Perfect Moments

This past year I’ve been lucky enough to have several what I like to call "Moments I Don’t Want to Leave." The most recent one happened to me just the other day while I was hiking around Laveno on Lake Maggiore, but I’ll briefly tell you about the first two.

The first moment came on my very first outdoor climbing adventure on the first Flat Iron in Boulder. After waiting hours to even start climbing, I finally made it up the first pitch and it was incredible. We ended up getting stuck at that spot for quite a while because someone climbing a head of us broke their leg.

I climbed the one on the far right.

So I just got to sit, all by myself and enjoy the spectacular view. Below me, I could see the entire town in the distance and the mountains and forest surrounding it. From such a distance, the town looked perfect, nothing was broken or dirty. It appeared to be a perfect man-made community living along side the power and beauty of mother nature. I could see everything happening in the town; the stream of cars hurrying about their day.  Their frenzied movements contrasted perfectly with the stillness and calm of nature around me. And that moment was just perfect.

The second one came my last day in Venice. It was the first truly warm day I’ve felt since last fall. I grabbed lunch and sat on the sidewalk by the beautiful, blue-green water. The hum of the city seemed to fade away, leaving me with the sound of the water gently rolling in and the warm sun on my face. I watched the ships float by for what felt like hours.

The third one is similar to the first one, but how I got there was different. I knew it was going to be a nice day, and I wanted to go to a farmer’s market/fair that happens in a neighboring town. When I showed up, nothing was happening. So I thought I would just continue on the train to Lake Maggiore and catch a ferry to a few of the islands that looked pretty.

But when I got to the ticket office they told me that ferries only went there in the morning, which I am pretty sure was a lie, but I just accepted it and moved on. I almost went home, but I decided I should at least take a look around the town and that’s when I saw it.

It basically was a ski lift, but instead of seats, there were buckets to stand in. If you know me well, you know I am a heights/adrenaline junkie, so this was right up my ally. Though I prefer climbing, I’ll take any chance I can get to get my feet off the ground. I made my way up, down and around the hills to the platform. The views on the way up were incredible. I took waaay too many pictures. Here are some of them.

I got to the top of the funivar and saw that while there isn’t much up there besides a restaurant, there was kind of a trail heading the rest of the way up. I say “trail,” but what I mean is if you have an active imagination and a strong desire to roam around in the trees, you can find a suitable path. So I picked my way through the leaves still coating the ground and scrambled up a series of rather large boulders. 

Unfortunately, I was only wearing my Birkenstocks which aren’t exactly made for trailblazing, so I took them off and went barefoot. I love being barefoot as much as possible. People always tell me something horrible is going to happen to my feet, but the only time I've stepped on glass was inside. So, I’ve been okay for 22 years.

But I digress. I made it up the hill and the views were beautiful. I saw a guy paragliding and ended up helping him get his equipment set up. As he was taking off, I wanted to grab a hold of him and shout “take me with you.” But I didn’t. I just watched him jealously.

After helping him, I just sat at the top of the hill and soaked in the view and the sun. It was beautiful to see how the towns all melted together, connected by the train tracks until they reached the edge of the dark blue water. The towns seem to exist without interrupting the beauty of nature around them. 

It says "Sasso del Ferro" which means something like rock of iron. 

Eventually, I realized that I had find out when the next train was coming to take me home. I hiked back down and discovered I had some time to kill. So I decided to order whatever drink was cheapest at the restaurant which was, of course, wine. I sipped that sweet wine and enjoyed another great view. So in the end, what started as a series of busted plans turned into one of the most memorable experiences I've had in Europe.

Cinque Terrific

Ciao! This post is kind of a grab bag of different small things that didn't quite merit their own entire entry.

My latest trip was to the lovely towns that comprise Cinque Terre. I was lucky enough to get to meet up with the people I met in Munich and spend a few days there. If you are unfamiliar with Cinque Terre, it is 5 towns on the coast of Italy that are now a national park. The towns are all connected by a set of trails, so it's possible to hike from one end to the other.

