staying here forever, never cpming back, better buy a plane ticket if you want to see me again

probably not entirely true
but i love it too much to leave
plus, i dont have much lined up back in the states and here...theres so much to explore

sorry for being so cryptic

hope life is going well wherever you are

blah blah blah in Italy

You know how when you get those really bad fortunes from bad chinese restaurants or a friend (or just you) tells a bad story but if you end it with 'in bed' or 'and then I found $20' it makes the story automatically better? Okay so a lot of you probably dont know that, but its something us younguns do and I've decided that ending bad stories (which I have quite a few of) and boring fortunes with 'in Italy' it automatically makes the entire story amazing. This is truth.

I don't remember what I wrote about last and Im too lazy to check but Ill give a bit of an update on whats been happening so far. I am in Cinque Terre...my favorite place in Italy so far...and my last place in Italy as well :(. It is just gorgeous. There are these 5 (cinque) little towns/villages (and I stress little) on the edge of this amazing mountain ridge by the water. Between each village is a hike. I am staying at one end, Riomaggiore, where the trail starts with Lovers Lane - a very easy, paved stroll. The hike to the first two towns is very simple but by the middle town, Corniglia, the hike starts to get really intense. Massive sets of steep stairs and narrow pathways next to major dropoffs and all the while a spectacular view out into the ocean. We met up with some other busabout girls and did the hike together. It was an overcastish day when we did the big part of the hike and you literally could not tell where ocean met sky. It was incredible. I love each and every little town and the hike between is a great workout and just a fun trip. I could really live in one of these little villages. There is so much to do too! The last town has a great beach and beautifully clear water (actually, its all pretty water - a turquoise, blue, clear, fresh looking water). There are mountain biking paths, horseback riding trails, scuba diving spots, kayaks and boats are out every day. Its wonderful. I really love this place the most of all.

We were originally only going to spend two nights here, but from the moment I got off of the train in Riomaggiore and saw that view of the ocean I knew I needed more time so weve got a total of four nights. We leave tomorrow morning for Nice, which I am also excited about, but it will be really hard to leave Italy. Im only holding out for Switzerland and the view of the Alps, which directly follows three nights in Nice.

Sorry I cant post pictures at this spot, but I will soon.

Food update - I eat a gelato every day...like taking medicine. The pizza here is as good as you would think it should be. Especially in Cinque Terre where they put it on foccacia bread...delicious!!

Ill update wiht pictures and more specifics of my travels next time.

Ciao

the more you see...

Im now more than ever learning the meaning of the adage: The more you learn the less you know.

Ive heard that in several forms but it basically means that the more you learn and the wiser you become, the more you realize how little you actually know and how much more is out there to learn. The same can be said about traveling. The more places I see and things I do I become more and more aware of how much more is out there for me to explore and discover and how I so wish I could experience it all. The more I see, the more I know I have missed along the way. The more I do, the more I want to do. Its horrible and wonderful all at once.

I cant believe how fast this trip is flying by. Im incredibly nostalgic already about the things I have done. When I think about that first week and that first servas host I get those mushy feelings inside and miss those moments. I feel like Ive hardly been away, but when I begin to go through all that Ive done I think WOW, I really have accomplished a lot. I keep thinking about the things I need to come back to do and it makes me feel like Ive done hardly anything. But I know thats not true...its just that, well, the more you learn the less you know...



I went horseback riding today! Incredible! I booked through busabout and it was so much fun. I took a two hour horse ride through Tuscany and then ate a delicious meal and sampled some wines at this tiny castle village where there are only 45 residents...with great views. Ive got plenty of pictures to show you so get ready to wait for them to load (sorry about all of that) because theyre all great.

feeling better, moving on

so karissa and I are feeling much better and out of the sickhouse in Rome, which we LOVED. We stayed with the sweetest woman in Rome named Francesca and had such a fun time with her and we were all sick together. We were all coughing and snotty...it was pretty funny and somehow Karissa and I managed to repair our immune systems.

You know how they always say that youll wait in line all day at the Vatican? Well, I waited for 30 minutes to see the Vatican and Sistine Chapel (my number one) - thats it. How great. It was INCREDIBLE. I ran through the museum, past the tour groups, and into the sistine chapel where guards tell you no picutres and no video...of course i took both. whoops! Once again, no picture can describe its beauty and my neck still hurts from craning upwards to stare at the painting for an hour. I loved it and was surprised that nobody ever mentions how great the floor is in there! It is a mosaic tile with a basic design, but its really pretty and I never knew that!

