//Europa 2006//

I'm not a huge fan of leaving things incomplete so I shall attempt to close the gap of 12+ days that exists in the blog. So beginning with the 20^th of June...

June 20^th --Today we took an amazing hike to a peak called Tanzboden, visible from every village around. Hiking in the Alps is not an easy ordeal. We wondered how we would get up a seemingly vertical cliff and were not terribly gratified when the trail was also seemingly vertical. The summit was unlike anything I've ever seen. It kind of made you wonder if it was even real. But I'm quite sure it was beyond words so I'll not try to describe it. After a lot more hiking and some genuine Swiss milkshakes, we got back to the barn and found out that instead of becoming tourists, we'd become a tourist attraction. I stepped out of a much-needed shower to find 20 Californians milling about the stalls, camcorders running, cameras sounding off their electronic shutter sounds. They asked things like “You really sleep here?” “Is it comfortable?” and “What do they do with the horses?”(It was a bovine barn) Go back to your four star hotels. Leave we animals in peace. We walked up to Murren to get a fine dinner. The prices scared Graham down the mountain but I feasted on real Swiss fondue. 'Twas quite the culinary experience. I brought my very own Ice Tea from the supermarket. It's cheaper than water here! I met a family at the restaurant and watched the World Cup match with them. Sweden v. England. The oldest son, a student at Brigham-Young, was an expert in the area of football. Somehow, he knew every player on every national team and he knew the club for which they played and he told us who should be substituted and then they were substituted. I learned a lot of forgettably important (importantly forgettable?) facts that night. When I got back, there was an intense discussion on in the barn. Some old hippie lady was spouting all kinds of things and talking about Hawaiian independence.

June 21^st --Let me interject that Esther, the lady who owns the barn, served us a great breakfast every day. Fresh, fresh milk, homemade cheese and bread, yogurt, cornflakes, tea, coffee, Swiss hot cocoa (not Swiss Miss) We took it easy today. A good thing to do in a small Alpine village. We met a New Zealander named Aaron this morning and let him borrow our lift ticket and lazed around and read and I walked to Murren for lunch in a little park I'd found. Aaron fixed lunch for Graham. There was a mass fly-killing spree while I was away and we had dinner with Aaron. We had only a water boiler for cooking so we set a ravioli can inside and made a double boiler and had quite a feast. We met a couple from Alaska and talked until the rain stopped and then hiked up to see the game. Not a very good match but fun nonetheless. A few people gathered around our little picnic table outside the barn and talked until it got quite late.

June 22^nd -- Breakfast was predictably excellent and all my clothes were predictably dirty and so I removed my guitar from its case and filled the case with laundry. That afternoon the US played Ghana so I went a few hours early to Murren and did my laundry. Graham joined me later. We had Nutella and crackers in the laundry room and read and went shopping during the drying cycle. The US game that we watched was not encouraging and many downcast Americans piled out of the bar atferwards. We ate dinner with Aaron again and shared the table with Casey and Shayle, our Alaskan friends, and a kid named Colin from William and Mary college. We talked late into the night and my Irish friend Andrew came over again and we sang some more songs and recommended some hikes to some new fellows and eventually hit the hay for the last time. Quite sad.

June 23^rd – This was our day to leave beautiful Gimmelwald and we made the most of it by taking another good hike with Aaron up to a waterfall and up further through some amazing pasture land. All Swiss cow have bells and so walking through an Alpine pasture sounds like walking through a big set of wind-chimes in a hurricane. It was lovely,majestic, amazing, and more than just picturesque. We had a good lunch and headed back to pack up and leave on the cable car/bus/train back to Interlaken. We checked back into our Interlaken hosteland found the “COOP” a franchised supermarket whose various locations kept us alive in Switzerland. We bought a few meals worth of food and ate dinner and went to a town's Jumbotron presentation of the Switzerland v. Korea game. Graham had purchased a Swiss shirt for this very occasion. The entire town was there and lovin' it. Evidently Switzerland was sort of a long shot for world cup qualification. But by winning the Korea game they advanced into the elimination games (1/8 finals, however you say that) and the Swiss were absolutely ecstatic. But the car horns sounding all night throughout the town didn't keep me awake..

