Frazier Blog

I go to sleep with and eye-mask and two earplugs in. This setup makes sleeping in hostels much easier. Somehow thou I always end up with one or more earplugs missing when I wake up. During the night someone must have closed the window in the room as I woke up warm and in a stuffy room.

The big score was that a spot had opened up at the hostel and I could even stay in the same room. Decent breakfast and I hoped on the hostel computer to see if I could prebuy my Van Gogh ticket. I also looked at hostels for Brussels, not looking good. We will see where I end up sleeping.

Headed for the museum area and already started noticing a orange glow to the city. Took some photos at the I (am)sterdam sign and saw them setting up a huge screen for the game tonight. I think this is where I’ll end up watching the game.

I headed into the Rijksmuseum. Learned some history about the Dutch golden ages and then headed upstairs for the paintings. This museum has a large collection of Rembrandt’s paintings. Rembrandt amazed me. His style and detail stood out above many things I have seen. Saw a large art class there and ended up to talking to a few of them about their trip and the challenges with sketching such impressive works.

Enjoyed some more and then left. The weather was sunny but a little cold. I searched the surrounding blocks for something nicer than a hotdog but cheaper than sit-down. Found it with bagels and beans. Ordered a cappuccino and a everything bagel with pesto and tomato cream cheese. Yum. They even had free wifi. Score. It was too early for a call home thou. Around 6am there. My waiter showed me some other areas of the city to explore and I was off to the Van Gogh museum.

I thought about not doing all these museums while I was in Amsterdam. I am so glad I did. Both showcased phenomenal art that I really enjoyed. I ran into my art student friends again. Pretty funny. We both observed that in the row of paintings we were looking at, Monet did not paint a detailed sky. While I felt a bit tired I was enjoying the art.

I exited and headed back to the hostel to sneak in a nap before Ann Franks house and then the football match. I had been scouting locations all day and while there were some good looking bars I could not pass up the museumplein (square). I watched them setting up earlier in the day and they said they were expecting up to 40,000 people.

Nap recharged me and I was off to Ann Franks house. My other mission was to find an orange shirt or jersey.

I really like the city of Amsterdam. It appears to have great city planning. Reminds me a bit of Portland. Amsterdam has taken things to maturity though. Huge bike lanes, trams everywhere, lots of greenspace and weed is legal. They even have traffic signals for bikes! I loved getting this photo that captured almost every mode of transport in one intersection. Bike, tram, bus, car, pedestrian and even a moped. It is quite a feat watching them all interact. Click to make bigger.

At first finding a shirt presented me with a challenge. Soon however I walked up the right street and saw shirts everywhere. I went with an orange Netherlands jersey. I paid 5 euro more to get it at a real store instead of a souvenir stand. On my way to Ann’s house I continued my tradition of buying fruit off the street and enjoyed an excellent nectarine.

Got a little turned around finding Ann Franks house. However this detour went into the area I wanted to check out anyway. More of the local neighborhood, very charming. The canals really add a nice touch to Amsterdam.

I knew I found the house when I saw the long unmoving line stretching out and around the corner. While the line for Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum were not that long and I could have done without pre-buying I am quite glad i had a reservation for Ann frank. With it I rang a doorbell for a side entrance was buzzed in and walked right in.

Touring the house gave me insight into the life of Ann. The way you are led though the house with video clips, quotes and artifacts creates a very powerful effect. I left frustrated with the continued hatred and discrimination seen in the United States and the rest of the world.

Time to go to the game. My search for food, and beer began.

I joined the orange masses and started looking for food and beer. While I could see dozens of restaurants and bars I wanted something quick. I found a grocery store and followed the crowd to the beer alike. At first glance it looked like all the Heineken was already gone, (gotta drink the local beer) but the mob soon found another stack. Grabbed a six pack abs some Pringles and left.

At about this time I realized I was wearing an orange shirt. I paused for a moment and thought this will be one of the few times I’ll be with a large crowd in orange and cheering for them to win.

My search for food continued. I realized that I was now headed towards the square which would pass by my hostel where plenty of places offer cheap food. I spotted a pastry/sandwich spot and headed in. While getting my food I met Embre and we decided to walk to the game together. Learned more about him grabbed our food and started to walk. The amount of orange shirts reached s fever pitch it slowly transformed throughout the day. Starting at about 1 in 10 and now around 9 out of 10. The thickness of the crowd intensified as we neared the park. It was great to see all people of all different cultures walking together to go cheer on the team. We arrived at the square and surprisingly we kept moving. Apparently the Dutch know how to pack it in. Embre and I pushed Into the crowd and choose a place to stand pretty far forward and a little left of center. We were in the thick of the crowd and had a great view of the giant screen. Successful.

The pre-game energy reached it’s peak as the national anthem finished up. I could tell all these people contained pent up energy and when Netherlands scored would go crazy. Video of The Crowd

The game began and watching with thousands of others was great. Every time Netherlands went on the offensive a roar would gather in the crowd. The outbursts at any sight of a foul against their home country provided great entertainment.

And then it happened. A shot at goal, and it went in! Instantly a group of standing civil Dutch citizens went mental. Road flares were set off, fireworks exploded, people danced, hugged and high fived. I felt bodies hitting me from each direction, insane! I pulled out my phone and started shooting video as the replay started to show. While not as intense the celebration picked back up as we watched the reply. Video: The crowd after a score

Instead of there being a lull after the goal you could feel the whole crowd was even more into the game. As the second goal went in the crowd erupted with even more energy. Soon I heard “olay olay olay olay.” Followed by words I did not understand. I asked a Dutch guy next to me and he explained they were singing “we are the champion we are the champions.” the whole crowd seemed to be singing it at once. Next up was Viva Hollandia, followed by Dutch words.

Half time game and I started talking more with the Dutch group around me. Somehow with the noise and crowd one thought I said I was from the pole to which he responded “north pole?” this became the joke of the night as he kept saying north or south pole and we even talked about elfs.

The third goal set of a an equally impressive celebration. Such fun. When Uruguay scored their first no one seemed to care too much. However when the second went in you could fill the tension increase.

