Oh Internet, how I've missed you...

So, it's been awhile... my time here is flying by so fast, I just can't keep up. So hard to believe that I'll be home in 15 short days!

So, we spent 6 hot and exhausting days in Italy, where Internet was ridiculously expensive, hence the lack of blog posts. Here's a very brief recap:

Venice: Crowded and way too touristy, but the canals were really cool to wander through! First experience with a hostel camp, which went surprisingly well.

Rome: Full of crazy Italian drivers and motorcyclists. Not pedestrian-friendly at all! The Vatican was pretty cool (the lineup wasn't even that painful)... if you ever plan on going, be sure to cover your shoulders and knees, or they won't let you in. The ancient stuff was super cool... we didn't go into the Colosseum (too expensive) but as usual, we did some solid "random wandering" and saw alot of interesting places. Also, gelato in Rome (and Cinque-Terre) = thumbs up!

The Vatican post office

The Colosseum (way bigger than I imagined)

Cinque-Terre: Might be the highlight of the trip (so far). Cinque-Terre is on the Italian coast and is made of 5 small villages all along the water. Our hostel (best hostel yet - gorgeous suite with private kitchen and free washing machine - and cheaper than some of our other hostels!) was in Riomaggiore, the southmost of the five villages. Aleesha and I hiked all five over a span of 7 hours (including an hour-long break on a very-difficult-to-access beach between the 2nd and 3rd towns), but wow, was it ever tiring! It wasn't actually a tough hike, but with the sun beating down on us (not a cloud in the sky) and our constantly being short on water (read: mild heatstroke), finishing was quite an accomplishment. Second chance encounter of the trip was bumping into a fellow backpacker from the States that we had previously met in Berlin - crazy! We spent one of the evenings stargazing on the rocks by the water... so pretty!

Sunset from the rocks in Riomaggiore

The houses of Cinque-Terre

Anyways, in summary, Italy was way too hot for our liking. The food was lovely though - we did it all... pizza, pasta, gelato, basically filled up so that we could starve ourselves in the much-more-expensive Switzerland.

So, Switzerland - a welcome change in climate! We started off in Interlaken, a town right in the center of the Alps. I opted to take the mountain tram up to Schynige Platte (an elevation of about 6500ft, around half the elevation of the highest point, the Jungfrau). There were tons of hiking trails once I got up there, so I ended up hiking within the Alps for about 3 hours and saw a ton of gorgeous alpine wildflowers! The hike I chose also offered alot of spectacular viewpoints that my camera tried in vain to capture.

Apparently the weather in Switzerland likes to do crazy things - so far we've just missed a freak hailstorm in Interlaken (about 2 hours before we arrived, apparently ticket machines were breaking and sliding all around in the train station!) and had a freak thunderstorm in Gryon (further west in the Alps, up the mountain from the town of Bex). Gryon was pretty cool - lots of hiking trails and nice views, despite the thick fog.

The peak on the right is Jungfrau - the top of Europe!

Aleesha and I are splitting for a couple days, and I'm now in Geneva, staying at my friend Connie's place. She is awesome. We walked around the lakeside this afternoon and also managed to find a bookstore so I could blow some money on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I haven't cracked it yet, but am now looking forward to my upcoming long train rides!

We also cooked a lovely meal tonight, my first *good* home cooked meal in a long time. My stomach is full and happy right now.

I think that's all I've got for now - still having a great time and not wanting this trip to end... but at the same time can't wait to be home!