June 24^th – We had to get to Salzburg today. We decided it couldn't be too hard but we left at 8:30 and didn't pull into the station in Salzburg 'til 19:45. The only problem with this was that we had no reservations anywhere in the city so we tried a couple places before we finally found the “Youth and Family Guesthouse”, a monstrous place that was more like an insane asylum or an orphanage than a hostel. Actually, lodging wasn't our only concern. You see our two-man group was about to pick up a third member. Will Lutz was on a plane from London due to arrive at the Salzburg airport at 21:20 and I had no idea how to get there. I left Graham with the bags to check in and ran back to the bus stop. I nearly missed the bus and paid for the 1.60 Euro ticket with a 50 Euro bill. I'm sure the driver appreciated that. I actually got to the airport in time and we headed back to the hostel via a different bus line. Well, with a different line came a different stop and thus, an unfamiliar place. I held Will's bag whilst he recorded the event (our being lost) on his camera. Well, I thought we were one stop away so I hopped on a likely bus but in conversing unintelligibly with the driver I decided it wasn't going where we needed to go. So I got off the bus. Will's luggage did not. This set into motion a somewhat frantic search. I got Will to the hostel and took a swig of water and headed out to catch the bus if it came around again. It never did. I was feeling pretty bad about the whole thing and thinking about how typical this sort of thing was for me and wondering why it had to be Will's luggage and the only thing that made it bearable was the slight romance of sitting at a deserted bus stop in a foreign city. At 00:41 I decided to head on back to the hostel/institution thing. I first stopped by an amazing Kebap stall and had what tasted like a bacon sandwich with special sauce. Man was that good.

25^th – Today was Sunday and after a surprisingly good breakfast (1^st breakfast w/ real meat) we decided to head towards a church in town that had advertised services on the board at the hostel. We strolled through the old town and past a million stores selling chocolate “Mozart Balls” and found ourselves at a beautiful old church with a small group of other Christians who seemed like regulars. We all loved the service and (only because we were in Salzburg) we were treated to selections of classical music at intervals. They even hosted a sit-down coffee and cake time after the service. Later, we walked around some gardens and to the bus station (lost and found closed) and back through the city and the old town and tents and street shows and found an abbey. We had authentic Austrian sausage for dinner and headed up to a fortress on a hill overlooking the city. The gate was open, the ticket booth closed, so we crept inside and found the place mostly deserted. The views from both sides of the castle were splendid and we got to watch a thunderstorm come down off the Alps. Salzburg is a beautiful city. We caught the last bit of the Portugal v. Netherlands match and pretty much scurried off to bed.

26^th – We took a morning train to a place called Bershtegasden (spl?) today (after an unsucessful attempt to locate Will's bag) and eventually got up high into the mountains that are, I suppose, considered the Bavarian Alps. We took buses up to Kelstienhaus, a mountain “house” given to Hitler by the Nazi party for his 50^th birthday. The place had stunning views of the country in all directions and we spent a little time clambering over the nearby rocky outcroppings and throwing the occasional snowball. We returned to Salzburg and I convinced the boys that they ought to experience a kebap sandwich so with Graham's monster 2.5 liter coke and our culinary delight
(i.e. The Kebap), we had a great meal. I went in to the hostel to ask for glasses of ice and a girl who worked there and with whom I'd shared our lost luggage problem caught me outside and told me that the police found Will's bag! Thank you Lord! I'm not sure who was more relieved, Will or myself. Graham was more excited to have glasses and ice for his Coke. Even so we continue to see God's mercy and grace on this amazing trip. Will and Graham watched the Sound of Music (our institution had a free showing every night at 20:00) and I went up towards the castle to play guitar. We somehow met down at the city's huge screen watching the Switzerland v. Ukraine game (a disappointing loss for the Swiss) and walked back for our last night at the institution.

27^th – Today we repacked, Will claimed his bag, Graham did something, Will and I walked the city once more, and we caught a train to Munich. I made reservations on a night train to Venice and we had something of a dinner on a bench at the station. I walked Munich a bit (nice city) and returned to the station. There was a great lightning storm on and after a little guitar, we boarded a southbound train. The ride was uncomfortable to say the least.