As the end of the anticipated added time neared a countdown began.  However when it reached zero the game was still going as usual. Then whistles and the party started. Fireworks, flares, singing, jumping and highfives. Wait, they are still playing! It was a foul call, the crowd starts watching again and 10 seconds later the game really ends. The party started right back Up. “Tonight’s going to be a good night” came on and whole crowd sung along. My new Dutch friend asked me if was coming with them to the bars and I started walking with them. Video: Amsterdam sings after winning

What a fun walk of singing, random circles of people blowing the horns and just walking up the street with thousands of others. The most controlled celebration I have ever seen. I kept expecting the energy to die down but it never did. There was always someone yelling, cheering or singing. Here is the link to the video. The never ending sea of people kept walking towards an unknown designation but they were not quite about it. The perspective the tram driver had must have been exciting yet frightening at the same time. Video : Walking though the streets of Amsterdam. Watch for how the trams handle it at about 1:15.

I thought this was going to be the one time I got carded my whole trip but then the bouncer started letting everyone in. The bar was fun. I enjoyed how the music went back and forth from Dutch and English music. Exchanged buying rounds and had a good time celebrating with my Dutch friends. I hate having to pay to go to the restroom thou. Should have followed my friends lead and just peed agianst a building. We continued dancing and celebrating for awhile. Then they had to leave to catch trains home and in left with them. Conveniently the bar we were at was right by my hostel. As I approached for the countless time tonight people mistook me for a Dutchman. All I could do these situations was yell Holland and if interaction continued laugh and say I’m American. Talked with this group and then not yet ready for bed did some facebooking and then hit bed.

Sadly this is day 4 of not meeting someone from Australia. The first 16 I felt like I always met at least one.

As I put my earplugs in around 1:30 the street had calmed down somewhat but there was still a constant yelling honking and horns going off.

Holland!!
Paul

“Eric Becker you have a phone call” woke me up. Soon after the sounds  of a high school band pierced the quiet castle air. I for once felt rested and my back pain was gone.

Packed up took a shower and then went and had breakfast. Pretty  standard the rolls were good. I still had not figured out my  transportation plan for the day. I looked at the timetables for the  boats last night and it looked too slow for a journey by myself. I  knew the girls were hanging around until evening so I figured I’d just  take the train to the bigger town of Mainz and figure it out from there.

I asked the girls for their plan and they said they scraped the  hanging around and wanted to take a boat towards Mainz. Sounded good  to me. However the boats threw a kink at us; no boats to Mainz. Oh well  we figured we would just boat till the end of the line and then hop a  train to Mainz.  Thankfully we consulted the hostel lady so we did not  end up on the wrong side of the river. Based on the boat and local  trains I checked my train to Amsterdam and I would be there by 8pm.  Sounds  good. We took some photos using flower pots as tripods and headed down  the trail. As we walked away the high school honor band serenaded us from above  our the castle. I will not miss those stairs.

The boat did not depart for 45 minutes so I walked around town.  Love the small town environment. Grabbed one last great picture of the castle and walked aboard.

What a beautiful day for a river cruise. While yesterday’s haze prevented the sun from fully soaking the valley with it’s light, the difference today looked like someone had cleaned a dirty screen or glasses. Everything in the valley had more color and it was possible  to see much further into the horizon.  Beautiful!
We acquired a bottle of wine before boarding and Devin secured glasses from the snack bar. As the boat left the dock we gave one last ”Prost” to the wonderful castle hostel.

A very relaxing cruise down the river while talking, writing post cards and enjoying the sights. Major landmarks were announced in four languages; German, English, Spanish and Japanese.

After getting of the boat we caught a local train to Mainz. The girls found their departure time in 40 minutes and I confirmed mine. Turns out I could either go through Frankfurt or Koln. In Koln I would have a 45 minute layover but would get to Amsterdam at the same time and  same train. Frances had told me yesterday that there was an amazing cathedral right outside of the train station. Koln here I come.

Said goodbye to the girls and I still had time to kill before my train left. Headed to a cyber cafe to find a hostel for tonight and make museum reservations. Had an extremely productive 40 minutes online. Had a place to sleep, ticket to Rajama and a time slot to visit Ann  Frank’s house.

Boarded my train to Koln. And started blogging.

I looked up from blogging and saw a castle and than a distinctive river  mile marker. Am I back on the Rhine? The train announcement said  Koblenz. I laughed inside as I had just made and a big U shape of  travel today. If I had been looking I would have seen St.Gore and Bacharach. Oh well the boat ride was great and I enjoyed traveling with my  new friends.  I was planning on connecting though Frankfurt at first.  The fun is in the journey right? Still funny!  I did not realize my  route change made a circle for me. Basically if I was in a hurry I could have just taken a local train to Kolbenz and saved 4 hours of travel time. But then I would not have enjoyed the river cruise.

Wow! the girls were not kidding about the impressive size of the Koln cathedral. Walking towards the entrance the cathedral towered just  outside the station. The lobby consist of large glass windows and ceiling, allowing the cathedral to invade your vision. I was excited and headed for the building. Very impressive inside as well. I would have  liked to spend more time there but needed to return to the station. After a quick tour and capturing the magnificent stained glass I returned to the station. I had tried to view the tomb of the three kings but they closed the area right before I reached it.

I bought some apple pastry and headed for the platform. While I enjoyed the bread part of the pastry the amount of filling overwhelmed me. I left about 1/4 of it behind and boarded the train. What a zoo! This was the most packed long distance train that did not require a  reservation that I had seen. I quickly figured out that the seats with the L.E.D. illuminated display above them meant someone had that seat. The car  I board quickly became a log jam. People met half way and wanted to go  different directions and no one moved. I ducked into seats for a second  and then pushed my way forward. My next obstacle was getting past a  baby stroller that had lost a wheel. After some rail employees joined  in the rescue effort I was able to get by.

I found an unreserved aisle seat and sat down. Got out my noise  canceling headphones and started blogging. After 45 minutes we reached the first stop and a good part of the train got off. My seat-mate left and I enjoyed the space. More ruckus occurred when new people with reservations got on and booted those seated in their seats. Gotta check those L.E.D’s.

Two groups of travelers who could not find seats together turned the restaurant car into a campsite of sorts. Lots of backpacks and a few big  camp chairs . I asked when they were starting the fire. They laughed  and  replied “soon”.  Met some girls from Norway who were nice but told  me that I should not visit.  It is too cold and the people are not nice.

I returned and kept blogging. Uneventful train ride besides by noise  canceling headphones breaking. I also think I saw undercover cops  doing an inspection on someone.

Got off at Amsterdam and after some brief tram confusion got on the right one. That made for my third mode of transportation for the day.

