Roma & Grecian Paradise

Sadly, this will be my last blog post so I'd like to thank you all for reading this and joining me on this once in a lifetime journey. I know I haven't been the best at keeping you all updated but I hope you enjoyed it regardless. I love you all and I can't wait to see you! (This is a long one to make up for my lack this semester :) )

ROMA

June 19

We started our trek for our last vacation at about 6 pm on Wednesday. Pella and I were catching a train from Innsbruck to Salzburg, Salzburg to Villach, and Villach to Rome. Amanda, Jess, Alex, and Brittany were going straight from Vienna to Rome, and this was the only train route we could get that allowed us to be on the same train as them. Halfway through our trip to Salzburg, an announcement comes on in German so I just ignored it. (Usually if it is important they will say it in English and German) However, we kept hearing Salzburg over and over again, so we asked the guy sitting behind us what was going on. He told us that there were old bombs from WWII that had been found at the Salzburg station and we were not allowed to go there. So Pella and I started to get nervous since we absolutely had to catch the next train to make our train reservation to Rome. The ticket collector told us to get off on the next stop and wait for a "special train" that would come get us and take us to Villach instead. It was very confusing, stressful, and sketchy. We followed an older Austrian woman who was also heading to Villach in hopes that she maybe knew where she was going at least. We ended up talking with her for hours while we waited, teaching eachother German and English phrases. We were so nervous we would not make it to Villach in time, but the train finally did come and we got on just in time! Apparently, the other group almost missed their train as well so it was a gift from God that we all made it on together! Everyone else paid for a sleeper compartment, but being the penny pincher I am, I opted for only a seat. Worst 9 hour train ride of my life, but I made it to Rome in one piece!

June 20 

We all got off the train together and immediately hopped on a city bus to try and get to our apartment. It was hotter than hell inside and we had no clue where we were going because there were no stops listed. I was able to hand-gesture communicate enough with an older lady to find out where my stop was, so we ended up getting there after a stressful ride. The area we stayed in was called Trastevere... it was so amazing. Not very touristy at all... tiny cobblestone streets and trattoria's all around. There was a bar below our apartment that we frequented daily as well.

 We ended up just dropping all of our bags off and then headed straight to the Vatican City. It was around 95 degrees and sunny so we were thankful when a man immediately approached us and offered us a deal to skip the lines and get entrance into the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. It was a little sketchy at first but hey, we got in and didn't have to wait in line in the heat! The tour was so incredible.. it didn't feel real that that is where the Pope is! You have to make sure that you are covered completely to get in, so we wore longer dresses and put scarves over our shoulders because it was too hot for pants or jackets!

our apartment street

inside St. Peter's Basilica

Vatican :)

After the day at the Vatican we walked to a small Italian restaurant for lunch where we all had some authentic Italian food mmmm! We then walked back to the apartment and got cleaned up to go down to the bar for a few drinks. Pella and I embarrassed the entire group by belting out Mulan songs loud enough for the whole bar to hear. We were exhausted from getting no sleep on the train and being in the heat all day, so we went to bed afterwards.

June 21

my loves <3 br="">

 We woke up rather early because we knew we wanted to beat the lines at the Colosseum. Thank God we did! Pella, Amanda, Alex and I went inside while Jess and Brittany stayed out since they had already been. The line took maybe 10 minutes, and then we were in! It was insanely beautiful and old! It's really hard to take it in that these buildings are hundreds of years old. We walked around and took advantage of numerous photo ops, and then joined the rest of our group outside to get on our double decked tour bus for the day! We rode a big circle all over Rome, seeing all the sites like a TRUE tourist. We stopped at the Trevi Fountain and had lunch at a small cafe. After being out ALL day in the heat, we went back to the apartment to shower and get dolled up for a night out. We went downstairs for dinner and drinks, and then walked around Rome at night. On our way to see the Pantheon and the Spanish steps, we saw a market down by the river and walked through it. After a jaunt of a walk, we made it to the Pantheon and it was stunning at night! We grabbed our last Italian gelato and went to the Spanish steps. There are always people trying to force you to buy their crap in Italy, and Pella was looking through her camera... a man came by and shoved a bouquet of roses in her arm crease and told her to pay for them. Amanda grabbed the bouquet and shoved them back in the guy's chest... he was saying some pretty nasty things in Italian and I'm 99% sure he put a curse on her. It was hilarious.