28^th – I believe I've already covered this day. (see previous post)

29^th-- We woke and had eggs and cheese and basil pesto scrambled for breakfast. First eggs I'd had all trip. That was pretty nice. We thought we were going to have to change rooms but a friendly note on our door told us otherwise. We headed to the local COOP and split up from there, agreeing to meet back at 15:00. As I believe I mentioned, part of my pilgrimage was finding free internet and being able to send somewhat full-sized emails and check things and make sure the world was still OK. And if not OK then as well as can be expected. I had fun (got turned around) in the labyrinthine Venetian alleys but somehow made it back just as the clock struck 3. Graham says he roved San Marcos square and found a South Carolina-esque park. With benches. Will walked across the city, read a good few chapters in the Screwtape Letters, gave to the poor, and had an enjoyable time losing his way in the maze of ancient pathways and alleys that we all call Venice. We went shopping for dinner and cooked up a little seafood (we don't know what it was) in butter and added copious amounts of spinach and had pasta and pesto and buttered bread and all in all it was quite a feast. We made our way back out into the city and caught a free concert. The choir was singing in Latin at first and then drifted into southern gospel stuff and then “What A Wonderful World”. The conductor was awesome. He wore the the full tux and tails get-up but also sang and played the trumpet and wore black cowboy boots. We continued to take in the Venetian evening as we strolled down by the grand canal and through the dark streets lit by the little lights of the Gondolas. I think we had gelato. We returned to the room and talked at length with a young ex-marine who was taking a 'round-the-world trip. It was good to actually talk to another American for a change, I realized how long it had been. To talk about travel and those Canadians. Ugh...Canadians. Don't get me wrong, I've met some great Canadians, but sometimes it's nice to vent about Canada and it's citizens as a whole. I'll explain later.

30^th – We had planned to head to Rome today. But Graham said it was too expensive. So he said we should go to Florence to a hostel that we had no reservations for and, i don't know, hope for the best. We tried to get there without having to pay a reservation fee (on the train) but our connection to Florence had a compulsory reservation policy (we found this out on the train). I got kicked out of my seat by rather large fellow who had reserved it and ended up actually falling asleep standing in the accordion-like coupling area between cars. Somehow, I dodged the conductors and the 5 Euro surcharge; Graham and Will (neither kicked from his seat) were not so lucky. We arrived in Firenze (I believe that's Florence in Italian, or else we're not were we think we are) in the afternoon and began searching for a room. The hostel Graham spoke of was fully booked and the second proved too pricey. After some searching, we found a third place, also booked solid. The one-star hotel up the street had only 2 spots and this left us with one option: a hostel far away from the city. We couldn't raise communication with them and so, for the first time on our trek, worn and tattered, a bit grungy, more than a bit flustered, and somewhat fatigued, we entered the sliding glass doors below those familiar Golden Arches. McDonald's has never been a place I've enjoyed (at least since I stopped getting Happy Meals) and is certainly not my idea of a safe haven, but that 1 euro menu was just calling our name. My hamburger and strawberry milkshake really hit the spot. Graham had the same with a chocolate milkshake and Will invested in an entire, opulent (not really) “McMenu Maxi”. We headed to the bus station and bought tickets to our last-chance hostel, hoping they had rooms, not necessarily wanting to try another town that night. As we made our way to the correct stop, a little Italian man with a city map in his hand was mumbling something at us. By now, we've pretty much learned to tune out such folks and keep walking but as we brushed past, we heard something about beds for 16 euro and that stopped me dead in my tracks upon the mention of a private room with private bath I spun around and faced the fellow, Angelo. He showed us his location on a map, better than any hostel. He explained that we'd have our own room for 3, with private bathroom. He told us he'd show us the way and we quickly followed him, using our purchased bus tickets to get to his door. Graham looked puzzeled and a bit cynical, Will looked relatively complacent with a hint of “wow, I might actually have a bed tonight” about him. We climbed to the 4^th floor (3^rd floor in Europe) and Angelo let us into his abode. I 'twas promising. We were still a bit skeptical but he showed us the room and gave me the keys for all the locks and told us we could pay whenever and left. 16 euro is cheaper than the cheapest hostel here and for our money we got a huge room with 3 big wardrobes and bathroom with a nice shower. Not to mention a rather picturesque view of the Florentine rooftops and our narrow street. We thanked God for his grace poured out on us once again and headed out to see the city and catch the football match, a big game, Italy v. Ukraine. We acended a beautiful hill and were treated to possibly the best view of Florence. The sun was beginning to show signs of sinking and the many domes and endless rooftops were beginning to catch the light. To add to this, we stumbled onto a bunch of attractive Italian girls who were handing out free Coke. Amazing. We were then ushered some foosball tables and encouraged by some more Italian chicks to play the game, also free. Soon enough, a third bevy of girls came by and handed us some free hats. We were a little disoriented by the whole thing. What was going on? So much free stuff. In Europe? I asked one of the girls but she didn't speak English and I don't speak Italian so we traded words like “coke” and “foosball” and I never found out the truth. We left our little free world, picking up some more coke on the way out and headed even further up the hill, finding the definitive best view of Florence and sitting awhile. We next ventured to Michaelangelo's Pizza a fine establishment overlooking the city, and split 2 pizzas. Not surprisingly, they were amazing. We caught the Italy match on two different big screens and witnessed the fanatic response of the Italians. Scooter horns were blaring in the city 'til dawn. We walked back to the private room and retired.