Easily found my hostel and checked in. The websites were right; rooms in Amsterdam are tiny. Reminded me of my freshman dorm room except there are four people instead of two.

Got some alright pizza for dinner. Found a linksys hotspot and did some things online while waiting for my food. Noticed the World Cup game was tomorrow and instantly decided to stay an extra night. Finished dinner and then explored the city for a little bit. I quickly got tired and called it a night. Caught the last tram of the night home.

And I’m pretty sure I’m going to write a travel guide once I get home. ”21 days to see Europe, it is possible” or something like that.

Ready to explore,
Paul

As the door to the couchette opened (it’s a 4-6 person sleep compartment) I realized I was no longer sweating. A welcome change from when I went to bed. I felt very tired though. Through out the night I kept waking up. I finally found a way to fit in the bed by shoving my arm under the bunk and having my feet and head touching the other side.

As I started to gather my stuff I panicked! We were already in Frankfurt. Most trains stay at a station for 2-3 minutes and we had already been there 2. Yesterday I was woken up 25 minutes before we arrived. And today we were early because I had an alarm set for 8 minutes before the scheduled time. I quickly asked a train employee and he let me know we had another 10-15 minutes. Phew.

Now that I am in Germany this means country number 6 in the last 18 days, designation 9. Crazy. I cannot believe all the places I have seen and people I have met.

Since it was 6am the ticket office was not yet open therefore I needed to figure out how to back track. Consulting the timetables did not help! Finally I started using a ticket machine, not only could I put it in English but it printed a route for me. I had to go back a second time because it had a subway trip and I didn’t want to have to buy a ticket. Frequent trains meant I would arrive by 9am.

As my second train journey began I could fill the tiredness hitting me. I charged my phone via the trains outlets. I have been meaning to say this for a while now, I love the trains here. Not only are they easy to navigate but they are nice. Being able to charge my phone and camera keeps my digital life going. Blogs and photos! The time gives me a chance to blog. 50% or more has been written on trains. There would not be a blog without trains.

As I switched trains I felt my body dragging more. Starting the final hour journey the thought began to enter my mind “am I trying to do too many places”? Instead of pondering this, I took quick naps in a variety of semi-comfortable positions. It was a smaller new regional train that reminded me of Max.

Exiting the train gave me a bit of energy as the sight of a small town made me happy. Than I looked up, castle! Wow I get to sleep in that castle tonight. Amazing! Instantly I knew the extra travel paid off. Today would be a good day. My energy level spiked and off I went.

At 9am the town was still sleeping. Walking though the little streets felt extremely peaceful. At the moment I was down to 25 Euro and had the “oh crap” moment of “does this place have an ATM”? After some walking I spotted a bank with an ATM. Phew. Except it was offline. Hopefully the next town up has one. I spotted the church and the trail up to castle. Can’t say the 15 minute walk and 500 steps made me excited. Hiking up with my pack made me start to sweat and reminded me I really needed a shower. At the top a great view of the valley and town below greeted me. I wondered around the courtyard before I discovered the reception desk.

The castle felt very modern inside, both exciting and disappointing at the same time. Reception informed me I could not check in until 2, as I expected. Luckily she said no problem to using a shower room. Shower felt great. Got ready for the day, left my bag at the front desk and was off to explore the Rhine river area. Grabbed a great breakfast first, down to 12 Euro.

I planed to take the river boat up to St. Goar explore the town and castle and then figure out where to go from there. Where I was on the Rhine according to Rick contains the best sights packed into a single stretch. The next boat did not leave until 11:30 so I had 40 minutes to
kill. Then I remembered something about bike rental. I pulled out Rick Steves and found that I could rent a bike, do the 10k ride and then use ferries or trains to connect my journey. Found the bike rental place and got a decent 3-speed for 12 Euro all day. Out of Euro besides my souvenir 5 Euro bill. Not panicking yet thou. St Goar should have an ATM and worse case I’ll only eat at places that take a card.

After putting on sunscreen I setoff along the Rhine. Gorgeous! Soon I encountered my next castle across the river. Sweet. There are so many castles on the river because back in the 1300’s each castle would force passing trade ships to pay tolls by raising chains across the river and not letting them pass until they paid. Created some nice castles.

The entire ride snaked along the Rhine providing scenic views and wonderful photo opportunities. I made good speed and when I started to pass boats felt happy about my transportation choice. Soon I approached St. Goar.

Two castles sprung into my view between them laid a cute small town. The castle are on the same bank as the town that I planned to explore later but first an ATM and than lunch. I wanted to do a picnic but the grocery store does not open on Sundays.

I struggled to find the restaurant Rick has recommended in the small windy streets. As I hit the main street and began to pull out my map I heard something, music.

I heard a band playing “these are a few of my favorite things”. If this trip has taught me one thing, music leads to good things. I followed the sound and arrived at a church courtyard facing a full band and a sign about the Goar festival. Really? I’d stumbled upon another festival!

I entered and met a ticket seller. When I asked how much she produced a menu! No entrance fee just German food! Yes! I bought 3.50 worth of tickets. Enough for a bratwurst and beer. 2.5 Euro left. Luckily the ticket seller informed me that the town contains an ATM.

Fresh local BBQ, sweet! It was very hot out so I looked for a spot in the shade. Being overwhelmed by the music and food soon wore off and I realized I was the only non-local at the festival. My spot was next to some friendly looking locals. I sat down and they asked German or English and the conversation began. The youngest person at the table was 30ish
and there were a couple of senior citizens. All of them warmly welcomed me. My bratwurst and beer tasted delicious. The locals were very curious about where I was from and what I was doing.

An older man, who I later learn is named Heinz, began to explain to me about his friends in the United states that have kept in touch for years. He told me the whole story of how they met. She fell off a tour bus and broke her hip but the tour guide said “he did not have time for this.” Heinz saw this happen and took her to the hospital. She thanked him and said sorry for not having the chance to buy one of his cuckoo clocks. He sent her one for free. She rejoined the tour and the guide gave her grief for not moving fast enough. Others on the tour complained and he was fired. A cool story of international friendship. The U.S. couple
has come back three rimes and Heinz has traveled to the U.S. once. Both believe God put them in the situation.

Next I found out George is a 747 pilot for a cargo airplane. We had a good time talking about aviation and all the pros and cons of flying a big aircraft. We also disscued the differnt life style he has exprienced from living in many different places. He really enjoys the small town community and feel.