I also saw St. Peters Basilica...it was nice but sooo extremely gaudy...just gold and opulence everywhere I have a hard time believing people pray there. I guess theres a lot to look at when youre bored during services...

We took a trip d0wn to Naples from Rome and am so glad we did so. Cant believe how dirty and almost industrial Naples is. Also, its really, really cheap. I wish I had room in my pack for shopping because they had such cheap clothing there. Oh well. I did, however, get my nosed pierced! I have to have a stud in for a bit, but will soon change it to a thin, gold ring. Cant wait for that. And dont think I was the only one...Karissa got a piercing too! Right under the bottom lip. Check out the pictures..theyre not great but youll get the idea.

Our host in Naples was a family: Vivianna (24), Sergio (19), and the Italiano momma, Anna Rosaria, who has the most beautiful hair ever. When I imagine myself at her age that is exactly how I see my hair. Full and mostly dark with white sprinkled in. She doesnt color it and it is just so nice. The pictures really suck on this one. Anna Rosaria took us to a fantastic pizzaria where we got real Napoli pizza and some gelati later on. Delicious. She was so nice and her house had an absolutely gorgeous rooftop view of Naples. I could live on her roof for a year - seriously.

I visited the Amalfi coast while down in Naples and was awed by the magnificence of the entire area. The busride there was magical. Seriously magical. blue/green water that gave way to tiered housing up the mountainside...it was just so beautiful. I find myself searching for words to describe it but I have none. I thought New Zealand was the most beautiful place ever, but the Amalfi coast gives NZ a run for its money. Magnificent.

Karissa went to Pompei for the day and I hear she had a great time. Saw very well preserved frescos and got a free necklace from a shopowner! Sorry I have no pictures for that one.

So now we are back in Rome for the night and will catch the busabout bus tomorrow morning for FLORENCE. Im very excited about this one.





I cannot believe I am more than halfway through with my trip. I could do this for years. I feel that Ive done so much and yet so little, seen so many sites and missed so many more. Its so hard to realize Ill be done soon. I now, more than ever, realize I need a job that allows me to do this for the rest of my life, because I dont know how Ill survive otherwise.

a little of this, a little of that

Venice was really beautiful...as beautiful as all of the pictures show it to be. Some places you go and you see very pretty things, but overall the place isnt spectacular. But in Venice, everywhere you turn you see beauty - the architecture, the people, the water even (surprise...its not completely a dump).

I spent Rosh HaShana in the old Jewish Ghetto with one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world. For all of you Karissa fans out there, Rosh HaShana is the Jewish new year and a major high holy day for Jews. Woohoo 5769! Services were long, but afterwards we were treated to a free dinner put on by the local Kosher restaurant. It was delicious and FREE. Always a good thing to a backpacker. I met some nice people and had a great experience.

Our host in Venice was actually about an hour train ride outside of Venice in a town called Padua (or padova). He is a professional chef and a very nice guy. He also loves to windsurf, which is really cool. The first night we arrived at his place he had prepared this HUGE feast because a friend of his was bringing over 25 Brazilians! They were on a trip through Italy for free because they all had Italian decent (like a birthright but for Italians). They were a lot of fun and the food was so so so so good. We went salsa dancing after the party and I cant even describe how cool that was. Older nebbishy (dorky) looking men who look like that dirty uncle no one really likes and doesnt know the meaning of a regular shower would step onto the dance floor and suddenly become sauve gentlemen. It was incredible. The way these people moved is something I truly believe is innate and cannot be taught. The steps can be learned but to actually dance the dance is something you must be born doing. Good times in Venice.

After waking up at 4:30a to catch a bus from Padua (where we were staying near venice) to the venice airport and then taking an overpriced taxi to pick up the busabout bus and sitting on the busabout bus allll day long and doing a really bad job of finding our servas host here, we finally arrived in Roma. There is so much to see Ill never see it all. The saying "a lifetime isnt enough" when referring to Rome is so true. So Karissa and I, both feeling under the weather (snotty, sore throats, bed bug bites everywhere), decided we had to see what we could and woke up to start another adventure. We accomplished a lot I must say - The Colosseum, The Pantheon, Some other ruins (theyre everywhere), Piazza Navona, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish steps...and a new blog post! whew.

