change of pace

i found that as i was bouncing from city to city in typical "backpackers" fashion, that i was unsatisfied. I frequently found myself drawn to the parks within the cities to spend hours sitting by a river or chilling in the shade of a tall tree. So when I got to Cologne, Germany, i met up with my good buddy from the appalachian trail, Cheeseburger, and found out that he had 2 weeks of holliday in just a couple of days, we started plans to hike across switzerland. our plans got derailed a few days as he found out about the death and funeral of his college friend. we waited. then started hiking at lake konstanse (on the German side). the first couple of days were hot and kind of shakey as we both were still trying to look tough and cary on a seasoned thru hiker's pace. after a few days i felt the tendons in my knees and ankles tightening, the muscles starting to tighten and grow as the old habbits started to kick in. I remembered fairly qickly just when my body needs water to be strong. After a few days of hiking, the Hunger kicked in. The Hunger is more than your average hunger. One evening i consumed an entire loaf of bread (that was supposed to be 2 or 3 meals), half a jar of nutella, then (because the other people at the hostel had pitty on me) 2 large helpings of some pasta dish that was fantastic, a healthy serving of homemade apple sauce, and 2 more slices of bread. I dont know how many calories it was nor do I care. What I know is that after that I was no longer hungry. It is amaying how strong you can hike the day after a strong dinner! Every day i feel stronger. Every day i feel more at home in a country in which i have a lot of difficulty communicating. Every day, despite the heat, the blisters, the hunger, the fetigue, i am rewarded with a body that respinds almost automatically to the slightest change in the trail or environment, scenery that never ceases to amaze, and chance encounters with some of the most fantastic people God has put on the earth. Hike on my friends.

Cinque Terre

This is a must see location in Italy. There are some absolutely breathtaking views that pictures dont come close to doing justice. Cinque Terre is translated to be "The Five Lands". It is a series of small towns located on the Medeteranian Sea that are connected by a trail, 1 rail line, and 1 road. Cars are not allowed into the towns themselves to preserve the serenity.

The first day we got there, Dave and I didnt have a reservation anywhere because the hostel wasnt posting their rates online. We got there and they were closed for a 2 hour siesta of sorts so we went for lunch ourselves. We met some locals and they offered to show us a sweet hike. We took them up on it.

They were not mistaken, the view back down the steep hill was quite fantastic. It definitely made the buckets of sweat we dropped getting up there worth it. The next day was clowdy.

It sprinkled off and on, but that didnt stop me and Dave from walking south to the next 2 towns. We slipped, tripped, and charged down the single-track footpath(you know, the kind i like). Once again pausing regularly to take pictures (and catch our breath). When we got to town, we got lunch (yes this included gelatto) and hiked to where we could see the town from a better vantage point. Again, worth it. The next two days it rained and rained and rained. We went out anyways and it was fabulous, but it sure cleared up on our way out of town!

Rome (reposted with pictures)

Sorry to everyone that requested updates, I was trying to make some edits with a cell phone yesterday. My flight from Greensboro was short and uneventful (although i was exhausted). In Philly I caught a train into the city, took some pictures, ate a cheesesteak, and met up with Chuck and a friend of his. While i was waiting for Chuck to get there I sat with a few friendly people. I told Frank and Sebrina from New Jersey that I would include them in my blog. Mission accomplished.

The flight from Philadelphia to Rome had some peaks and valleys. I was super tired after getting hours of sleep the night before and then walking all over Philadelphia. I didn’t smell too nice after being in the hot sun and i felt pretty dirty. I took some sleeping pills, but slept poorly, waking several times very very angry. The last time I woke up was as the plane was beginning to descend and the excitement killed the fatigue and anger. I got off the airplane in Rome. Dave met me at the airport. We followed the pictures for the bus and got downtown and found a map. We got to the hostel and checked in then began exploring. We meandered down cobbled roads, up and down hills, down narrow alleys, past savory bakeries and "Bars". Dave and i were talking about how cool the coliseum was and right then we came around a bend in the road and there it was; in all of its rustic beauty.

We saw some other stuff. I think the most impressive thing for me was the amount of time invested into all the art. I particularly like sculptures and the old architecture. I will post some pictures soon

Weird

So I got on to make a new post and it seems that after I inserted a couple of pictures the other day, I somehow lost that post. Sorry! Florence was nice. The most notable difference from Rome was that there were fewer cars and more people walking around. I ate some good food and the people I met in the hostel were fantastic. There were 2 couples from Poland there that were very fun to talk to. They are all studying civil engineering so I got along well with them. We mostly walked around the city enjoying the social environment and old buildings. Dave's foot was hurting so we just took it easy a lot, talking with as many random strangers as we could. My North Carolina tshirt brought a lot of attention from the American tourists. Everyone there was nicely dressed (much nicer than I ever am any more) but most seem friendly. Then we went to Pisa. Pisa has the feel of a really small college town that also gets tourists. I was uploading those pictures onto the blog when Celeste walked up and introduced herself. She is from outside Milan and had gone to school in Pisa for translation. This means her English was superb. She offered to show us around and helped us see a side of the city few tourists get. She showed us the best places to eat and the hangouts of the locals. There was a huge uncovered square that was formed by connected buildings. The comoradary and friendship was obvious at first glance. They welcomed us in broken English, often asking Celeste to translate. They are funny people! I am now in cinque terre. I will write more when we finish here in a couple days.

Background

I just graduated from BYU and instead of walking across the stage, I will be walking down the terminal to the airplane and fly to Rome. I have taken a few years to get through school because of my need for distraction from the mundane. I have been to Alaska, the Olympics (in Vancouver), backpacked the Appalachian Trail, and driven buses and trucks (not bad for a high school physics teacher). It has been a good time, but now I am ready to go see another part of the world that (I hope) holds new mysteries, people, and experiences that will help enrich my life.

I expect to be in some huge cities surrounded by people as well as find myself sitting alone on top of a mountain waiting for the morning sun to warm my face. I hope to experience history, enjoy the present, and make friends and memories for the future.

This blog is to allow you to share my experience and encourage me to keep those I care about informed about my whereabouts.

My tentative plan:

• fly to Rome (on Saturday)
• Meet up with Dave (a friend I became acquainted with in Salt Lake)
  
• 2 or 3 or 4 days in Rome
• 1 day travel to Florence (by train, bus, or hitchhiking)
• 2 or 3 days in Florence

this is when it starts to get fuzzy,

• Head up to Turin
• Genoa is next
• Chinque Terre
• Mt. Blanc
• Geneva and CERN
• Then hop on the Alpine Panorama Trail (510km across Switzerland)
• Munich
• Berlin

This is when it gets real fuzzy,

• Brussels
• London (for the Olympics)
• Wales
• Scotland
• N. Ireland
• Ireland
• Fly home from Dublin.

This is my ideal itinerary. Seeing as how I will be flying by the seat of my pants most of the time, I don't know that I will see it all. What I do know is that it will be one fun summer full of adventure.