Once again I found myself in an surreal situation. I had stumbled upon this communities festival and they made me feel at home. I really enjoyed all the conversation. I went back for a steak and a glass of local wine. But first a side trip to ATM. This one worked and I had a
healthy supply of Euro again. Now I have to time it right so I run out as I leave.

The conversation continued and I learned more about the people and the town. Over 500 trains a day pass by it’s tracks and we were interrupted multiple times by them. The steak tasted great and I enjoyed the locally produced wine.

Time for dessert. The band had wrapped up playing but not before playing though a Beatles tribute. Dessert consisted of a strawberry pudding of sorts. Yum.

The conversation kept going. As I prepared to say goodbye Georges wife brought me a piece of berry cake. How could I say no? By the way Georges wife is from Argentina. So the conversation would go from English to Spanish to German, Spanish, English and so on. Hard to wrap my head around at times. Knowing German would have helped.

I asked George for advice about the castle and prepared to leave. Then the town priest joined the table and started asking me questions. After passing his spiritual survey, his memorable line “your faith makes you smile”, I said my goodbyes and was on my way to the castle.

At the beginning of the day I thought I’d have an easy walking day. I clearly did not think about having to hike up and down from castles. The heat did not make the walk easy but the view rewarded me for the effort.

I started the Rick Steves self guided tour and learned all about the castle. I tried to stay in the shade and avoid the sun sucking away my energy. The castle today commands respect but before the French almost destroyed it, it must have been huge. It’s hard to understand from
looking at models but it looks at least 3 times bigger. I could not believe how big the storehouse was and how little space the prisoners got. Prisoners were lowered into a small room and got to sit on wood beams keeping them out of their own waste.

I enjoyed more castle views and than headed back town the trail towards St. Goar. Checked the boat time tables and it would be an hour before the next one. I decided to try my luck with the trains. Checked the tables after getting to the station and it would be there in 10 minutes. Perfect.

Returned my bike and checked out a Rick Steves recommended dinner place for later. Also read about an Italian gelato place in town, naturally I had a one scoop for an afternoon snack.

I started up the 500 steps back to my castle. A huge group of people was gathered in the courtyard. Some sort of high school group. I also saw a topdeck tour sign, same group from Venice. Activity once again centered around the castle.

Upon check-in the women confirmed my details and said “normally it’s a mixed dorm but tonight it’s you and three girls.” She could tell I was crushed. I did ask if they knew I was coming though because that could be awkward if not. She said ya I told them. She than delivered more bad news “it’s a 12 person dorm, but tonight it’s just the four of you”. I walked up the castle tower to my room so cool. Opened the door and looked in shock. A huge circular room, each of us got our own bunk bed plus 2 extras. Easily the nicest room I’ve been in. The incredible views out the multiple windows were icing on the cake. I realized the towel I had checked out earlier was no longer on my backpack. No worries get a new one at the front desk. I looked out the window and saw three girls at a table on the patio. I thought “I wonder if those are the girls”? I tried to make eye contact but it is not that’s not easy from a two story window. I descended to have a closer look.

Looked possible so I approached and asked “are you three girls staying together.?” “yes. Why?” before I could get out are you in room 241 one of them cut in “are you Paul?” I sat down and said I didn’t know they could give out my name ;). We had a conversation and it seemed like it would work well. Found out they were all from and go to school in Texas at Texas. They are currently studying abroad. I invited them to dinner but they declined and said “were going to eat the buffet and avoid the steps” I quipped back “dinner with 40 high-schoolers or a nice dinner in town with gelato after”. Agreeing that we would maybe
split a cab back up the hill sealed the deal. I set off to shower and than dinner.

A shower odyssey. I went and got my new towel from the desk and it took a little explaining. She thought she had taken my personal towel at first. After hiking up two floors to my room I realized I’d left my shampoo and soap in shower from this morning. 4 stories up in the other building. Down 2 up 4, stuff gone. Down 4 to ask “do you sell shampoo”? Down 1, snake past 40 kids waiting for dinner and get lemon scented body wash
from a vending machine. Back up 1 than 2 more. Good shower. As I dried off inside the shower I turned the shower back on with my back!

Finally got back down and we walked into town. Found the restaurant looked nice. Frances, Devin, Alex and I choose to sit outside. Agreed on a bottle of wine and started looking at the menu. Rick warned about passing trains if sitting outside. First one roared by, created a nice
breeze thouugh. I ordered the beef and potatoes. Alex is a little picky and went with the chicken nuggets.

The waiter did the try before you’re sure on the bottle thing, good sign that this food was going to be great. Mine came out but almost ended up at the wrong table because the waitress had said it was for a young boy. After not getting carded for almost 3 weeks, and the Paris women saying I was not under 26, being called young worked for me. Alex’s
nuggets really threw off the people delivering food. We all got a laugh about that. The food was phenomenal. Great place. As we were leaving the manager/owner asked if we were here cause of Rick and we laughed and said yes. Said they get lots of Rick readers and always enjoy them. We chatted for a bit and then were off to gelato.

Since this likely will be my last gelato I went with three scoops. While it tastes authentic the scoops are much smaller than in Italy. I felt myself gain weight today. I ate so much food. We strolled around town with our gelatos and than headed back up to the castle. Having no
pack makes the hike much easier but the third time of the day was tiring.

Sat outside and enjoyed the dusk as the colors changed over the Rhine river. A thunderstorm produced cool flashes of lighting off in the distance. Talked for a few hours over a bottle of wine about everything from home, politics, places in Europe, sororities, college football and relationships. Some very funny quotes came out of our night. Called it a night and headed to bed.

Back pain is starting to go away because more stretching and massaging the right spot must have helped.

Felt so good to be on a normal sized bed and not trying to fall asleep on a train constantly changing speeds. I have a feeling this is going to be a good night of sleep.

In a castle,
Paul

After a less than stellar nights sleep I woke up to the train manger  knocking and delivering tea and a dry roll. The only problem was we  had already passed Salzburg! But I meant to miss my stop. Salzburg was  at 5am so I decided to ride until 630 and then catch a train back to  Salzburg. It worked perfectly. I got off the train in Lienz and then  right back on one to Salzburg. Asked Rick about “Sound of Music” tours  and the first one was at 9:30. Perfect. I kept watching the movie as I  approached the city.