July 1^st – We headed to Rome today and had little trouble since all roads lead there. We witnessed the ancient city in all it's weed-infested glory. The Colosseum, the Forum, the Circus Maximus, Palatine Hill, Trevi Fountain (whatever that is), and a host of other important things. It reminded me of Latin class and I tried my hand at translating some monuments' inscriptions (with little success) And though Rome wasn't built in a day, we saw a lot of it in a day. The reserved Eurostar train back afforded good sleep and by the time we returned to the room at 23:00, I was more than ready to go again. I got no takers in the private suite so I headed out into the city, crossed a bunch of bridges, caught a live concert in the middle of one (bridge), explored some, had an excellent burrito, read, wrote, played, sang and definitely got to bed before 03:00.

2^nd – Today we took in Florence as much as possible. We slept in and lazed around and walked a little and used some coupons received at the football game to get buy-one-get-one Big Macs. I'd never had a Big Mac before, certainly not two of them, but they really were quite welcome. I may never have a Big Mac again, who knows? Graham and I got way off the tourist map looking for a supermarket and Will spent some time in the city. We rendezvoused on a bridge and after a trip back to the suite, we left again and tried to find my burrito place (it was closed). So after we closed down a supermarket, I ate Greek and the boys ate Mesopotamian and we caught the breathtaking dome of Florence at night and mosied to the station to check times and capped the night with another milkshake.

3^rd – Whew! Finally caught back up. I thought this moment would never come. Well, technically, it's July 4^th here now. Today we caught the 6:44 to Rome and walked a prodigious number of kilometers to the world's smallest country. Vatican City. We toured the awe-inspiring Basilica of St. Peter. This was an experience in itself and i ended up wishing I had my Catholic friends with me because 1.) it's probably more amazing if you're Catholic and I'd like any of the fine Asheville Catholics to see it and 2.) they might could explain some things to me. I'm not sure I understand the whole relic thing. Pieces of the “cross” and the supposed spear that pierced Jesus side. Or the pope that they had encased in wax and put on display. And of course there's the issue of the place being so darn elaborate and ornate; I don't know how many billions of dollars of material are in there, not to mention the art and artifacts. But then again, if you look at it without all the politics and see a building like that designed to give glory to God, you can understand everything a little better. We next toured the Vatican museum and after a long walk through many rooms, we got to experience the Sistine Chapel and Michaelangelo's masterful work inside. It was cool, but after about 2 rooms full of priceless treasure you become a little jaded by it. All the “amazing” art, stuff you've seen in pictures. I thought about the life of a famous sculpture: “Well yes, I've just spent two entire years of my life working on this naked stone man. It's quite an accomplishment.” Sorry. I heard the Vatican post office was a well oiled machine so while we were there I sent mail to the only two addresses I know by heart. I should have brought some addresses with me. Oh well. We trekked back across Rome, said goodbye to the Circus Maximus and the Colosseum and got some good Roman pizza to eat on the train. Again, the commute proved productive in the way of sleeping and reading and we walked on our tired legs to our amazing private room and had pesto and bread and chocolate and listened to music and generally relaxed and now my companions are long asleep and I might join them. I assure you it is still before 03:00.

Hopefully Graham will find a way to post this tomorrow. Maybe He'll do pictures too.

It will be a new experience to celebrate the 4^th of July outside the states. An experience that I look forward to.

We love all ya'll,

Caleb

# posted by gbruns @ 10:23 AM