It was nice and different to be traveling with other people again. I'm so use to doing exactly what I want to do when I want to do it. Not that I probably would have done anything that much differently if I had gone by myself. Though there are some pros to traveling alone, it was really nice to be able to have people to talk to consistently and laugh with.

The first day, much to our disappointment, we found out that most of the trails were closed because they've been having landslides. We did not get to go on the famous Via dell'Amore or several of the other trails that connect the towns.

That did not, however, stop us from going to the beach! It was warm that day. Not exactly the kind of hot weather you want for the beach, but it was warm enough for us to don our suits and jump in (briefly--the water was COLD). The boys, Zac and Dusty, went all the way under, while I opted to keep my hair dry.

Sweet Victory.

The next day we ended up going for two hikes and the views were BEAUTIFUL! I didn't really appreciate the beauty of the area until I was above the towns. The towns themselves are only okay. 

View of Vernazza on the hike!

The trails were very tame, but the walk was steep!

Our first glimpse of the destination, Corniglia!

That night, we ended up having to take another unplanned hike. We wanted to visit some friends that they had made in Rome and found out when we got to the other town that the normal path was closed. This meant we had to hike up to a monastery in the dark and back down the other side. Thanks to cell-phone flashlights and a bright moon we had more than enough light to see. 

The views of the town lit up was beautiful. Emily really accurately described them: "They all look like candles."

Unfortunately, I left the house without my phone and camera, so I didn't get any pictures. Instead, I stole one from the internet. It's not exactly the view we got--ours was better--but you'll get a sense of it. 

I'm not exactly recommending walking around the trails at night per se, but it was a very cool thing to see. If you are ever in Italy, Cinque Terre MUST be one of your stops. 

I have complied another section of "Things I've Learned"

• 
  
• I am not very sensitive to cold weather. Comparatively. As the weather has warmed, I have started shedding layers (and not just because I lost my winter coat). Most days I am comfortable in my jacket. Everyone else remains firmly bundled in their winter wear. For example: Easter was beautiful: sunny, windless and over 60 degrees. I sat outside for several hours reading and writing. I started in sweats but eventually shed layers down to a t-shirt and shorts because it was really warm in the sun. Everyone looked at me like I was actually out of my mind. When we went to church, I saw people still wearing their winter gear as if it was below freezing. Never in my life have I felt so well adjusted to cold weather. 
• Seat belts are a "silly American habit" when riding in the backseat. Apparently. I still firmly wear mine.  
• Americans have big cars for a reason. Namely, when your entire family wants to go somewhere, you can all fit comfortably instead of being packed in for several hours. 
• Chocolate-Pear cakes is pretty great (meaning the chocolate cake actually has slices of pears in it). I am not as big of a fan of chocolate and orange that get paired together a lot here. 
• Italians don't dye eggs nor do they do Easter Egg Hunts which is sad. This was the greatest lamentation of my Easter. NO Easter candy, no nothing (although my mom allegedly sent me some). We did have a very nice lunch, but it wasn't the same. And, of course, Easter isn't about the candy or eggs. I just missed them. 
• Italians have developed the ability to drink freakishly hot things. Whenever we make tea, they always finish their scalding drink before I can even sip mine! And often times I still burn my tongue. I have to imagine they have seared off all their tastebuds. 
• I found where I'm having my wedding reception. It's the dancing hall in the Northern Italian version of Versailles. You can host an event there for the small sum of 20,000€. So dad, start saving.

20,000 Euro? That's it?
I'll send my servants over in the morning the begin the preparations.

• I said this in Versailles (and though I was laughed at, I hold firm that it is an excellent idea). Palaces should have actors dressed up as characters who use to live in the castle. For example: You could see Marie Antoinette in Versailles. Or the Sun King or whomever in whatever royal dwelling you visit. 
• Spring has not sprung yet in Italy. Sure, the weather is mild and it rains all the time but nothing is blooming yet. There aren't even little buds on trees. It still looks like winter outside even if it doesn't feel like it. It's very depressing. And despite all the rain, there are no thunderstorms. I miss the storms, just like I knew I would. 

