Switzerland

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Ciao Tutti!

My Italian is already perfect as you can tell. I.m in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast and I was definately not expecting to come here until later in my trip. Two days ago I was in Interlaken, Switzerland. The weather was a little bit sketchy and so I took a 12 hour journey to Napoli and finally put some damn shorts on! Ill add another entry for Italy later but now Ill put something down for my Switzerland trip. I will be heading to Rome on Friday to visit family and make my way to a Milan game, Cinque Terre, and then head toward Barcelona and then I head back towards Paris for my flight home on Nov 5. Don't worry, I casually have my eye on the news.

My stay in Switzerland was shorter than I would have liked but I had alot of cool experiences there. If I would have stayed longer, I would probably have taken up pan-handling in Napoli to make ends meet for the rest of the trip. Bloody expensive. I've been eating well but on one of my first days in Switzerland I went to Lucerne and for once had a McDonalds Big Mac Meal. It cost me $14 CAD. WHAT? 14. They justify it with free WIFI. Anyways, I just remembered I told you a bit about Lucerne so Ill move on.

I went to Zurich afterwards and met up with the Zurich International Film Festival. I had the chance to check out a couple of movies and definately recommend "R" when it comes out as a foreign film. A Dannish movie with subtitles and if you have a strong stomach for prison thrillers I would check it out. The city is a hub of fashion and luxury and it was nice to walk around but I wouldn't want to spend too much time there unless you have a huge budget. It has an awesome river front and the Grossmunster (spelling?) is a perfect place to climb the towers for a great view of the city. The nightlife is buzzing on many major streets and it costs around 10 CAD for a beer. One night I got to see one of the actors from Casino Royale as he was interviewed on the red carpet...Mr. White. I forget his real name but I can tell you when I get home if you'd like. The first night was pretty hilarious. I was in a room with a Belgian student, an Italian traveller and a 70 year old man who was hiking in the Alps. Following the stereotypes, the following took place in the room before I went to sleep:

Italian: Opens his bag, pulls out a nice piece of bread, a pack of mortadella and a bottle of red wine. We proceed to have mortadella sandwiches and vino di rosso on our beds.

Having enjoyed the gratuity of the Italian, the Belgian proceeds to open his bag. He unwraps a large chocolate bar from his home town and we all take a piece as a dessert.

Feeling well fed and tired, naturally we start to get ready to sleep. The Japanese man was feeling a bit sore, so out comes the secret to his youthful vitality...a joint balm/ointment is then applied to his legs and feet. A good tip for when I am doing the same thing. Not as strong smelling as tiger balm but it must work well. He offered some to everyone but we declined.

Me, being the Canadian, what did I add? I just continuously THANKED everyone. I think that was fitting.

I headed to Interlaken next for more of the mountains. Here Mt. Jungfrau rises up over twice as high as Mt Rigi, which I climbed up in Lucerne. The altitude is made even more dramatic by the snow that covers the top halves. I spent a few days here. I did some hikes, watched some basejumpers, witnessed an avalanche and was supposed to go Canyoning but the water levels were too high so they cancelled it. Aww well, I ve jumped of cliffs into water before and will get back here one day.

The avalanche was cool, I was walking across the valley on another mountain and it was dead quite. I heard a crack and a steady rumble coming from Jungfrau and spotted the avalanche just in time. Quite a site. A helicopter took off from the base and headed staringht to the site 5 minutes afterwards. I dont think there was anyone around there though. it seemed pretty common. I walked through small streets in the villages on the mountains and I was often pushed off the road by cattle and goat herds. I took some good video and at some points I was a little nervous around the bulls. There was at most 2 feet between us. Big suckers.

Another day me and some friends watched a basejumping competition of these guys in wing suits. Again I took some great video. I saw plenty more but I think thats enough for now right?

Ok well I tried to upload photos here but it didnt work. So this weekend in Rome Ill try again.

Take it easy, and Happy Birthday Gidi!

Ciao,
Paolo







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