Five Countries, Countless Adventures

June 25, 2007-July 1, 2007

I cannot recount the full tales of my adventures from the past week, but I will give you the best run down I can. Let's just say that trains, cars, buses, boats, and very VERY tired feet took us through five countries and four major cities within seven days.

We left Lugano after a night of farewells at about 8 AM and headed for Salzburg. Crystal had planned out a wonderful itinerary for us: train to Milano, train to Verona, train to Innsbruck, train to Salzburg, bus to hotel. It cut off over an hour of our trip, and we missed Italy. We grabbed reservations for the trains and headed out, and our first train went like clockwork (Switzerland, hello! Cuckoo clocks!). We ran to our train in Milan with all fifty pounds on our backs, and I thought we were going to miss our train, so I jumped on a car early. Ah, Italy. The train was packed like sardines in a can, and we couldn't move ANYWHERE. People were beginning to put their stuff down and sit on it, and I was hot and sweaty and heavy and not a happy person. I growled loudly that we had reservations and we needed to switch cars, and two beautiful Australian men said they would help--they shoved people out of the way and led us to the next car! I'm pretty sure I hit somebody in the face with my bags, but I don't care at this point. The next car was even worse, and here's the icing on the cake--the trains had overbooked! People had already reserved our seats, and there was nowhere to go. We were all really good-natured about it, surprisingly, and I spent a pretty-pleasant two-hour ride atop my luggage in the aisle of an unairconditioned Italian train, squished between the walking definition of BO and a woman with about ten kids. We smiled and laughed with each other, though, and that transcended all languages. Switzerland may be on time, but you can't beat the comraderie of the Italians.

We missed our connection by one minute and hopped a train to Brennero, where we hoped to get across to Innsbruck. An Italian woman by the name of Jessica started speaking with us, and we ended up hanging out with her for the full train ride. She told us to come with her to the Bolzano stop, and she ended up helping us communicate with the train reservations desk. We bid her farewell and the train lady said "track three, NOW," so we ran for it and hopped the train. It was only AFTER the train was moving that we realized, hey, we're headed to VENICE! WRONG DIRECTION!!!!! We got out at a mystery station and studied the partenze board, and we were going to go back to Bolzano and try again when a woman came out of nowhere and asked if she could help us. We told her we needed to get to Innsbruck and then to Salzburg and she said that a train was headed here RIGHT NOW for that place! The train she was speaking of was over two hours late, and it pulled up right when she said it and right when we needed it the most. We got the rest of the way without a glitch and arrived at the Hotel Turnerwirt in Salzburg (recommend it!) at about 10 pm. We fell RIGHT to sleep.

The next day was taken up with the Sound of Music tour, which was AMAZING, a marketplace, the Hohensalzburg (best-preserved medieval fortress in the world), and several beautiful churches. Our bus driver on the SoM tour could yodel, and I cajoled him into serenading us--I was yodeled to by an Austrian busdriver! Yeah, how many people can claim that one?

We headed to Luzern the next morning, which found us retracing our steps to Switzerland. Several crises found us homeless, but the incredibly helpful TI found us a place toward the outside of town. We saw several beautiful sites the next day, from the old wooden bridge to the towering cathedral to the Weeping Lion. And to top it all off, I got my hair cut! In Switzerland! The lady couldn't speak any English, but I think it's my best haircut to date. Kind of odd, but it works...

The 29th saw us bidding farewell to Crystal, who headed back to the states, while we forged onward to Paris. I've heard so many things about the French being rude, but I would like to say here and now that every Frenchman I met personally and interacted with was absolutely sweet. They were all helpful and nice, and some of the most personable people I've come in contact with.

We arrived in Paris at the Gare de Lyon station and took the Metro to our hotel, which was the SKETCHIEST place ever! I won't go into details, but needless to say it was quite an experience. Don't stay at the Hotel Tamaris, whatever you do. However, they were nice enough to hold our bags the next day while we traipsed around.

Paris was busy and crowded, but we saw some amazing sites. We went to Notre Dame Cathedral (I wanted the gargoyles to come out and dance) and walked from there to the Louvre, and we went in on a spur-of-the-moment thing. I saw the Mona Lisa! I had been prepared for disappointment, but she was absolutely beautiful. I got within three feet of her, and I could study the beautiful hair, mysterious smile, and breathtaking background up close. I was enraptured! From there we got lost in the Spanish painting section on our way to the French artists. Did you know that the Louvre has only two Monets? And they're not even good ones! His winter scenes were so blah to me...However, such boring work was glossed over when we entered the Egyptian section!! I saw a Weighing of the Heart Ceremony depiction, a statue of Tutankhamen, and a bust of his psychotic father, Ankhenaten. Amazing! Our final stop in the Louvre was the Mesopotamia section, where I saw Hamurabi's Code--the first written code of law in history! It was AMAZING!

From there we saw the Arc de Triomphe, and I got my French Kiss phone call picture in front of it ("I will triumph!"). The Metro then took us to the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, which was absolutely breathtaking. You can see it from all over the city, but it's like a ghostly spectre through the clouds. To see it up close and personal, especially to stand beneath it, is beyond compare. The crowds were too long to go up it, but I was perfectly happy at the bottom--for now...

A train took us on to Calais, and we stayed in the lovely Hotel Pacific for a night. We woke up early this morning, had a scrumptuous breakfast there (the honey and jam were in individualized jars about the size of your thumb--talk about supporting home companies!), and took a taxi to the ferry station. The ferry was like nothing I had ever seen before--it was the size of a cruise ship! It had a shopping mall inside, and I saw it load over a dozen eighteen-wheelers after all the passengers were on. HUGE! We came to the white chalk cliffs of Dover, which were absolutely beautiful, and then we took a train to London Charing Cross Station. An underground ride later we were at the Centre, and I now have my OWN ROOM! Be excited!

Well, that's all for today, ladies and gents. Hopefully a hot pasty will be in my future.