Colosseum

Girls of the trip... at the "wedding cake"

making a wish at Trevi ;)

 June 22
We slept in because we were all so exhausted. Our friend Stanley was in Rome today and it was the last time we would be able to say goodbye so we all went out to brunch with him! We then said goodbye to Rome and hopped on our next flight to Athens! In Athens we had a shuttle service pick us up from the airport and take us to the hostel. Once we hit the city center we were a little worried about our decision... it seemed like we were in a veryyyyy sketchy area. But once we got inside the hostel, we were pleasantly surprised. Our room was a 6 bedroom suite with a balcony overlooking the city! All of the walls were painted as Santorini scenery as well so it was a cute little room. We were all starving so we got a restaurant recommendation from our hostel desk and headed outside. The streets were so slummy, so thankfully there were 6 of us so we felt safer. After a 10 minute walk we arrived at our VERY traditional Greek restaurant! It was surrounded with locals and it was such a quaint little restaurant. We were able to get a table outside and enjoy the perfect weather. I ordered a Greek salad and pita, but I was saddened to see that a Greek salad isn't a salad at all in fact-- no lettuce! So I ate some of the feta on the pita and called it good... it was delicious regardless! Everyone else got gyros and were very happy with their food! On the walk home we stopped in a convenient store and bought some wine... it came in a 2 liter plastic water bottle!! We sat on our balcony and drank wine and enjoyed each others company.

June 23
We woke up very early to have breakfast before our tour guide arrived. Alex had a family friend come to be our tour guide through Athens since it can be a little unsafe at times. His name was Misa and he was so sweet and such a good guide! We got on the subway out to the acropolis. This was an all-day deal! It was scorching hot and we waited in line to get tickets for a good hour before we could go up and see the ruins. Once we got up there we were all so excited and overwhelmed with the beauty of the Parthenon!

Unreal!

 We walked through the flea markets and the second-hand markets and then stopped for a traditional lunch! I got a plate of Greek meat and tsaziki, it was to die for! One of the best meals I have had. We saw a few other sites in Athens and then had to hurry off to catch our ferry to Santorini! On the train ride to the port, I had the funniest moment of my life. A little boy randomly gets on the train with an accordion and just goes straight up into people's faces and stares at them while he plays.. it was so incredibly uncomfortable I cannot even explain. He came up to me and I couldn't hold it in anymore I just burst out laughing because it was so awkward! He turns away and gets in Amanda's face while he plays and she just stares right back at him with daggers. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen and became an inside joke for the rest of the trip. When we finally got to the marina, I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting a small ferry like the one I took to Cozumel... bench seats... open air... no sides. NOT the case! It was a full on cruise liner (in my eyes). We were lucky and got on early enough to grab 2 tables because it is first come first serve. It was a 6 hour ferry so we sat around playing card games, sleeping, and got dinner. When we finally arrived, Pella and I were super obnoxious because we were so excited to be in Santorini! We took a shuttle from the port to our apartment. We drove for 20 minutes and hit a dead end, where we were then prompted to get out of the car and "follow this man". Obviously I am a little concerned but we followed him anyways and he did lead us to our apartment... which was INCREDIBLE!!! (see pics below) Amanda Jess Brittany and I were too excited to sleep so we went out to one of the beach bars to grab a drink and check things out. We met a band that then told us they'd be playing the next night.

