It's just a sweet, sweet fantasy baby...

Hello again so soon! I'm ready to blog about the next big portion of my trip the past two weeks.  I'm completely aware that this isn't how a blog is supposed to work and that you're supposed to write about things AS they are happening, but I think it's a good sign that I couldn't find the time to do that.  Don't you?  Anyway, back to where I left off.  The night train I boarded in Brindisi at 10:30 PM took me all the way to Milan by 9:30 the next morning.  Just FYI, if you're one of those people who is terrified of being buried alive, don't take a night train.  Personally, I enjoy enclosed places so the bed provided on the train car was great, but if you need more than two inches above your head while sleeping or you want the option of rolling over, consider another route.  I got a solid 7 hours of sleep I would say, despite the stifling heat at first.  The train station in Milan was actually the most impressive I've seen (I didn't take any pictures in order to cut back on boring architecture shots, but just google image "Milan train station" if you're interested). It was definitely a good omen for things to come.  I had an hour and a half layover in Milan before I boarded another train to take me to Spiez and then another to take me to my final destination, Interlaken.  I missed my connection in Spiez along with half the people on my train, but traveling has improved my attentiveness to the world around me, so not to worry.  My listening skills, expertly trained to pick up any English within a 10 meter radius, caught an announcement apologizing for the missed connection and that another train would arrive shortly to accommodate those traveling to Intelaken.   I only go into detail about this travel experience because it was here, on Spiez platform number 5, waiting for the next connection to Interlaken, that I felt like an experienced, knowledgeable traveler for the very first time.  A woman of about 55 approached and asked if I spoke English.  I think it's my t-shirt, running shoes combo that gives it away every time.   She and her husband were from Seattle and they, too, missed the train to Interlaken.  They were also worried because they didn't have a ticket for the train, but only a eurail pass.  I confidently informed them there would be another train arriving in 10 minutes and that flashing their pass to the conductor would be sufficient.  The woman reminded me a bit of myself one week ago.  Oh how young and lost I was.  Ok, enough gloating about my proficiency with the European train system.  

Since I arrived in Interlaken one and a half weeks ago, I've been thinking about how I will describe it on my blog.  Here's the best I could do:  Interlaken is like a section you would find in a Disney theme park to depict the absolute epitome of a Swiss town.  Except this was life size, and real life.  No plastic or fake interiors with creepy electronic people popping out  ("It's a small world" reference).  This was by far the most picture perfect town I have ever come across.  Everything was clean and orderly and all the flowers were beautifully in bloom and bursting out of every window sill.  The people were all super friendly and the entire town is centered around tourists.  But not in the tacky, Myrtle Beach/amusement park way.  The town retains its quaint feel while still catering towards all the visitors.  Just the amount of maps that were offered blew me away!   I cannot gush enough about how much I LOOOOOOOOOOOOVED Interlaken!  Anyone who goes to Europe NEEDS to come here.  It is also a very romantic spot if anyone's looking for a unique Anniversary location.   Ok, enough gushing and let me get to the actual logistics and setting of this oh so fabulous place.  Interlaken's name comes from the greek "inter", meaning between, and "lak", meaning lake.  It is a Swiss town nestled between two gorgeous, blue lakes  (and I'm talkin blue, like premier putt putt mini golf water blue, no artificial coloring needed).  If the town and lakes aren't beautiful enough for you, the lakes are completely enveloped by the Swiss Alps, snow covered to the south, and green to the north.  And if scenery isn't your thing, the area has TONS of activities available, the most popular being the "Top of Europe", a restaurant located on the top of one of the famous snow covered peaks, Jungfrau, found just south of the town.  The train ride up cost 130-150 swiss francs, making it the most expensive train in the world.  Considering this interesting fact, I opted out of this ride and decided to spend my whole first day hiking the northern peaks, which ironically enough, are the grass covered mountains. The day I arrived, I only had energy to marvel at the town before I went to bed early.  I awoke at 6:30 the next morning and embarked on the longest hike I have ever and hopefully will ever take in my life.  After a hearty breakfast, I stepped out of my hostel at around 7:30 AM.  I decided the night before I would walk to the Augstmatthorn peak, which the map said was a 3.5 hour hike.  Little did I know, the starting point of the hike was at least a 2 hour hike from where I was staying.  Let's jump ahead to 2:30 PM, when I FINALLY made it to the top!!!! I felt so accomplished, along with exhausted, sore, stupid, and a bit of dreadful of the hike back.  I honestly don't know how I made it back down the mountain.  I practically fell down, using gravity to my much needed advantage.  After a seemingly endless journey to the bottom of the mountains, I discovered I was still 8 kilometers from my hostel.  That 8 km was on flat ground along the lake, so nothing to complain about.  I also discovered a little display of the solar system along the path representing the relative distances of all the planets from each other and the sun (definitely a perk I needed at that point).   At around 7:00 PM I came stumbling in, slightly limping, to my hostel.  Despite my whiny description of the hike, it was totally worth it!  The views were priceless! (Although my necessary knee surgeries in the future won't be).  Needless to say, I fell into a stupor at my return and allowed myself a late start the next day.  The only thing getting my aching body out of bed Wednesday was my canyoning appointment at 12.  I'll let this Youtube video give you an idea of what that involved:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jayo_dhVypc.  If you watched the video, I needn't even tell you it was completely awesome.  It's basically everything I've ever wanted to do in a canyon, but with the necessary safety precautions to actually allow me to follow through.  After canyoning, I enjoyed a nice stroll in the city and along the river, which I just couldn't do enough while I was there.  It's one of those places you can walk for miles and miles and not get bored of how wonderfully beautiful everything is.  I was so sad to leave the next day, but duty called in the French Alps.  That is a whole other story and deserves its very own post, so get excited for the next chapter in the epic saga that has been my life for the past two weeks!