Beautiful train ride though the Austrian hills as the sun was rising.  Not as spectacular as the Swiss alps but still gorgeous. Arrived in  the city, stored by bag and booked my ticket. All too easy. Found a cafe on my way to the pickup and had a great omelet. I now realize it was some sort of yoga/spiritual cafe hence the fake ham on the menu. Oh well tasted good. Walked right onto the bus and got a window seat.

The energy of our guide made me glad that I had a cappuccino with  breakfast. The sights started coming at us and the guide filled us in  on little known Sound of Music facts. After seeing the house used to  shoot the back scenes of the family’s house I knew the glare was going to be too much so I put in my contacts outside the bus. I impressed  myself with how fast I was able to get them in.

The rest of the tour was good.  It was cool seeing all the sights from a movie I had been watching just a few hours ago. The guide kept talking up apple strudel from the songe “these are a few of my favorite things”.  When we  stopped in a town she recommended a place to get some.  Of course 3/4
of the bus went and the strudel was all ready.  I think she might get a kickback.

As we went from sight to sight she would play the soundtrack and  encourage us to sing. Most of the bus would join in; a fun time for all.

The tour ended by her telling us to go walk though the gardens where thesong “do,ray, me: was filmed. Not only beautiful but also popular. I saw two  weddings that were taking pictures in the square and listened into a orchestra  performance. I took a quick nap under a tree while all that was going on. Too hot for walking around.

I continued though the gardens and made my way towards the river. So  hot. I started looking for a place for lunch but I was in tourist  central. I found an authentic looking beer hall thing and went it.
Looked good. Got a beer and sausages. The sausages with sauerkraut and potatoes were so good! Yum!. I still miss gelato though.

I found my way to where Mozart lived but had no desire to pay to go  in. Mozart was born and lived in Salzburg. Next stop was an Internet  cafe to catch up on blog posting and figure out where I am sleeping  tomorrow night.

Took me awhile to find one but I did. Used the bathroom but also took  out my contacts and brushed my teeth. The guy gave me a weird look  when I came out. As I sat down at the computer I pulled out my iPhone  cord to charge it. But discovered parts of my backpack were covered in  sunscreen. The guy again gave me a weird look as I took out almost  everything in my pack and grabbed a paper towel to wipe stuff off.  This was only my daypack and not that much sunscreen. However he
started the computers usage clock. Oh well, I don’t blame him.

The net was slow and a mom and kid walked in who were quite annoying! The kid kept roaming and the mom kept yelling at him in a different language.

Posted blogs and thanks to FB found out a world cup game was on so  hurried up sending an email to the hostel and left for the game. I  tried to ask the guy for a bar nearby but my English and gestures could not break though the language barrier.

Found an empty hotel bar so kept walking. Soon I passed a restaurant  with people starring at a wall. Walked in, it was another shaved meat  place making it very hot. At the time it was 1-0 Germany, making it  anyone’s game. Always exciting to see not one but two goals. As I left  two stores up was a sports betting place with two huge TVs and much  cooler.

On my way to finding a place to eat I found free wifi and called the castle hostel for tomorrow. I had a room at 20 euro. Sweet.

Found a bar for dinner and ordered wienerschnitzel and a beer.  Good  food and blogged for awhile.

Walked back to the station and started my journey to the Rhine area.  Took a train to catch my night train. The night train was 30 minutes late. I  had the top bunk, bad bad news. It was like a sauna up there and it’s  about two inches two short for me. And the women in the car kept the  lights on for too long. Not sure how well I will sleep.

Excited to see the castles,
Paul

Somehow made the early bus leaving at 9am when I woke up at 8:20.  Happened to sit by the same group as I did on my way in. The whole  staying out of the city thing was a wash; ya it was cheaper but it  wasted an hour of my life on a bus and the mosquitoes sucked. I hit one last night and there was blood from it on my leg.   Checked my bag and  was good to go.

I bought a 12 hour water bus ticket and hopped on. I felt that I just  needed to be on the water in Venice. I also planned on doing the Rick  Steves Venice by boat tour later. I was aiming for St. Marks square  and Basilica to hit before the crowds did. It was too hot and I was too hungry so I got off at a random stop and started walking. I passed two cafes that in hindsight would probably been better than where I  settled. Oh well. Had a big breakfast and was on my way. Found my  way to St. Marks square and used the Rick Steves check a bag trick to skip to the front of the line. Amazing. Walked in.

Oh my. The whole church is painted with gold. Never have I seen such an  ornate church before. The whole thing glowed brilliantly. I paid to  view the altar screen, wow! Something like 1000 precious stones.  Crazy. Then paid for the church treasury, again more stones and  diamonds. This church is a fort Knox of churches. Sat though part of a  mass and than paid to view the museum and terrace. Stunning view of  the church from above. Walked outside and got a good view of the  square despite all the construction. When I walked back in the inside it no longer glowed. At first I thought it was from less sunlight. Now I  think it is because they shut off lights. Glad I saw it when I did.  Stark difference. While entrance to the church is free I paid for the three exhibits. Worth it though.

Grabbed my bag and headed for the Rouge Palace. Very interesting and  amazing. Bit too long of a audio tour to relive or tell. Huge rooms and  paintings. Lots of wealth. Learned how powerful Venice really was.

Lunch at a Rick Steves spot. Good call. Then gelato. Lady was giving  small scoops, new person came in for me and got a normal size.

I wandered and wandered. Great time. Ended up at a bar to watch the  world cup game. Netherlands vs. Brazil. Crowd was for the Netherlands.  Very energetic and fun.

Loved wandering around. Great city. Such cool buildings. The Bridges are  great. I had no clue where I was half the time. Would find crowds and  always run from them. Tailed an angry guy on a cellphone, listening to him yell at the person on the other end was funny. When I wanted the maze to end I would find signs to a landmark. Really fun.

Now my mission was dinner. I tried for some Rick spots but they all opened too late. Kept finding too touristy of  places. Finally found a good one. No English menu, not 500 choices and  no “tourist menu”. However it opened far too late for me to catch my  night train.

About to give up I walked towards a main drag as I was settling for a tri-lingual menu when an alley way caught my eye.  It contained an open  patio and it’s menu was only in Italian and hand written. Yes!

Sat down and asked the waiter for the best pasta dish they had.  She was explaining and after 2 seconds I went for it. It came out and I knew I had found the place I had been looking for. Pasta and  schrimp and it smelled so good and tasted even better. After wards she started talking about dessert I said I’m full and have a train to catch. She said it’s  not that far to the station and we have great tiramisu. She had me at hello.  Great choice.  It came out looking good and tasting even better.Decked with chocolate.  Worth every Euro.