The Colosseum - amazing. Seriously amazing. The wait in line is completely worth it. It is so magnificent to think that actual Romans "romed" (haha i crack myself up) through the same spaces as we did. Im a bit embrarrassed to say but I didnt even know I was in the Pantheon when I was there. Its actually called the Basilica de something somethign and I got slightly confused. It doesnt look anything like I thought it would. I dont know what I was thinking, but not that. Anwyay, it is really pretty and there is an opening at the top so if it rains the rain actually comes straight through the to beautifully tiled floor and if it is sunny (like today) it spills into the building and lights it up. Pretty cool. Im glad its not raining because it turns out Im a bit of a klutz and Im pretty sure Id have fallen over a million times today had the stones paving the ground been even the slightest bit damp.

Moving on...ruins were cool, but I was fortunate enough to see several roman ruins when I was in Israel and once youve seen one Roman bath youve seen them all so I was ready to move on to other sites like the Trevi fountain which is sooo gorgeous. I cant wait to see it at night all lit up.

Roma has been great so far and impressive. I love the way the ruins and ancient architecture are incorporated within the modern city of Roma. And its TRUE what they say about Italian men...they appreciate beauty - with all five senses. Ciao bella! Its something we hear a lot just walking down the street and what woman doesnt like to hear that on a regular basis?

Our new host is also a sweetheart. We feasted on fresh cheeses last night - always a favorite for Karissa and me. She works with handicapped children in school - an honorable job - and she is into homeopathy - and she smokes. haha...very funny and very sweet woman. her husband, whom we havent met yet, is a photographer, which is pretty cool.

Still loving Italy and drinking lots of orange juice in an attempt to get better soon.
Enjoy the pics.

new pictures

check out the new pics
post to come later
but i love italy

Bella Italia

Oktoberfest was a BLAST!!! We went to a beer tent at 11am and left at 11pm. I completely lost track of how many beers I drank or pretzels I ate, but Ill tell you it was a lot. I have some really funny videos that I wish I could show you but youll have to wait until I make a video when I get back to America. These pictures will have to suffice. People in Munich are really serious about their beer. And their Liederhosen. We sang drinking songs, slurred classic American hits, and clanked many a mug as big as your torso - seriously. It was too fun to put into words, but Oktoberfest is definitely an experience not to be missed. It also happens to be a fair all lit up at night including rides and games. I went on the ferris wheel and enjoyed beautiful views from the top of Munich in the evening.

Brief sauna update...wonderful! Very relaxing and not akward at all because it was just Karissa, our host, and me. Perfect.

I love that Im meeting so many travelers here. A lot of them are on their second or third year of traveling. They started with a few months and couldnt stop. Id like to join them. If only money were no object...

Ive compiled a small list of things I love about Europe. I left it in my room, but Ill try to remember some of it:

-everyone smokes and no one judges...it doesnt seem weird or disgusting here. So European
-you can buy just one cup of coffee and sit in a coffee shop all day long without being bothered. Prime people watching time and a great relaxation.
-city centers! It is so nice to know that there is a big square where everything happens and then work your way out from there. It makes sightseeing and museum hopping much easier and is fun to wander through.
-in an hour you can be immersed in a completely different country, landscape, and language than you were an hour before whereas in the US it takes hours upon hours of travel to see a completely new place.
-so much to do, so much to see. The history is so rich here you are never bored and the architecture is always something gorgeous to look at if you just feel like taking a walk.
-Europeans are cultured. They know so many languages and understand what being Kosher is without judgement. In America, I just tell people Im vegetarian because they have no clue, but here if you say you are Kosher they get it and accommodate accordingly. Its so nice to be understood.
-art appreciation. In America, when budgets are low, arts are the first thing to go. But here, they are a priority.

o there were sooo many more but I cant remember them all now. More to come later.

I went to Dachau yesterday and was moved by being in the area, but it was a bit too museumy for me. I wanted to just be in the place and it doesnt feel like youre really there when you have two maps and an audioguide with you. But it is still heavy and Im not prepared to elaborate on the entire experience.

Today we took the bus from Munich to Venice, Italy!!! I love it already. so warm, so beautiful. The bus ride was breathtaking with the mountains and the mist and just everything about southern Europe is great. I know I havent seen that much of it, but I know I love it already. We are staying at a hostel tonight and tomorrow because hosts in Venice are hard to come by and we havent actually ventured into the city but will tomorrow. Im excited to celebrate my Rosh HaShana (Jewish new year) in one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world. Im going to find this great old synogogue tomorrow and hopefully theyll let me attend services without needing a ticket or anything.

I was going to go to Greece but I decided I have been looking too forward to seeing it to only give it a few days so Im going to save that for another trip. If Im in Israel next year I wont be too far from it anyhow.

Not much to report...beautiful views and great beer...thats about it. But its a lot. enjoy the pics. Happy Birthday papa mcdermott