Our apartment

 June 24
We woke up early because we were so excited to see Santorini by daylight! We decided we should go up to the next area to see the main city of Fira, since where we were staying was the beach portion. I can honestly say I have never been happier or more amazed at a place in my life. Santorini is an absolute dream and I cannot wait to go back someday! The buildings are all stark white contrasted with deep blue roofs and doors and pops of red and pink plants and flowers. It is just stunning. We did some souvenir shopping and grabbed lunch and then took the bus back to our little beach town. We put on our swimsuits and  hit the beach!! We all ordered some fruity drinks and sat under our thatched umbrellas. We got some good color and decided to shower and head inside to get ready for dinner. We met a girl on the bus from the USA named Rachel and we invited her to join us for dinner. We had multiple drinks and dinner and sat for hours laughing and talking at our beachside restaurant. I ordered Greek yogurt for dinner because it just sounded so authentic-- and it was. SO. Good.

 After dinner we decided to check out that band that was playing at the beach bar. We sat and listened to them for a while, and the girls even got up to dance for some of it (me... no way). We then walked along the beach looking at the gorgeous moon on the water and called it a night.

June 25
We woke up early again to go snag some chairs on the beach! Normally it would cost you to sit at these chairs but since we made friends with the restaurant owners the night before we were able to get them for free! They have vendors walking along the beach offering foot massages and Amanda bartered with one woman and actually got one! Apparently, however, it is completely illegal and so the lady would get phone calls and run away, and then come back... so odd. I ordered a fruit smoothie with rum and got completely baked in the sun for the entire day. I got more Greek yogurt for lunch and just enjoyed the Aegan Sea and the sand between my toes. We decided to have a fancy group dinner so we all got ready and dressed up and headed back into Fira for a sunset dinner. Our view was INCREDIBLE and so was the food. Did I mention I love Greek food?

We all enjoyed our food and the view and then walked around to find a good spot to enjoy the sunset over the water. We chose by the donkeys, which made me happy because it smells like home :). We caught the last bus back to Perissa and stopped by my FAVORITE bar, Bob's bar. It is a little tropical bar with super cheap drinks and the best bartender in the world! His name was Tatu and he was so over the top and eccentric and loved our group! For some reason he called me Beyonce for the entire trip haha! We got a few drinks there and then went back to the apartment.

sunset dinner view!

 June 26
This was our last day in Greece :( we were all so sad to be leaving! We woke up early and grabbed breakfast at a beach restaurant, and then got another hour of laying out in. After packing up, we decided to go back to Bobs Bar to get our last authentic Greek lunch. Tatu was working so we were all excited to see our friend one last time. We saw Rachel walking down the street as well so we called her over and she joined us for lunch. After chatting for a while we realized that our taxi was supposed to arrive in 15 minutes and we hadn't even gotten our food! We felt so bad because Tatu was running around like a crazy man trying to get our food to us to go. Half of the group left to go stop the taxi and the rest of us stayed to get the food. Luckily we all ordered gyros so they were easy to take on the go! Once we got our food, Tatu told us to wait and took off his shoes and sprinted down a back road. He came back a few minutes later with a big basket of fresh strawberries! It was so sweet! I was dragging my feet because I honestly just never wanted to leave Greece... like, EVER. Favorite place in the world and always will be. Once we got our taxi to the airport we hopped on a flight to Vienna and then took a 5 hour train back to Innsbruck. Such a long day but it was honestly the trip of a lifetime and I will never forget it!

 

 

 

Tatu haha! What a character

so dang pretty i can't stand it

June 28
I am leaving Innsbruck today... it is such an incredibly bittersweet feeling. I miss home so much but at the same time, Innsbruck has become my home.. the people I have met here are more than friends, they're family to me. I don't know what I am going to do without seeing them every day! I am so thankful and blessed that I was able to have this experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I will cherish these memories and people forever. I head to Munich tonight and will be meeting my friends for a last dinner in Europe at one of Munich's famous beer gardens. I fly home in the morning.... What a weird feeling! So for the last time..... Auf Wiedersehen, Danke!

Update on the last 2 months... OOPs!

POLAND
On May 8 Amanda, Jess, and I started our trek to Poland! We took a short train ride to Vienna, and then got on our night train to Krakow. The train was definitely not what we expected but was actually really fun! There were 6 tiny bunks crammed into one compartment. It was us 3, and two older German ladies, so we were pretty packed!