First night train expereince. Luckily our car’s AC was working because the  one behind us was not so lucky. Cool guys on board. I slept poorly as it was  loud and weird feeling the train change speed. Hopefully tonight is  better. I’ll be in Salzburg tomorow then leave by night train for the Rhine area after the day.

Loved Venice,

Paul

**thank you all for the many comments. I enjoy reading them. I hope these entries are still interesting to read.*****

After a good nights sleep I woke up feeling refreshed and my back finally felt better after a nice stretch session the night before. Threw clothes in my backpack to go get laundry done. First place was self serve only. Second looked that way and had a line so I left. Asked the front desk if I could leave a little late and they were fine with that.

At breakfast laundry came up and it turns out that second place doesdo full service. Got almost all my clothes washed for 10 Euro. Off to the Vatican again to climb the dome and take a photos of St. Peterswithout the sun setting behind it.

As I approached the Vatican I got offered at least 10 tours. At first I just walked past them, then changed to a strong NO. Not sure whichmethod is better. When I said no they would lie to me and say therewas a 2.5 hour wait for St. Peters. I replied to one guy, you know that is not true.

Got there and there was about a 25 minute wait to get through security,somehow I made it 10. A little confidence and walking straight goes along way.

Found my way to the dome entrance and waited to buy my ticket. I took the easy way out and took the elevator and 323 stairs versus 600 plus.Great view from the top. Gave me an image of how big Rome really is. Iwas hoping to be able to see the Coliseum but Capital Hill blocks it I believe. The view confirmed my theory. Rome is HUGE and most of it is just ugly buildings.

Came down and checked out St. Peters again. It was nice to be able totake my time and not be exhausted from the heat and crowds. I was also glad that I was there for the mass yesterday. They turn on more lightsand it makes the throne of the altar look even more impressive.

I took photos as I left and made sure to turn the right way. My search for a good lunch began. I almost bought pizza from a street cart but could not stomach the 5 Euro price and the day old look. I turned down arandom street off the main drag and found a hole in the wall pizza place. I made my selection of amazing looking pizza and she cut me waytoo big of a slice. She told me it cost 2.50! Half the price and double the pizza. Amazing what 200ft can do.

Once at termini I still had time to check out the national museum. While I flew though it I’m glad I did. Amazing the art the Romans created. This one piece took up a whole room. Reminded me of Monet. In the basement was a coin collection large and valuable enough to warrant vault doors. By finishing this visit my Roma pass really paid off!

Collected my bags and laundry and was off to the train station. Got a huge last gelato in Rome for a good price and boarded my four hour train to Venice. I played a bit of musical chairs as we went to different stations to always have more room. The window seat when seated next to a bigger person is not that comfortable. Did lots of blogging on this ride. Worked on day 11-14. I hope my iPhone screen does not wear out!

In Venice I tried to take a water bus to the real bus station for my shuttle to the camping hostel. I had a cabin. But the teller laughed and said it’s a one minute walk, so I walked. Had 50 minutes til the shuttle. Found a dinner place with a great place to sit. My photo of the day comes from this spot.

Upon the shuttle I asked how the place was. People said fine as long as they get your reservation right. The pool was nice but it closes at 9, we got there at 9. Upon check in there was some issue with my reservation still not sure what. Get to my place. Good deal for

only 17 Euro. The mosquitoes were an unwelcome surprise thou.

Found out there was a pool party so I got to swim after all. Yeah!. Met a group of Aussies, as always and a group from England. Talked to the English girls for a while and had a big conversation about the University system with Hailey or Lilly. Good night.

When I made my bed the fact that my top sheet was used as a toga the night before, should have tipped me off that my female Roommate was a bit wild. Don’t worry I got on a new one after I asked my other Roommate Scotty why it was all wadded up. A minute after

I got into bed I hear her struggling to open the door. The area is so small though I could not be certain it was our door. I also heard a male voice. They both came stumbling in. As I prepared to put in my ear plugs she noticed I was new and awake. She said hi and then kept

asking if I was the silver fox. I guess there was a grey haired man at the pool party tonight. They quickly realized it was not me but insisted on calling me that over 15 times. All I could think about was white fox from houseboat camp aka Steven Strott.

I put my earplugs in and went to sleep. I woke up cold too many times in the middle of the night because the girl put the ac on full blast when she came in.

Excited for Venice,

Paul

Woke up and went to request I stay in the same room.  I was in a six person room and was supposed to switch to an eight but they let me stay and didn’t even ask for more money.

Headed back to the Pantheon since it was closed yesterday. Took the 64 bus. Two stops away a woman starts yelling about her wallet. She has been pick pocketed. It happened at a stop and she did not realize it until after we had already left. Rick called it, line 64 tourists and   pickpockets alike. I was already paranoid about it because of many warnings and Rick saying they dress up as tourists or businessmen. It got so bad I thought a priest and nun were running a coup on me. I made them recite a rosary before I believed them.

Pantheon was crazy. Can’t believe the Romans were able to build something so grand so long ago. Funny watching the birds fly around inside thanks to the big hole.

Tried to do lunch at Tiapiacera, a Rick Stevesrecommendation but I think it is gone. We will see how this place is.  Great lunch. Pasta, salad, some meat and a generous glass of wine for 10 Euro. Score. Off to the Vatican.

The line was huge for non ticket holders. Biggest line for anything I have seen yet. I had a tour lined up with the guide my parents used last year. Being with her or having a reservation allowed the awe and fear inspiring line to be bypassed. I still can’t believe people don’t buy these tickets ahead of time. Guess I can’t talk too much as I got lucky in Florence.

 Cool to be in the Vatican. My parents build up the tour guide so much.  However she faced a perfect storm.  A massive crowd roamed the museum since it was closed yesterday for the holiday of St. Peter and Paul. At 2:30 it was the heat of the day and the group I joined was a family of three boys 12-14 and two moms and a grandma. My understanding was that this was a tour of the whole Vatican but I became worried when one of the moms told the guide her kids were tired. We speedballed through the first part of the museum with the goal of getting to the Sistine Chapelquickly. The kids were being brats the whole time. Got great history from the guide. Trying to reach the Sistine reminded me of the metro yesterday.

The Sistine Chapel is amazing!  Got a great painting by painting explanation from the guide.  Once she finished I could tell the tour was over. Ah. I had not prepared anything else because I thought I had a guide for the museum and St. Peters.  I asked her where to go next and she gave me some tips.  I toured the rest on my own.