Last Days in Brindisi Pics

Kaiser patiently waiting for the leftovers he NEVER got.  He was the most desperate dog I've ever come across.

Just a small bit of Ostuni

The walkway around Ostuni and the view from the city

Me sitting in some random Ostuni street

Jess in front of a towering monument in Ostuni's town center

St. Francis Cathedral, which was one of the buildings surrounding the main town square

A view of the monument and a portion of Ostuni

Me just outside the main part of the city

I just thought these doors were cool

Some random dance troupe we found in downtown Brindisi after we got back from Ostuni.  This old man kept trying to dance with them and completely ruined the dances.  It was hilarious to watch. 

We found Susannah!

This is the painter who allowed us to paint with him.  Very nice man.

Making a cappuccino, step 1: Emptying the old coffee grounds

I skipped ahead to the final product so as not to bore you. 

Vana White with the Cappuccino machine behind the bar.  Fancy.

This is the third dog, Duke.  He was adorable, old, and really sweet.  Nothing like the others.

This is the view of Ostuni from the train station.  It was a hike to get there, as is everything in Europe.  No wonder Europeans can eat pasta and butter up to their ears and still stay thin.

Time to Say Goodbye...

It's been a long while since I wrote last, and a whole lot has happened, so I'm just going to break things up into separate posts.  I left off two Thursdays ago, and at that point, Jess and I just had a few more days to go in Brindisi.  There's not much to say about Jess and I's last few days in Brindisi, but definitely some mentionable excursions.  We had our most memorable guest of the whole three weeks check in Thursday evening and her name was Ruth.  Where she was from depends entirely on which hostel staff member you ask considering she told us all different things.  For a most detailed and hilarious run down of this character, I'll redirect you to Susannah's blog post about Ruth, because she really can't be described any better.  http://schwoops.blogspot.com/2010/09/ruth.html.


Moving on, Steph's friend from New Zealand, Sarah, showed up unexpectedly on Friday, which allowed Jess and I some time off before we left.  We took another little day trip to a small town just thirty minutes northwest of Brindisi, Ostuni (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostuni)  It was a very cute town made entirely of white stone with blue window sills and doors to contrast the white.  It was set high on a hill in Puglia and from a distance, looks like a fortress.  After wandering the winding, narrow alleys and staircases for about 4 hours and tasting a little gelato heaven in the town center, Jess and I headed home to visit Susannah in downtown Brindisi.  The day before, Susannah and I had run into a painter at the Brindisi port, and Susannah being the overtly social person she is, somehow started painting with this man and was invited back to paint with him as a kind of protege .  Jess and I found Susannah in the gallery after our Ostuni visit and we were all allowed a little artistic go on his floral canvases.  I'm sure the three of us demolished a work of art, but totally worth the experience!    Our last few nights passed as all the rest and the crew gave us a fond farewell when we left Sunday.  Jess headed for Rome at 1 and I was to make a long journey to Interlaken, Switzerland on a night train that left at 10:30.  It was sad to say goodbye, but Jess and I were also excited to be living out of our suitcases again!  And that's where I'll leave off for now.  But I promise there will be more posts and pictures very soon!  

Brindisi, Lecce, Otronto and Friends!

After.  Just a little taste of how I've spent my time here.

Before

My absolutely, unexpectedly FANTASTIC seafood dish in Lecce!

Lecce at night

Me in Otronto

Sneak attack picture of Jess in the water

Me in front of the beach in Otronto.  I wasn't saluting, just trying to keep the sun out of my eyes.

A random Roman amphitheater in the middle of Lecce we stumbled upon

A picture to capture the detail that went into all of the architecture during the Baroque period.

The breath taking interior of a church in Lecce.  St. Francis needs to up its game.

An arch in Lecce

The inside of one of the many cathedrals

One of the many baroque style churches in Lecce

Maurizio pouring champagne for his friends and any guests that happened to be downstairs.  What a guy.  I really need to figure out the manual flash on my camera...

The workerawayers playing cards with a couple of guests.  I'm sure I was winning at this point...

Mija, an Australian guest, Susannah and Jess

This is me with Rufus, Maurizio's pride and joy.  We are really riding in style in Brindisi.

This was a coffee desert thing we had after lunch that tasted like vanilla pudding mixed with coffee.  Needless to say, it was amazing!

Our lunch consisted of what Italians would typically have as an appetizer before their meal, but it was PLENTY of food for a whole meal.  Very good!

The other side of the table.  Maurizio's family and the three of us workawayers.

Maurizio's 50th birthday in a really cool restaurant! Maurizio's the one in black, and his family is surrounding him.

Barbie pose on the naval castle.  I just had to.

A castle in Brindisi that was turned into a naval base, thus it being closed to the public:(

Brindisi port

Chicks, one of the many varieties of birds sold at the festival.

All the fresh food sold at the festival.  Far from fried twinkies and funnel cakes

yeah, that's what it looks like. A pig with an onion in its mouth.

The phenomenal accordionist at the festival

Downtown Brindisi

The festival!

Susannah's arrival!  We took celebratory tequila shots naturally!

Jess sitting at the check in desk.  This is where all the action happens folks.

The best pastry we've (Jess and I)  had in Europe!  It was a chocolate croissant. 

Two of the three giant dogs that live in the hostel, Kaiser and Tiger.

This is the famous monument in Brindisi and it honors the patron saint of Brindisi, St. Lawrence, and it's supposed to protect the sailors.  It's shaped like a rudder, which I think is very cool. 

My future sailboat in the Brindisi port.

This column stands erect in the port of Brindisi and marks the end of the Appian Way, the most famous road in ancient Roman civilization.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appian_Way