The last thing I've learned is a little longer and maybe more important, so I have given it its own section: 

My Italian family does a great job of spending quality time together. They have dinner together every single night, and dinner tends to last at least half an hour, usually about 45 minutes. And on the weekends we have a sit down lunch and dinner together. It took me a while to realize what a big deal this is because my real family was able to eat several meals a week together but never that consistently or for so long. 

It's not like they're not busy: both David and Vanda work full time and Nico and Elisa are both on sports teams, but this nightly dinner still happens easily. They're just not as busy as most Americans seem to be. Each of the kids is in one or two extracurricular activities, not five or 10. 

Now I am not criticizing anyone. I thoroughly enjoyed being really busy in high school and college, packing almost my entire day with productive activities and homework. And I know that to be competitive in scholarships, college and jobs you have to be involved in a million things, but it's been really great to see what a family can be like, how close they can be, if they do something like this every day. I really think it does help them stay close and connected. 

The next major trip I have planned isn't until the end of April when MY DAD IS COMING!! Yay! We're going to Florence. I am going to try to sneak in a small trip or two in the mean time. Until then, 

Ciao Bella! 

Munich

First of all I must apologize, this post is LONG and isn’t always cheerful. But these things need to be said.

I found this quote by Kurt Vonnegut a while ago,  and I think it is very true: “That is my principal objection to life, I think: It's too easy, when alive, to make perfectly horrible mistakes.”

I did make a perfectly horrible mistake in Germany. I missed my train home. I have no one to blame except my self and stupid Europe not using a 12 hour clock system. So basically, I can only blame my self. 

My trip to Munich was slightly last minute, and outside of the journey home, wholly wonderful. Last week I found out my Uncle Pat would be in Munich. I didn’t have much going on, so I booked a ticket and went. 

The very first full day I was there, I went to Dachau Concentration Camp. As my uncle says, “It’s not one of those places you want to go, but you need to go there. It makes you a more well-rounded person.” I have read many, many holocaust books, and been to the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C., so nothing I learned or saw there was a surprise. All of my previous experiences showed me the human side of the immense suffering, but Dachau showed me the tyrannical inhumanity and coldness.

Many of the places, like the barracks and the entry gate, have been rebuilt because they were destroyed either by the Nazis or the United States Troops. Those places are a little bit easier to visit because you know that these were not the actual bunks people slept in, though they are identical. But the cremation area and gas chamber are authentic. And they are horrifying. I didn’t even want to go in them because I was on the verge of breaking down, but I made myself go. It was truly the worst place I’d ever been. Looking at the grates on the floor, knowing how many people had stood here, watching the gas seep in was just too much. The room was still, after all these years, heavy with the weight of lives cut shorts and families destroyed.

Dachau is a cold place, not simply because it was at freezing and they are stingy with the heat inside. Those things make you cold on the outside. It has a soul-chilling cold born of evil perpetrated there. The horrific acts done have left more than a physical mark upon the place. All around you, you see the barracks, the showers, the gas chambers, the physical instruments of suffering. But you feel even worse. The agony, the fear hits you in that place inside you, one we often ignore, that tells you we are all connected. Everything that happened there was done by people like you and happened to people like you. It’s a blackness upon all our pasts that can never be erased, ignored or fully healed but can be eased with love and kindness. This kind of place stays with you forever.

All of the prisoners had to wear a colored patched that showed why there were there

Another Memorial.

Fortunately, I can say the rest of my trip was much more mild and genuinely enjoyable. On the train from Dachau, I met some friends from Idaho (by “met,” I mean I eavesdropped on their conversation for a few minutes and then inserted myself into it. It’s kinda what you have to do if you want to meet people while traveling alone. Walking the “not being creepy” line here is very important!), and after an authentic German dinner with my Uncle Pat and his coworkers, I met them at Hofbräuhaus, conveniently located directly across the street from my hotel, for a beer.

I think that’s my favorite part about traveling by myself, talking to random people. Usually the conversation only lasts for a few minutes or a few hours, but I always gain a little perspective.

I spent the second day just walking around to the various sites in Munich that I will summarize in pictures:

Views from inside the New Town Hall Tower where the Glockenspiel is.