Rafael was cool but should be done before the chapel. Back in the chapel I listened to the Rick Steves audio guide. He did a good job but the tour guide was better.
Missed the cutoff to hike the dome so went to St. Peters. Stunning. So gargantuan. Mass was going on and I felt it would be appropriate and a great experience to attend. Pretty darn cool receiving communion in such a historic place. Left the Vatican.

Don’t get me wrong i had a great time. I was just expecting to have to do less work. Seeing the sistine and hearing some of the guides explantions put a nice backstory and finish to all of the art and building I had seen up until this point.

Got real lost. Shop keeper pointed me in the right direction. Got on the #40 bus. I got off a big shopping area found a film store that had a Memory card for 22 Euro. 3 times less than I had seen before! No more deleting photos. Yay!

Really tired once back at the hostel. Tried to see if the girls were doing the festival thing but did not hear from them. Went to dinner at a place with good Google reviews. They moved me three times to accommodate groups. The bruschetta was great. My main course tasted bad. Or maybe I just did not like the style. I felt it was too doughy and cheesy. I love cheese but not mush.

Checked out the hostel/bar next door as it was one I looked at. Did not like the vibe. Felt as if I was at a frat party. In fact, during dinner I watched someone get iced complete with a rousing “you got iced, you got iced” chant, classy.

As I was turned to leave I recognized a face, my buddy Piort from Switzerland! Said hi and bye.  I wanted to stay for a beer but was exhausted. 

 Tried to find good gelato to wash down my lackluster dinner. But the places I found went from bad to worse.

Not every night can remind me of a fairytale. The more I reflect on this I think the poor dinner is what really put me in a sour mood.

My back is not getting much better. It hurts to stand sometimes. It’s not pain everywhere just in a concentrated spot.
Back at the hostel checked my email and got up to leave but heard a conversation about Canadian accents and had to join. However when they went to leave for a bar a bus ride away I called it a night. Went and packed and then passed out in my now A.C.-less room. Ya, it disappeared; machine and all during the day and an anemic fan replaced it.

Tired!

Paul

Big day today! I had my Roma pass in hand (great deal 2 free entries and free transit for 3 days for 25 Euro) and was ready to see the Coliseum and Forum.

Taking the metro redefined my definition of cramped. The train stops about where I was standing on the platform and a mob of 5 deep people were all trying for one door. Soon I no longer had to move or stand because the mob handled it for me. The doors closed and I could not move.

Even after 12 days of amazing sights my first glimpse of the Coliseum wowed me. Even by today’s standards it towers in the sky. If people were all wearing the same colored shirts I would have thought I was on my way to a sporting event.

I started my Rick Steves audio guide and headed for the entrance.  I always go for the shortest line and assume my pass grants entrance as it almost always does. As I strolled past a never ending line of ticket less tourists and a smaller but still long line of people in tours that were promised a short line I reached the non existence line for those with Roma passes and was inside. Passes are like Staples easy buttons.  There was not even a security check today which saved even more time.

Once inside, the 1800 year old building continued to impress me. I leisurely strolled around taking it all in. I enjoyed the history lesson courtesy of Rick Steves and sat down to delete photos from
my camera so I could take some. I turned on “Eye of the Tiger” and went to work. Hard to delete.  I think I might need to buy another card.

Walked around and took photos of the place while listening to   “let’s get ready to rumble”.

Exited and found a cafe off the beaten path and found a cheap sandwich for lunch then got some gelato and was off to the Forum.

I could not believe how many ruins still exist today. Crazy thinking that I walked though what used to be the center of the hub of the Roman Empire. The senate building exists largely as it did 1600 years ago thanks to the use of it as a church for many years. Crazy to think about what wars were planned and approved in that building. Again the free Rick Steves audio guide was great. I finished the tour and just sat and admired for a bit then left.

 Walked around the Capital Hill area and than made my way to the Pantheon. Sadly it was closed due to a festival. Next stop the Trevi fountain. I made a detour into some churches near by. Really cool, thanks Rick for the recommendation.

Fountain impressed me and I sat and enjoyed. Watched people get in trouble for laying backwards into it. Threw a coin over my shoulder and went towards the Spanish steps. Honestly did not know what I was looking for. But then I found them, lots of steps. So I walked up them. Great view of people and the city. I think the area contains many shops as crowds of people filled the nearby streets. Headed for the hostel.

Called the girls from Florence and set up a place to meet so we could go find a dinner spot. Got there but they were no where in sight. Looked for a group of 4 girls but could not find them.  15 minutes overdue I popped in my sim card and gave them a call.  A dollar a minute later I found out they were on their way. In the mean time I asked the policeman guarding the square if I was in the right place and they were now startingto make fun of me. 5 minutes later my phone rang and I found out they were at a different place. We set up a new place to meet.

Picked a restaurant. My meal was good and the wine was cheap. During dinner I learned they had never had gelato!!!! Afterwards we quickly set out on a quest for a good gelato place. Found one. Always good when you can see the machines in back. After enjoying great gelato at an awesome
place I suggested we go chill at the Spanish steps. We picked up some wine along the way.

We passed a drunken man and his wife at a restaurant he gave me a flower and she gave it to Steph. For a second it looked like he was going to hand me a wad of cash.  As we approached one of the girls was given a flower by a street vendor. As I suspected I was asked to pay for it. I gave him two Euros.  I wanted to do less but that was all I had. He asked for more, I said no.

As we reached the steps we observed a wedding party taking photos at the bottom and guitars were beginning to play. Soon another joined.  Music, friends, nice weather and a fountain make for a great night.  They started with Cat Stevens and the Beatles. Just when we thought
it was going to be all oldies we hear in Italian the English “the party don’t start till I walk in” oh Kesha, followed by Black Eyed Peas.  A good part of the crowd joined in singing “tonight’s going to be
a good night” then some Jason Maeqz.  Next was Italian music prompted by a local guy and then more Cat. We tried to request Journey and Tom Petty but they had neverheard of them.

Walked the girls back to their hotel. We talked about maybe checking out a festival thing tomorrow night. I got home after taking several wrong turns. Took me 20-30 minutes longer than it should have.

