed up... Ill just go ahead and show you.
This guy was kinda creepy. He put his hand on my face and was rubbing it.
These guys were on stilts.
This guy just kept saying "nom nom nom dragon." "nom nom nom dragon."
So after that we went back to the hostel for dinner. They made pasta. Surprise, but it was good. After dinner the people who ran the hostel took us out to the club that was supposed to be super cool but it was actually super lame and it took us 30 minutes to walk there. He was supposed to stay until we all wanted to leave but he did not and no one knew how to get back so we all wandered around the city for hours. Thankfully I was with someone who goes to Venice every summer so we eventually got home.
It was not fun though. Not knowing how to get home. Venice is not like Florence. Florence is a grid of streets with patterns that make sense. In Venice, everything curves around the Grand Canal so you either know where you are going or you dont! Also, the friend I was with was telling me stories about how her uncle was robbed and beat up in Venice a few times.
The street were empty except for the creepy guys here and there that ALWAYS whistle and say "Ciao, bella". So we just walked faster and faster until we got home. We went to sleep and that was all.
The next days was the best. We decided to get out of the madness and go to the island of Murano. Just a short ferry ride away this island is know for its hand blown glass. The glass was very pretty but I liked it best because it was a smaller, quieter Venice. Just exactly what I though Venice would be like. So here are my pictures getting to Murano and of the island.
This is the view of Venice to Murano.
I love the water and I love boats. Hence, I loved Venice/Murano.
Glass roses that were attached to a door frame on the outside of the glass blowers studio in the picture below.
Glass blower.
I also really like the look of older people. Wrinkles are beautiful. If I could I would just photograph older people all the time. There is so much to learn.
This was the second cat I have seen in all of Italy. They are few and far between. This photo is perfect.
Giant glass flowers in Murano.
PUPPY!
I love boats.
Awesome looking seaweed stuff. I think this is first time I have seen seaweed. Maybe.
Cute old lady cleaning.
What is cooler than using a canal as your road. There was not one car here to kill you. Only cute wooden boats.
I want this boat.
I want this one even more. I think I could sit on the street and just watch boats go by all day.
And watch seagulls. I like birds. Actually while we were here I saw a bird poop on a guys head right after I said, "I bet we see a bird poop on someone today."
Just floatin' in Murano.
Rolls that we ate that look a lot like snails. They didnt taste like it at all.
This bird was on the top of the building the entire time we were eating. I really like birds.
The best seafood pasta I have ever had. Food is so simple in Italy. Pasta and olive oil, or just tomatoes. In this case delicious shrimp,tomatoes, and some parsley.
These things are attached to everything.
This is where we ate lunch. I think that bird is still on the top of the building. We sat here for almost 3 hours. Just eating, sun bathing, and relaxing. It was quite possibly the best afternoon I have had thus far. It was just so Italy, or what I would think Italy is.
Murano was incredible. I recommend it to anyone and everyone. If you love water, boats, seafood, pasta, wine and sunshine its the place for you. Venice is a little more crowded but also a must see, but Murano was the best.
My internet is so slow. I will have to post more pictures later I suppose... that is if I remember.