About an hour into our trip, the train randomly stops and the announcer comes over the intercom and starts explaining the situation in German. He then translates it back to English saying our train is stopped for an hour due to, simply, "Police". The ladies in our compartment said that isn't even remotely what he had announced in German so I'm still not really sure what happened. We got in a few hours of sleep and then arrived early in the morning in sunny Poland! We dropped our things off at our wonderful hostel, and then headed out to explore Krakow. We did a huge circle around the entire city... I literally have never regretted wearing sandals more. So. Painful. We went to the cloth market, a huge open air market in the square that sells all sorts of Polish goods. We also walked miles and miles to Schindler's factory... which was so surreal to see and think about! We were ready to die after the walk though because we were all in flip flops and the walk took over an hour in the heat! For dinner, we went to this cute little restaurant and all ordered chicken and zucchini salads. Everything in Poland is so cheap, I love it!

our hostel!

the cloth hall

the main square

The following morning, we walked to Starbucks (hallelujah!) and enjoyed a REAL coffee since all they serve in Europe is a shot! A large coffee here is literally one gulp. So it was nice to have a taste of home. Then we got picked up by our tour guide that drove us to Auschwitz-Birkenau.It was such a beautiful day, which made our experience there a lot less eerie. This was one of the main things I wanted to see on my trip abroad because it is such a historic spot. We toured the buildings in Auschwitz and even went into one of the gas chambers that hadn't been destroyed.. thankfully we were only in there for a minute or so because I may have gotten sick otherwise. There were also rooms full of suitcases, glasses, shoes, and human hair. Luckily the Holocaust museum in DC prepared me for this, but it was so surreal to think that I was standing where all of this actually happened. We then went to Birkenau, which is the huge eerie train port with all of the barracks and barbed wire... this is where it all felt real to me. I really couldn't believe I was standing where all of these atrocities took place.

"work makes free"... not

Birkenau train port....

After Auschwitz we walked around Krakow for the night and got a nice Polish dinner in the square. We grabbed dessert, saw the city by night, and made our way back to the hostel. The next day it took many trains and 17 hours to get back home....

CROATIA
I spent May 21-28th in Dubrovnik, Croatia. I stayed at this gorgeous apartment in a small town called Zaton Mali. The owners were so sweet and made me homemade olive oil, wine, and liqueur. They had a golden retriever named Otto who was sooo sweet and I played with him every day! There was a man living in one of the other rooms, who was in Croatia writing a book. He left dinner in front of our door and took us out to an extremely nice seafood restaurant in a tiny town about an hour from the apartment called Mali Stone. I tried grilled prawns for the first time and I am now obsessed! I went to the Island of Lokrum, which is where they film GAME OF THRONES!!! So exciting in my book. I also took a few days exploring the old town and spent a day kayaking across the Adriatic. It was tough with the rough water! Croatia was absolutely gorgeous, just wish the weather would have cooperated!!

VIENNA
I took a class trip to Vienna at the beginning of June. Because Austria and Germany is flooding, it was quite a trip! We took a train, then a bus, then another train.... so confusing and a hassle but we finally made it! We toured Schloss Shonbrunn and the gardens behind it. We then had the night to do with it what we wished so a group of us got Mexican food next to our hotel (go figure) and went out for a few drinks. The next morning we woke up early for a city tour. We hit all the main points of Vienna, which is mostly just the stunning architecture! I was supposed to go to the Leopold Museum with my group but got the opportunity to go to the Spanish Riding School where the Lipizzaner Stallions originated and are trained and perform... so I did that instead! I am so glad that I did, it was an amazing experience for me since I am OBSESSED with horses. The palace was gorgeous and the performance was so entertaining, even in the standing-room-only :).

riding school :)

Other than these trips, I have been doing school non-stop and making the best of my last few days abroad! Lots of dinner dates, biking, running, hiking, lake time, and friends! I went to Rome and Greece for my last vacation, but that is another blog post for another day :)

adventures in italy! ( & a few other places)

I realize it has been QUITE some time since I have updated-- so I apologize! Innsbruck has become my home so I've settled into a routine and tend to forget to write here! This past month has been full of hiking, trips to the lake, dinner parties, (and a little studying)....But on April 19, my wonderful mom and cousin Alison came to visit!