Whew that was a day(a great day),

Paul

Woke up and started a load of laundry and they said it would take an hour.  Never have I seen a washing machine use so little water. I hoped my clothes would come out clean. Used the dead time to shower and pack.  And then the clothes were still washing. And washing and washing. It took about 2hrs just to wash. Luckily I had blogging and planning to do so I did not mind. Finally left the hostel at 11 for the hike of the Duomo, dome, the doiemo and perhaps a hike of the city view.

Duomo hike line was long but quick. Very energetic restaurants pusher moving though the line, spoke at least 3 languages.  Interesting stairs as always.  Met four girls from Massachutes, takes with them, took a photo for them and visa versa. Asked them where they are going next “Rome” “me too!” exchanged contact info and we are going to try and meet up for dinner. We will see what happens.

Loved the view from the top. Always great to see a city like that.  Also a great view of the dome up close and personal. Line was still long for the church so I headed off to hike for a view of the city.

Grabbed some gelato at Grom, a gelato place. Best gelato ever. They don’t even display it, they don’t need too! This place always has a line out the door.  That is where my photo of the day came from.

Stopped for lunch at this cafe near the place on the map where my mom said was an awesome spot. Heard no English inside and no English on the menu.  Always a great sign. Had a spicy salami sandwich of sorts. Whew. Hot.  Cleared out my pores. Headed up the hill to get a view of the city.

I did not consult a map and just headed up. Worked out pretty well then it felt like it had been too long and I asked a local. Via gestures I decided to turn around. Found the gate to a park. Closed. I guess someone died there recently. My time was up so back to the hostel and then train to Rome. Managed to sneak a quick entrance into the Duomo. I was prepared to cut the line but did not have too. Great to see it from the bottom too.

By now I really like the city of Florence. Despite the crowds, I enjoy the building style, tight streets and pedestrian friendly nature.  Areas across the river and back alleys give Florence and even better feel. I think the swarms of tourists had given it a bad vibe to start but once I began exploring the side streets I enjoyed the city much more.

Love these high-speed trains; 1:45 to Rome.  Arrived!  Andy hostel was easy to find and nice. Met two of my roommates and then time for the WC game. What a mad rush of a day: free pizza at the laundry, packing in the Duomo, hike, train, cool room mates and fun people at night hostel.
Struggled to find change to buy tokens to get a beer. Met two friendly American girls in the process. Watching the game was great. The hostel hosted a large contingent of Brazil fans and every time they scored, which was often, they went wild. Fun. Added two guys to our group and we headed out for some pizza. Then we tried to find a park. As we cut through Termini it was closing and we were kicked out by the police.  Never found the park and called it a night.

In Rome,
Paul

Woke up and headed for the Uffizi gallery. I was nervous because I  heard the line was a 3hr wait without a reservation, which I did not have. My strategy was to try and pick up a same day reservation or come back at the end of the day.  I had been told during the last hour the line goes away.

I took the long route to get there and somehow made a left when I needed to go straight. After I made my loop back, I had to laugh at myself as I was 100yrds away around a corner from it before I made my 15 minute  detour. O well, saw a cool church and more of the city.

Walked to the reservation office past the no ticket line, which the guard informed me, was 2-3 hours long. I was ready to have to live with whatever reservation time was left. I was shocked to see that I could get one for 45 minutes later and that they had them all though out the day. I picked up one for Uffizi and managed to get one later for Academia. At first I was confused as to why there were so many reservations available last minute and then my business degree kicked in. A normal ticket costs 10€, however there is a 4€ reservation fee. A tax on not wasting 2-3 hours. And the museum gets 40% more on all those tickets.

Grabbed lunch at a restaurant in the main square by the museum. Mistake.  Total tourist trap!  Oh well the pasta was decent for being microwaved warm and overpriced. They carry your tray outside to a table for you.  The waiter set mine down with the group in front of me, while both of us tried to say no he did not stop. Since he set it down at their table, the group and I seemed okay that I eat with them.  They were a group of high schoolers on a trip across Europe. Sounds like they are having a good time.  After they took a photo with me it was time for Uffizi.

Very impressive museum. I got the audio guide so I learned lots about how painting and art evolved. Each age impressed me in their own way.

After a stop for amazing gelato, or something similar I got this blueberry thing, I headed to Academia. Again always look for the shortest line when you have a pass of some sort. Always seems to save time.

Wow. The way the David commands your attention when entering the room exceeded my expectations. Others had told me that the copies were good enough. However in my opinion the David exceeds or at least meets expectations. The level of detail stunned me. I could not believe the veins, muscles and movement present. I even looked at it a couple of times and each time the statue impressed me.

Got some more gelato and headed for the Ponte Vecchio to see it during the day. So many shops selling gold jewelry. I witnessed a man watch as his wallet shrunk as his wife was offered more and more jewelry to try on. I walked in and enjoyed the view the shops have out over the bridge.

After crossing over I was ready to head home. My back was hurting even more and my feet were tired. I still love the view from my hostel door. Bam, Duomo.

Met some more Austrians. Shocking. Drank some wine with them and waited for the free snack and wine at the hostel. They had some pretty good pasta and cake thingy. It was nice to meet more people from the hostel. Met a girl who is 17 and traveling alone for 10 weeks. I never would have guessed she was only 17 and she looked and acted like 21. I think my shock annoyed her thou. Oh well, can’t make everyone happy.

Headed to a bar to watch the World Cup game. While the people make an evening out of this, the bar almost killed it. I regret eating there. Besides the menu having Italian titles as well you could have convinced me I was in America. O well. We left and headed to a bar. Got a recommendation for a gelato place and headed there. Great gelato!

Then some people wanted to drink more I was done for the evening but hung out a bit more. Earlier in the night I was challenged to arm wrestle by Ragib, I thought I would have an easy victory. I was wrong.  After I lost the group informed me that he beats almost everyone despite his unthreatening appearance. We kept joking though the night we should use him as a bar bet. A flower vendor approached and our opportunity arose. These guys walk around constantly trying to hawk roses. We made him an offer, arm wrestle Ragib; if Ragib wins we get one rose for the girl in our group; if he wins we buy two roses. After offering a second time and sizing up his scrawny opposition he agreed.  A bad bet on our part, tough looking street vendor. After a hard fought battle, Ragib triumphed! A great spectacle to watch. Turns out they are both from the same country so the vendor joined us for a bit.

Then on to a dance club. Being in a foreign country did not help my dancing skills. Oh well, I still had fun.

Left. Found the Duomo. Bed. and for those of you counting. 3 gelato stops in a day.

Trying to enjoy Florence more,
Paul