The third and final day I went to Neuschwanstein Castle. It is the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in Disneyland. It was really interesting to see, and the inside is about as lavishly decorated as Versailles. The bridge where the iconic shots of it are from was closed because of snow, but I did get some other pictures.  

The whole area is beautiful

This isn't my picture but this is the "iconic" shot of it. And the perspective you see in Disney! 

That night I had dinner with my uncle and his coworkers in Hofbrauhaus. I knew my train didn’t leave until 11, so we had a long dinner. After dinner, I packed up the last of my things and went to the train station. Upon arriving, I immediately looked at the departures board. And the times I see are all 22:00 through 00:24.

I think:

Oh that’s weird, my train much be the last one leaving during the 21:00 hour. Because I know it’s leaving at 21:50.

But it’s not there. Hmm. I must be reading this incorrectly (<<< that thought happens to me more than I can even express with words.)

This is so weird. Because 21:00 is 9 p.m. and I know my train was leaving at 11. Except there’s nothing leaving for all of Italy during that hour. I should check my ticket.

Please read the following in slow motion because that’s how I experienced it.

Ooooohhhhhhh my.

Dear Lord Jesus, please tell me I am not this stupid. Please. Please. Pwease.

I spent about a minute just looking back and forth between the board and ticket waiting for something to magically change. And nothing did. I missed the train.

So I went to the information center, and I told the guy I missed my train.

He said, “Oh, that was a bad idea…”

But he told me my ticket would work on the next train leaving in an hour but would need to pay for a new reservation. My only defense is that I think I saw the “1” in “21” and my brain just automatically processed it as “11.” This is a legitimate way your brain handles information. If you don’t believe me, watch this video. It’s still a terrible excuse though. Don’t think too poorly of me please.

So I ended up stuck in a compartment with two Canadian girls, an Italian woman, a Brazilian guy and a Turkish guy. I thought maybe my adventure was over until people started getting racists on this train, starting with the customs/police people. It was a really sad thing for me to witness, especially so shortly after seeing Dachau.

The customs guy knocked on the door and asked for our passports. I handed mine to him first. He looked at the cover, saw “United States,” and said “OH American! Great!” and didn’t really even look at my passport and gave it back to me. He examined the Canadian girls' and Italian woman's passport and ticket without comment.

However the Turkish and Brazilian guy did not get such nice treatment. Instead of smiles and small talk, their documents were thoroughly scrutinized and the customs officials asked them leading questions, trying to get them to admit that had illegal substances. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing wrong with any thing in their luggage. And as if that wasn't bad enough the Italian woman woke up in the middle of the night and started yelling things I had no chance of understanding. The Brazilian guy looked at her really weirdly and turned to us and the other girls and said, I am not trying to steal from anyone. I was looking for a tissue in my pocket. So then, the Italian woman kept semi yelling (keep in mind it’s about 3 a.m. at this point) and miming that the Brazilian guy had been rifling through his own pocket. At which point, I summoned the very meanest, stop talking right now teacher look I could muster for this crazy, rude lady. If she had spoken English, I would have had more than a few choice words for her. And went back to sleep. But apparently this was too much for the Canadian girls and they got up and left. I was fine with this because they had been two of the most annoying people I had met in a long time.

This whole ordeal was really troublesome, and none of the problems were even directed at me. And I know that is truly is only a mild form of discrimination. Nothing really came of their bags being searched. But it shows a bigger problem. And I felt so helpless to stop it or make anything better.

All things considered, I really enjoyed my time in Germany and look forward to going back. I definitely saw a lot more of the world, not just physically, but about the state of the world. I met some really cool people from all over, but I saw how much progress we still need to make to say that we truly live in a better world.

Pictures are up on Google + and will be on Facebook shortly!

How to explain America

America is a wonderful and sometimes weird place.

And our culture seems to be something the rest of the world has a love/doesn't understand/hate relationship with. Like every country, really awesome things come from America. Not so awesome things start there too. The way the world works seems to push a lot of American culture onto the rest of the world. This something about blah blah blah global economy and technology. Whatever. I don't really care. Except that sometimes I have to explain things about America to my family when it comes up on TV or somewhere on the internet.