Austria/Germany
They didn't arrive until late Friday night around 1 am... I waited in the lobby reading a book just in case they couldn't work the intercom system. I heard a van door shut and voila! There they were! After 2 months of being away from home and my family, it was AMAZING to be able to see them! My mom looked like she had seen a ghost... she definitely misses her (favorite) daughter and roommate (hehe Lindsey!) I got 2 extra mattresses from my dorm and placed them strategically around my room so we had pathways to walk through. It was a preeeeetty tight squeeze (3 adults in one dorm room) but we made the best of it and HEY, it was free!

traditional Austrian

The next morning, I played tour guide and showed them around the town. We had apple strudel for lunch, and then continued to explore the city. For dinner, I took them to a traditional Austrian restaurant called Stifskeller. We enjoyed soft pretzels, wine, and traditional Austrian plates. On Sunday, we decided to rent a car and drive to Fussen, Germany, where the castle Neuschwanstein is. I hadn't been in a car in 2 months so it was such a tease! [side note]--- I miss my beautiful little Honda, and going wherever I want, whenever I want... here I have to either walk or wait for the bus/train at the times it is running.. not to mention everything here closes at 7pm and isn't open on Sundays!--- We visited the castle, took a tour of the inside with an........ "interesting" tour guide... he was extremely, extremely odd and creepy. Then we took a horse-drawn carriage back down to our car and drove to Mittenwald, Germany on the way back to Innsbruck. We stopped for some photos, and then continued driving home. We were pretty hungry after a long day of driving, so we went to one of my favorite restaurants (flo jos) and got burgers... good old taste of home! Monday (22nd) I had class all day, so mom and Alison went to the Swarovski crystal world and walked around the city while I studied. I wanted to introduce my family to all of the AMAZING friends I have met here, so we all met up for dinner at Vapiano! I am very blessed to have met some of the best friends here!

Neuschwanstein Castle!

Italia

Venice
Early on the 23rd, we woke up to catch our train to Venice! ( and I mean EARLY... 4 am to be exact). We took a train to Brenner (the Austrian-Italian border) for our first connection. None of us have ever really used the train system before, as I had only been on one train to Munich! We weren't really sure how it worked... and so our first few rides were very stressful, hilarious, and interesting. We arrived to the train station in Brenner at about 6:15 am... I'm not sure you can even call it a station. It was deserted, grungy, and frankly, looked like somewhere we were all about to get jumped and robbed! All the trains were littered with graffiti, and we all thought, "What the HELL did we just get ourselves into?!" No one spoke any English so we are pretty proud that we got on the right train!... the train from Brenner to Verona was less than beautiful, but luckily we all slept for a good portion of the ride. Once we arrived in Verona, we were ecstatic to see our next train! Beautifully new, clean, and spacious.... that's more like it! Also-- the scenery from Verona to Venice is stunning! Random castles everywhere, littered with wineries and sunshine! Once we got off the train in Venice, we walked to the exit and bee-lined towards the absolutely gorgeous canals!!![ Words cannot explain how blown away I was by Venice... We lucked out with incredible weather-- warm and sunny!]

our water bus port

We next hopped on a "water bus" to get to our hotel! It was so much fun! You just hop onto the bus and it stops at docks all along the canals. Our hotel was quite far away so we even got to ride on the main canal! We got off on our stop and walked through the Piazza San Marco... our hotel just happened to be on a small canal RIGHT next to it! Perfect location! We walked around for most of the day and then decided to have some wine and champagne at the hotel... we had an incredible view.. a tiny little table sitting over the canal where the gondola port was. After wine, we left the hotel to see Venice by night!

view from our hotel table

It was beautiful but so very easy to get lost! While walking, we were stopped by a gondola man. After haggling a bit with prices, we decided we would give it a whirl! It is a must-do in my opinion. You get to see all parts of the city that you cannot see by walking! There were also gondolas playing beautiful music as they floated by and it was so surreal.

my bff hot kath! what a hot date <3 td="">

what a character..

water limo, holla!

