Gummy Bears in Paradise

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Okay, first off, I need to elaborate on Ibiza, cause 'fun' and 'a nice change lifestyle' just doesn't cut it. It was ridiculous. We went from pitching tents in abandoned loading docks to sunbathing on a yacht in the Mediterranean. The water was clear, the beaches were warm, and the people were beautiful. One of the meals we ate cost two-thousand dollars!!! ONE MEAL!!!! and the parties....I've never seen anything like them. I know some of you will be jealous to hear that I saw Tiesto play at Privilege, which is one of the biggest nightclubs in the world. Something like 8,000 people were packed in there. We were also supposed to see Paul Van Dyke at Amnesia, but he didn't show up. The music was still great though. The craziest part was that not only were we at these huge nightclubs with big-name DJs, but that we were actually in the VIP section of most of them, being served on hand and foot at private tables while the 'common folk' were packed on the floor like sardines.
Now fast-forward past Rome and we arrived in Siena, which is a little hill town on the way to Florence. It's really a beautiful place, but unfortunately it was raining pretty good when we got there and everything was closed but the McDonald's. The next morning, however, we actually got to go out and see the city a bit before heading off for Florence, enjoyed a nice bottle of Chianti (it's the Chianti region of Italy), and did some people watching in the main square.
In Florence we met up with some friends we'd met in Rome at a campsite across the river from the city itself, with amazing views of the whole thing. We went out on the town that night, explored the city a bit, and found out - much to our dismay - that transportation is not actually socialized in Italy (we'd been riding the buses without buying tickets since Siena, but apparently there's actually quite a hefty fine if you get caught). We only stayed one night in Florence before shoving off again.
Now we're enjoying our second day in the Cinque Terre (Levanto to be specific), which is a series of tiny, stunningly beautiful towns on the Italian Riviera (northwest coast). We're taking the next few days here to enjoy the beach and explore the area (there're loads of hiking trails around here, all with incredible views of green mountains plunging into the sea and quaint little harbor towns that pop up wherever there's a long enough stretch of flat ground. If anyone's thinking about investing in international real estate, I would strongly suggest this place.
Ciao for now!
Jason

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Photos

Siena
that tower is supposed to give you an amazing view of the whole city, but we didn't want to pay the entrance fee

Cinque Terre
I really love this carving, not sure how old it is, though (maybe 16th century?)

From our hostel
It's kind of surreal having castle ruins in your own backyard

The belltower
This thing has been ringing for something like five hundred years now, if not more

Viva la Revolution!
fine wines of Cinque Terre

Comments

[marco]

sup?
So expain the $2000 lunch and the vip status? How'd ya swing that?

[mama harrison]

Indulgence
hey boys, Hi, Marco! Now, who is Marco? I have to tell you, I agree with Marco, we want to see what a $2,0000. lunch looks like! Pics please, from mamas y papas con tapas. Love you boys, mom

[Los Conquistadores]

Hi
Mom H, Marco is Uncle Mark! And trust me, you would much rather eat a $2,000 lunch than see it (not that it looked bad). And Mom B, we havent killed each other yet. Jason just doesnt trust too many strangers to hold his camera. Much love from Germany.