Caio bella...it's been awhile!

Welllll I have slacked a bit on the blog but now I am back and have some time for the internet :) The last time I wrote I was in Sevilla, Spain enjoying the warm weather and about to take a siesta....haha. Anyways, my time in Sevilla was GREAT!! That night, after the last time I blogged, I went out for paella with Fiona who was staying in the hostel as well. We had a great time, even though she couldn't enjoy the delicious Spanish dish because she's pregnant (found out half way through her trip...how nerve racking!). Anyways, we met up with Johnny, Bobby, and John after dinner (all from Boston College studying abroad in Madrid). Turns out Johnny and Bobby, who are identical twins, are from Rockville Center, Long Island! Haha such a small world because they were born in the same hospital as my dad. John was from Connecticut too so of course not too far away :) They were SUCH great company, I had the greatest time hanging out with them. We went to see Flamenco dancing that night at a local bar across the river. It was definitely full of locals and we must have been the only tourists there, but that was the greatest part of it. No one spoke English and we were emersed in the Spanish culture....:) Flamenco dancing is incredible and the bar owner also sang a bit which was unbelievable. We had a great time just watching from the way back, standing on empty kegs. We all wanted to continue the night so we walked around Sevilla, thinking about another bar or club, but ended up just walking the empty streets instead. The other side of the river was an absolute ghost town!! We seriously did not see a soul the entire time, besides the street cleaners. Haha, we tried to find a way into the Alcazar....trying all these doors and attempted to squeeze through the gate (oh and contemplated climbing the 20 ft. wall, haha)....but had no luck. Eventually, by 3 am we made it back to the hostel, defeated :) My last day in Sevilla consisted of figuring out where I wanted to go next, meeting the boys for a donar kabob lunch in the gardens, and finally booking a night train to Barcelona! I had wanted to go to Granada to see the Alhambra but tickets were needed in advance and the hostels were booked solid. Soooo Barcelona it was :) The night train got me in around 10 am and I found my hostel in the outskirts of Barcelona. It was in a quiet neighborhood and SUCH a nice hostel! After a much needed shower, I headed into the city center and wandered down Las Ramblas for the afternoon. It is full of street performers and who knows what else, but it was a nice afternoon for the walk. It leads down to the port and beach but it was a little too chilly for that :) Walked around until late afternoon and headed back to the hostel to cook dinner and relax. I'm starting to get tired easily now....I feel like I'm starting to get to that exhausted stage of my trip! I knew it would happen eventually and I'm surprised I've held out this long. There's only so much you can see day after day before it wears on you ya know? But I still try to squeeze as much in a day as I can...knowing the days are limited. So anyways, the next day I allowed myself to sleep in a bit before I hit up Barcelona again. I made Sunday a Gaudi day. Barcelona is CRAWLING with Gaudi designs....buildings, parks, lamp posts, etc....he is such a fabulous architect. I thoroughly enjoyed Park Guell which felt like Disney World...on crack. I'll have to put up the pictures eventually for you to see what I mean! He designed a couple of other buildings throughout the city as well as La Strada Familia which was his masterpiece...even though he died before it was finished. It STILL isn't finished actually, and it's been 150 years. They're shooting at 2026 for the completion but who knows....it is still unbelievably interesting and so unlike any church I've ever seen. So after my Gaudi day, I had dinner and enjoyed the beautiful weather in a garden near my hostel. I had booked an early train to Switzerland the next day so I packed up and went to bed early. After a long day of traveling the next day, I arrived in Interlaken, Switzerland. BACK into the winter coat!! Haha I didn't mind though because Switzerland is BEAUTIFUL!! I mean, I was looking out my hostel bedroom window at the Swiss Alps....can you beat that?? Everywhere you go in Interlaken, you are sandwiched by the Alps, so there is no such thing as a bad view. The town was definitely in its "off season" but I didn't mind. I got in late that night but the next day I hiked a lot to different view points around Interlaken. The cold air felt nice, believe it or not, and the pictures were spectacular. The town itself is very small and you could walk from one end to the other in about 20 minutes. I wandered around all day, going in and out of shops, browsing for a cheap Swiss Army knife (HA...no such thing) and of course, tried some Swiss chocolate :) I was thinking about bungy jumping....was in the shop planning it and everything....then something got the best of me and I thought, well maybe I can spend my money elsewhere. It took a lot to walk out of there but I knew I would be thankful either coming home with that 180 bucks or spending it elsewhere. SO I made Stephanie promise me she'd bungy jump with me over the summer, somewhere in NC! Done deal :)

The hostel I was staying in was also a hotel with it's own great restaurant. I had a GREAT dinner there that night....soup, salad, and a special veal dish....and met Nigelle from Ireland who was staying in my room. We met up with some other Americans and watched the football match on the big screen there. It made me wish soccer was that big in the states...but here's to only wishing :) We watched the game along with the hotels mascot....a HUGE St. Bernard!! Biggest dog I've ever seen...his head was 3 times the size of Lily's! I got the biggest kick out of him and I'm sure gave him more hugs than he was used to. What a perfect dog in the Swiss Alps.....

My stay was short in Interlaken (Switzerland is tressssss expensive) and I left for Florence the next day. That's where I am today :) FINALLY in Italy!! I'm staying about 50 minutes outside of Florence...in the rolling hills, with the vineyards all around. I took a chance and booked this campsite which has dorms as well...even though I was really nervous about it. Turned out to be GREAT and such a nice experience being out in the Tuscany region. They have a great restaurant where I had my first Italian experience with tortellini and proschutto......amazing :) Headed into Florence today...the bus stops right in front of the campsite....and walked around all day. Saw the major highlights including the real David! Paid 6.50 euros to see a naked man....interesting. Haha. Anyways, Florence is incredible....a smaller city than I expected but so much to see! The weather was iffy...rainy at times, but nothing to stop anyone from enjoying the sights. Tried some yummy gelato....twice. Hehe. Picked up some wine before heading back out to the campsite and enjoyed an Italian pizza along with a good red wine....perfect :) I'm definitely enjoying Italy so far.....well, eating my way through it!

I'm heading to Pisa tomorrow to see the Leaning Tower then to Cinque Terre for the night and Saturday day. I hope to horseback ride through there....that is the plan :) I would have done it here in Florence but they only offer it on the weekends at this time of year. On Sunday, I'm off to Perugia to stay with Craig, whom I met in Bruges. He's from England and is studying abroad there. He recommended Perugia and offered me a place to stay if I was able to make it through there....they're known for their chocolate so of COURSE I'll make it through there! :) Can't believe I have less than 3 weeks left.....where did the time go??