Some things are really easy to explain, but some of the more contextual cultural bits are hard. Occasionally these cultural gems stump me. I could explain gerunds, split infinitives and passive voice easier than I can explain "college freshman" memes. I've complied a list of things that I've found the most difficult to explain: 

• What Ranch Dressing tastes like. Or really even the concept that dressings exist besides oil and vinegar exist. They only use oil and vinegar. 
• Will Farrell movies. "They're really really funny. But they're equally stupid...?"
• What a "redneck" is. I did okay on that one but it threw me for a loop. 
• Why anyone would make a "Harlem Shake" video. 
• Taking pictures of your food to put on the internet.
• Cockney Rhyming Slang. This is largely because I had a very basic understand of what it was in the first places. 
• Drinking boxed wine. They only cook with it. And I didn't even bother with slap the bag...
• Organic Milk. 
• A shot book for your 21st birthday. 
• Anything specific involving temperatures or distances. I can provide rough estimates of miles to kilos, dollars to euro and Celsius to Fahrenheit, but specifics are too much for me.  
• A Paleo Diet. No carbs? No way. 
• Why any average citizen would feel it was necessary to own an automatic weapon. (Not trying to start any gun control debates. I just don't come from a gun-heavy background, and I've never fired one, so I don't understand the appeal.)
• America hasn't been in a declared war since WWII if you get all technical about it. (Turned into a mini US Gov't lesson on checks and balances.)
• Why Americans make fun of Canadians. (See the picture below.)
• Not all Americans think the solution to tension with another country is to "just invade them."
• The revolting nature of Peeps. 
• The joy of roasting a perfect marshmallow over the campfire. S'mores aren't things here.
• Pumpkin/Banana/Zucchini Bread. I just made some for them because they couldn't envision what that would taste like.
• The Jersey Shore. Probably speaks for itself.

I also found this gem a while back. You kinda just have to laugh at it because in some ways it's true.

That moment when you realize Africa just isn't on the map. Haha
Also Canada= Uninhabited. Bahaha

"Hiking" in Como

Guess what?? This post is mostly pictures! Yay!!

Yesterday, I set out to explore the Como area more. So far I have been in Como, and it's beautiful. It's very Colorado/Alaska-y but with a decidedly Italian twist. This time, I went up to Brunate.

I live where the blue dot is and Brunate/Como are where the red "a" is. 

I took the train into Como, and then, took the Funicular up to Brunate.

The funicular is basically the world's least exciting roller coaster, but it was still fun to ride up and down. They actually have two cars running in opposite directions, but only a single track. So there are several minutes where you are staring down the face of another car with no where to go until the last second when the track splits into two parts, so you can cross. It's all very anticlimactic when you are expecting to crash and tumble down the side of the mountain.

View on the way up!

There were some really cool houses in
the town!

This is the view from the first "level" of the town. I was impressed
until I got all the way up!

I walked around the lowest tier of the town for a while and enjoyed the sights. That's when I decided seeing the lighthouse would be cool. Little did I realize that it was a 45 minute hike straight up hill. That really completed the Colorado feeling because I felt like I was making the long, steep hikes up to the rock climbing I did last summer.

Okay, "hike" is a bit of a strong word because it was paved, or semi-paved, the entire way, and I did the whole thing in my boots, the fashionable kind, not the practical kind. But that doesn't reduce what a good cardio work out it was!

This part was more paved than the rest of it. 

Along the way, I saw some cool sites around the town:

I jumped a fence to get up close to this tower. There were stairs leading up top but
I think it was actually on private property, so I didn't go up.

This was a cool house that seemed to belong somewhere in Germany.

Views like this made me think "Colorado."

There are little shrines and statues like this all over Italy. They're very cute. 

After quite a trek up the hills, I made it to the top. The views were incredible and the lighthouse was cool.

This is a kinda cheesy sun-emerging-from-the-clouds-behind-a cross picture. But it's just legitimately what was happening while I was taking the picture. 

Sometimes, I just really like to use the "hipster" setting on my iPhone camera...

This is the lighthouse. 

                 And here's the view:

If you click on the pictures, they get bigger!