Venice by far had the best gelato that I have had so far, too! MMM take me back! But we were really tired from our extremely early morning so we went to bed to be rested for our next day of travel. Our hotel had scheduled us a (free) tour to Murano island to see where all the Murano glass work is made! I am the clumsiest person alive so I was a little nervous I'd trip in the gallery and walk out owing 1.7 million dollars in broken goods. Luckily I made it out with all my pennies. We had a guide and free water taxis (or limos as I call them) taking us to and from the island, which was really fancy! The weather was absolutely perfect too, sunny and 70's, so we definitely lucked out.

Florence

We arrived at the Venice train station mid-day on Wednesday, and were relieved to see that we had a luxury train again... never underestimate these! Cherish them. It was only a 2 hour ride to Florence, but I was still a little bummed we didn't have much time to spend there... guess I'll just have to make a trip back! Our hotel was within walking distance to the train station, and it was my favorite hotel of the entire trip! So cute and authentic... and free breakfast! We dropped all of our things off in the room and then headed out! We got to see a good portion of Florence's main sites like Basilica of St. Mary, and a bunch of other historic buildings that I can't remember the names of! My favorite was this really old, cute bridge called Ponte Vecchio. We went at sunset and caught a gorgeous view of the scenery overlooking the river. 

Alison and I sitting on Ponte Vecchio

We were pretty hungry after walking around, so we stopped by this little market of stands selling food from all over the world. I got something that I would compare to... a lettuce quesadilla. Right up my alley but everyone else seemed to think I was crazy. We were eating dinner outside at these tables in a plaza area, and some homeless man came up and started pointing at us... I had no clue what he wanted so I tried to hand him my crumbs and plate... (dumb but I was confused).. then he points to my mom's BARELY eaten sandwich... and she hands it over to him! hahaha what a nice lady, I do not give away my food! (fat girl problems?) 

Best of Tuscany Tour 

where the races take place in Siena

The next morning we woke up very early to enjoy the free breakfast, packed up, and went to get on our tour bus! We had a pretty full bus but somehow getting on last allowed us to have our own rows :) we made friends with the other tourists, mostly from Australia and England. Our first stop on the bus was to Siena! A tiny medieval town that hosts the Palio horse race twice every year. The way Siena is set up is into 17 sections, all with their own mascot. Each year these districts race against each other and there is a huge rivalry between the entire town because of these divisions. It was fascinating! For this tour we had to wear our "whispers" which were these lanyards with an audio guide and an earphone attached so we could hear our guide talking... totally touristy but so helpful actually. 

heyoooo tourists are coming!

the winery we toured

 Next, we got back onto the bus and hit the road to our winery tour!!! (my fave part). We arrived at this small winery on the outside of San Gimignano. We got a tour of the area and the process, and then headed inside for our tasting and 3 course lunch. We tried 4 wines all together, one being a dessert wine. We were served bruschetta, pasta, and then salad with meat. The dessert was biscotti. All very yummy! I enjoyed my wine and the unreal view of the Tuscan countryside... looks just like I had seen in pictures, only better.

ahhh, yes. this is for real.

 Next stop was just down the road: San Gimignano, AKA Medieval Manhattan, as you can see below!

outskirts of san gimignano

We explored there for a while and then got back on the bus to go to our final stop: Pisa! The field of miracles, as they call it, was stunning! A huge grassy plaza with the leaning tower of Pisa as well as a few other gorgeous buildings. We took our MUST HAVE cheesy holding the tower pictures, and then had to book it to the train station to catch our train to the Cinque Terre!

judge me.

 This tour was definitely worth it, seeing as we packed a weeks worth of stuff into just one day! It was perfect for us and we loved it! So all three of us dragged our luggage through the massive crowds of tourists in Pisa and tried to find the train station... it was becoming a wee bit sketchy so we were nervous that we weren't going the right way. Not to mention, we had about 6 minutes before the train left and we hadn't even gotten our tickets! I almost did the #1 no-no and jumped across the tracks to get to the ticket stand in time but luckily my mom is fast as a fox and made it in time. The train was another "Brenner" situation (lol) but we made it to La Spezia, and eventually Vernazza with the help of a sweet Australian couple. 

