Time has gone by quite fast over here. I think the days are shorter in Europe. I think they're only 22 or so hours and there are only 6 days in a week. That's the only way I can explain how it is already April 25th. It really surprised me how fast my 21st birthday came. It's tomorrow already.
In my attempt to blog and keep people updated on my life, I have failed. And I don't really plan on changing that. This could be my final post, but I suppose it's possible that I'll write another before I move out of my apartment in Torino. After I move out of my apartment I think that I won't have any time to write anything up, nor consistent or predictable access to internet.
I'm about two months behind on staying up to date and there is absolutely no way for me to write an exciting detailed account of what I've been up to. So, I'm just going to do it in list form.
Spring Break:
- Florence for two days. Saw The David, Ponte Vecchio, Marchese Taylor, Piazzale Michelangelo. It was awesome.
- Alicante for four days. Stayed with Brett Gutierrez. Hung out on the beach. It was gorgeous. Played in a 64-team beer pong tournament. Won the whole thing. 1st prize was a cruise to Ibiza. We were so excited. (I couldn't go because the cruise left from Alicante and it would have been too expensive for me to get back there.)
- Ireland for three days. Visited Galway and Cliffs of Moher. It's so green. Beautiful Country. St. Patricks day in Dublin. "Visited" Temple Bar and Guinness Brewery. Drank plenty of Guinness. Delicious.
The day after getting back from Aosta, my older brother arrived. We had so much fun together. His arrival coincided (but not coincidentally) with my Easter break. I planned it so that I could skip one class (YES ONLY ONE!) and take 8 days to travel with him.
- Munich for two days. Went to Hofbrauhaus, day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle, visited Dachau concentration camp, ate sausage, drank Bavarian beers.
- Zurich for one day. sleepy little town on Good Friday. Not my favorite city in Europe. Wouldn't have minded skipping it for someplace else in Switzerland. Stayed in a great hostel with a terrace roof.
- Next day we took the train to Bern. Cool town. Capitol of Switzerland. Then took the train to Thun or Spiez. Can't remember. Took a boat from there to Interlaken. Stayed the night there. Beautiful.
- Next day went up in the mountains to Murren. It was dumping snow. After Murren we made our way to Zermatt. Stayed in Zermatt that night. Zermatt is at the base of the Matterhorn.
- Next day, Mike snowboarded in the morning. I worked on homework. Around noon we went up to the top of the Klein Matterhorn. 12,533 ft. Mike and I both got light headed at that altitude. Amazing view. Also went to the top of the Gornergrat. 10,269 Ft. If you have a beer at over 10,000 feet you don't have to worry about it getting warm.
- Next day we headed to Lugano. Really cool city. Breathtaking, right on an amazingly blue lake. Unfortunately it was overcast. The next morning we made our way back to Torino.
A day after I got back I had two midterms. Ruh roh! I was so nervous. Studied a lot for them in the time I had. After taking my Italian test, I thought I probably earned a B. For Modern Design I was hoping for a D. I got both tests back the week after that and I got A-'s on both of them. Solid!
I'm already almost up to date! Last weekend I went to Crete, Greece. I think it is probably the most naturally beautiful and diverse island I have ever seen. You can be standing on one of it's breathtaking sandy beaches (in 80 degree gorgeous sunny weather) and look out across the Mediterranean, then turn around and see snow-covered peaks towering 8,000 feet above the sea level. The island itself is a little bit larger than the heel of the boot of Italy. If Crete were a State in the US, it would only be larger than Rhode Island and Deleware. It's tiny, but it is the closest thing I've seen to paradise.
I went with 7 great friends. We stayed in a hotel about a 5 minute walk from three different sun kissed beaches for about $15 a night. The Greek people are the nicest I've encountered anywhere. It was easily one of the most pleasant, relaxing, and fun trips I've ever had. The food was also amazing. We rented bikes for two days and rode into town and around the island. I wish I was a good enough photographer to truly capture the beauty of the island.
That brings us to now. Today is the day before my 21st birthday and I'm going out to a local pub to celebrate with all my friends here. I've made so many amazing friends over the time that I've spent here. I can't wait to see all my friends back home that I won't be celebrating with tonight. To those of you who would've had a beer with me tonight or tomorrow night, have one anyways, I'm there in spirit. I'll be back in the States before I know it. I'm so thankful for the experience that I've had. I owe it all to my parents for the opportunities they've given me. It's hard not to feel spoiled doing what I've done and what I'm still going to do, but I hope that if I am thankful enough and gracious enough it will somehow make up for the debt that I owe to all the chances, experiences, and opportunities that have been provided for me in my life. It will never be enough, but I'm not going to feel guilty enjoying myself as long as I can. These 188 days are without a doubt an artificial utopia that will expire July 17th. I know that the world is full of challenges. And while I'm not facing them right now, I think that I will be ready to face them when the time comes.
"Ray, when someone asks you if you're a god you say "YES!""
The next chapter of my European adventure starts in 16 days when I move out of my apartment and start my two and a half months of travels. I'm traveling with my friend's Sage and Cory for the first three or four weeks, and after that I'll be on my own for a while. I may be traveling with my roommate from Chico, Brett, for some of that time, but that guy is hard to get a hold of. During the last two and a half months I'll be traveling by train through the south of Italy over to Croatia, then up into Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, and possibly Poland. Then I'll make my way over to Germany, France, Spain, and England. I think a good way to describe my approach is a quote that I liked from a film I saw recently, My Week with Marilyn.
"When my only talent was not to close my eyes"
Stay classy friends.
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