Greece - Italy - Switzerland

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Greece is a homecoming. I'm not sure whether it's my secret affinity for all things Greek, my arrival in a country I had been to before, or the fact that for the first time since leaving China I can summon up the courage to order a coffee in the local language without holding a phrasebook behind my back. But with the sun shining and a view over the Mediterranean it is very hard to wipe a smile off your face.

Which is equally difficult when you sail into Venice shortly after daybreak, pick up a cappuccino and brioche in a small cafe, wander through the alleys and across the squares (any attempt at reading a map being futile, which makes it all the more enjoyable), feast on beautiful food and end the day by watching Madame Butterfly at La Fenice.

And it is outright impossible when you arrive in Lausanne, and rather than having to worry about where to sleep and how to get there, you receive instructions on where to meet your friends and have a drink thrust in your hands as you stumble into the bar with your oversized backpack still on. THANK YOU gang!

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Photos

Frappe
The return to coffee culture

The White Tower
Guarding the waterfront in Thessaloniki

Sail Away With Me Honey
My ride to Venice

Venice
Possibly the most beautiful city in the world

St. Pigface
My Chinese-speaking friends will find this entertaining. The top of the shopfront shows that the square named after my patron saint is clearly prime property.

La Scala
Tashkent was fun, but this is something else..

The lift to the hostel
"Please remember to close the door". Love it.

Lausanne
Feels like home

.. and The Imposter
Thanks for cooking up a feast guys!