Cinque Terre (Vernazza)

Upon arrival in Vernazza, I was immediately blown away by it's beauty. It is SO QUAINT! Tiny little cobblestone streets with colorful buildings, Italian flags hung everywhere, and littered with Italian restaurants and gelato shops... we continued down the one street they had which lead us straight to... the Mediterranean!!! 

the restaurant linked with our room!

 The street we were on opened up into this plaza lined with restaurants and colorful umbrellas. From every seat you have the gorgeous view of the Sea surrounded by towering cliffs. We had to go to this little restaurant to get our room key, as we booked this little apartment room. The restaurant owner was this old Italian man who was just the sweetest thing in the world. I wanted to put him in my pocket and take him home! We walked back up the street we came down on and found our apartment... little did we know it was up 4 flights of literally vertical stairs... so it was a challenge with all of our luggage! But the room was gorgeous and we all fell asleep right away.

our apartment ( top floor with window open)

The next morning, we woke up early and got our breakfast included at the restaurant linked with our room. We had omelettes and foccacia bread! Dressed in our best hiking gear, we finished breakfast, put on our backpacks, and started our hike to Monterosso! (little did we know how challenging this hike was going to be....) Somehow, it was stairs, uphill, the entire way. I'm not too sure how that even works, but it was. Stairs on stairs on stairs for 2 hours and 15 minutes... our asses are hard as rocks now, you better believe it! Luckily, the view was enough to distract me from the burn! If you look behind you you see the aerial view of Vernazza, and ahead of you, Monterosso!

  It was a win-win! Along the way, we found a random picnic table with a sign in Italian that said "please feed these unloved and homeless cats"... how sad!!! There was a barrel of cat food in the rocks so I obviously opened it and fed the kitties! (how random, right?) Eventually though, after the rocky narrow paths, vineyards, lemon tree gardens, streams, and yes, more stairs... we made it to Monterosso! We can now say we hiked from one town to another! Monterosso was a lot bigger than Vernazza, but so beautiful and authentic. We stopped and had a little Italian lunch and then took the train back to Vernazza. 

lol, where the cat food was...

 We then decided we were exhausted, so we went to a restaurant/bar on the water and ordered a few glasses of wine and some bruschetta. (ahhh, the good life!)

what a babe!

literally to die for

We found out that Vernazza was the birthplace of Pesto.... so obviously we had to try some while we were there! We trekked just a little bit up the road and went to a small restaurant recommended to us by the bartender. Our pasta was amazing and it was the best pesto I have ever had!! We spent the rest of our trip in Cinque Terre just relaxing and enjoying the magnificent views. I found a wifi hotspot and paid to sit outside and use the internet... first world problems!!!

night view :)

my best friend <3 td="">

The next morning we had to wake up and head home :( Alison had to leave early on Sunday (boo! we missed her!) The rest of the trip mom was pretty much on her own during the day as I had full days of classes and projects. We did, however, go all the way to the top of Nordkette ( the very tip top of the alps) by gondola, and came back down to the middle town of Hungerberg, and had lunch!We cooked dinner together one night, watched lots of Prison Break episodes (which she is now hooked on) and just hung out! The night before she left, my dorm threw a massive party. The party room just so happens to be directly next to my room, so there was no escaping the noise. Hopefully she got some sleep because I sure didn't! And in the morning it was basically a combination of the aftermath of a frat party and a hangover. Disgusting!

 I am so happy that mom and Alison got to come visit, it's so nice to have people from home... so if either of you are reading this: thank you and I love you! So far Italy is #1 on my visited list :) Can't wait to keep traveling! Although I miss home, I am definitely making the most of it, only 8 more weeks til I head back to the states, so crazy!

miss you all... xoxoxoxoxox

ps... my mailbox is very lonely!! i would appreciate some cards, letters, sour patch kids... you know, the usual ;) so here is my address:

CARLY ANSTINE
Höttinger Au 34 zimmer 001A
INNSBRUCK, Austria 6020