So, we've now visited all 5 towns of the Cinque Terre, and we even hiked the only trail that was open today. We are tired. The End. Though we are very tired, I'll still write this thing. Also, for those who don't know, the name of this area is pronounced "Cheenkway Terray." We slept in this morning. And really in. I didn't get up until after 9:30, at which point I really felt like I was on vacation. It was so nice, and I'm pretty sure that's the latest I've slept since I left America. One of things that I do miss is a good breakfast at the hotel - this hotel doesn't have one. So we have to forage for what we can once we leave the hotel. I had hoped to get something small ... read more

So, I'll be up front about my physical condition right now: I don't think I should've eaten the pizza at the Indian restaurant yesterday. Draw your own conclusions from that. Things are much better now, but it has taken its toll on me throughout the day. Otherwise, today has been rather relaxed. We had a good breakfast again at the hotel before checking out just before 10 AM. Then we walked down towards the train station and found a nice outdoor café where we did a little writing and reading. Eno did some journaling and then some work that she brought with her. I wrote my postcards and then read part of a book I had started reading last summer but let it fall by the wayside when school picked back up. I later finished it ... read more

Eno has arrived! Today was a fun day - not much in the way of excitement, but still a good day. My train left Lecco at 7:59 AM, and I arrived in Milan 45 minutes later. I had 2 hours to kill, and my bag really wanted to take a stroll, since he usually only gets to see stuff between the train station and the hotel. So I obliged. He has a name, now - Bjørn Ironside, after the character from Vikings. He's been through a lot and hasn't shown much wear and tear at all. We walked to the end of the road in front of the train station, next to the big garden there. Bjørn really wanted to see the Porta Nuova, one of the old gates to the city, so we took a ... read more

Yes, today was another 4-country day, and rather unexpectedly. I thought we might go through Germany, since Salzburg is on the border, but when we cut across Liechtenstein, I was pretty thrilled. And I would post more pictures that I just took around Zurich, but the place I'm staying only has some bizarre Swiss power outlets - I don't remember these from my last trip here, but then I think my hotel last time had multiple outlet possibilities, including American. Long story short, I can't plug in my computer to get the pictures off my camera, so maybe I'll come back and add them tomorrow night or something. Since today was a bit boring until I got to Zurich anyway, I figured I'd tell you the most interesting things that have happened to me since I ... read more

I took a 12-hour train ride today from Belgrade, Serbia, to Vienna, Austria. It was yet another 3-country day, which I've gotten accustomed to since I decided to stay on land for the rest of the trip. It really was pretty uneventful, since it was a direct train (no connections, just a bunch of stops). I got a good bit of my book, Watership Down, read. I've only got about 6 more chapters now (out of 50). But there was no restaurant car after we left Serbia (around 11:30, or the time when people be expected to need a restaurant car), so I was glad I had enough snack food to last the whole trip. In Budapest, a German guy doing something similar to me got on board and sat across from me. His name was ... read more