Geo: 45.3932, 12.2299For once, a semi-decent hostel breakfast. Cheese! Yes!!! Off to the train station. Sat with an elderly Israeli couple and a Serb guy named Nikola. Very interesting talking to him. A crash course in Yugoslavian history (at least, the break-up portion - but aren't the break-ups always the juiciest parts?). If I get a chance I'll meet up with him in Serbia. Ate a store-bought seafood risotto on the train. It was much better last night. Gross bits of olives .... Got to Venice - cool! Weather is nice ... not nearly as hot as other places I've been so far. Piazza San Marco was packed. Half of the square was cut off for some concert tonight, making it worse than normal. Doge's palace - incredible art on display. The largest oil painting in ... read more

Geo: 46.0031, 9.54927Had a decent sleep. Weather is quite cool in Lake Como, I actually needed sheets last night! Bunkmate took forever shaving ... I can mow my lawn in less time. Had breakfast with Paul, a South African guy. He's also traveling for 3 months and is currently unemployed. Beautiful views from hostel. Off to Bellaggio. Walked for 3 hours. Bellissima! Had a nectarine ... would've been quite tasty had it been ripe. Later had a picnic on the lake. Exactly what I had eaten yesterday, but at a different spot. Equally beautiful. Had an excellent coconut gelato ... I think the secret ingredient is Coppertone suntan lotion - it smelled just like it!Getting increasingly hard to eat gelato as my goatee grows ... gelato all over the place. I am hoping that Italian women ... read more

Geo: 44.1629, 9.7201Very tired, did not sleep well. Perhaps eating too much starch in Italy? It feels only like yesterday that I started this trip though it´s been more than 2 weeks. Today is for scoping out the 5 towns and then I will decide where to go tomorrow. Manarola - not much there. Some rocky coves. Hiked the Via Dell´amore. Nice, but over-rated. Pure cheese - lovers paint the walls of the tunnel with graffiti professing their undying love. There was even an accordion player doing his thing. The only thing cheesier than that? Trekking halfway around the world to Spain to find someone that you only spoke to for 15 minutes the year before! Can you imagine if someone was crazy enough to do something like that????Riomaggiore - not much there either. Had a ... read more

Geo: 44.908, 7.99871I missed the first train to Ventimiglia - the lineup at the ticket office was incredibly slow. I should´ve booked ahead. Almost missed the 2nd train - I thought that it left at 10:40, not 10:30. Just made it on. Grabbed lunch at a supermarket during the changeover. Strazzapreti alla rustica (pasta salad with tuna, olives, pickled onions, bell peppers, sundried tomatoes) and foccaccia podorini (bread with herbs and tomatoes). Bread was good, pasta mediocre. Lunch was quick, cheap, and dirty (just like me!). Boring train ride to Turin; wished that I had an Ipod.Arrived in Turin; called hostel but they were full. Wandered around looking for a hotel/private room. A guy in an electronics store (Marco) walked up to me and asked if I needed help. He explained that the private room advertised ... read more

Geo: 43.341, 6.7898Ate breaky at hotel. Decent croissant, but I've yet to have an incredible one like those in Paris. It was my first time using sheets in a week last night. It gets very humid in the basement but does get cold late at night.Walked down Promenade des Anglais towards the Chateau. Nice views at the top, but over-rated (and hot!) Back down to Vieux Ville. Saw a restaurant that had hoses embedded in their patio umbrellas. Every so often they spray a mist on the patrons. Nice idea for a hot place like this. Just found out that Placebo was in town last night. Gaaahhh! If I would´ve known ... of course, who knows if I could´ve gotten a ticket. Snacked on a tarte blette. Not bad, but was disappointed as I thought it ... read more