Venice

Bonjourno!

My new favorite phrase... "Parle anglais?"

Surprisingly enough, I'm finding more Italians speak English than Germans did. I thought it would be the other way around. I am finding it challenging to change languages as I keep wanting to answer in German and have to consciously think about it.

Well, I finally left Grunau! It was painful but I was able to tear myself away...aside from the fact that it was hard to leave the hostel, Austria itself was hard to get out of! There aren't really any high speed train lines in or out...so the train ride from Grunau to Venice was a 12 hour ordeal with 4 train changes. Nathan, one of the guys that worked at the Treehouse Hostel was looking up train schedules on the internet for me and he just kept saying "fuck it...just stay" and I almost did...but alas, I have places to go and things to see with only three weeks left.

Since Grunau was so small and there was no reservation office to book a couchette for the final portion of the night train (12:16am-7:16am) we had to show up for the train hoping beds would be available....which there weren't. We had a second class train car with seats that pulled out almost flat but not entirely...we tried to sleep but that NOT was  sleep. It was horrible... the conductors came in 3am to demand our passports, then at 4am to demand tickets. It was loud with lots of starts and stops and people getting on and off. By the time we arrived in Venice I walked right off the train and to the ticket counter to book myself a bed for my next night train to Rome. I then slept until 2:30pm at the hotel.... which completely defeats the purpose of taking a night train.

Venice Hotel Room

What a difference last night though!!! I showed up on the night train to Rome and was politely escorted to my bed, which was big and fluffy. I crawled under the covers and was lulled to sleep by the trains gentle rocking. It was quiet and I slept great! The conductor came in at 6:30am to give me a cappuccino and wake me up. I was impressed.

So me and Jason spent two days in Venice....Wow, what a cool city!! It was everything I expected. It looked almost surreal, two dimensional in a way like I was looking at an oil painting. It was the definition of a romantic city. I kept walking over canal bridges looking at candle lit dinners on the side of the canals and wished I wasn't there single! I did get some great pictures though and had brought a small tripod so was able to take a bunch of night photos as well. I could walk around for hours taking it all in without getting bored.

In St Marco's square, there are thousands of pigeons...you can buy a bag of seeds for 1euro to feed them. As soon as you hold some seeds in your hand 10-15 fat pigeons will land anywhere on your body they can hoping to get a bite of food. I was originally mocking the other tourists for participating in such a stupid thing but after a few minutes of watching I just couldn't resist...well, I must say, that what the best euro I spent yet in Europe! You haven't lived until you have been covered head to toe in pigeons!!!

This morning I arrived in Rome and am in a great hostel...very cool place close to all the sites on a quiet street with free internet, a kitchen, TV with English movies and nice clean rooms for $20/night.

I am staying for 5 nights and make it a base to explore Pisa and Pompei. I have to go to the train station today to investigate train times. I also have to find a grocery store so I can cook some real meals! It's amazing the things which I never thought about at home but are now real luxuries...like a home cooked meal, TV and clean laundry.

I am off to go explore Rome! Caio!

Trapped in the black Hole that is Grunau!

Our median picnic while waiting to switch trains!

I have been sucked into a black hole...it is called Grunau! The hostel here is so amazing that it is quite impossible to leave! People come her for 2 nights and stay a week and a half. It's hard to explain why exactly...it's like being at home as it is just a big house and the rooms and showers are great.
It is actually a ski chalet of sorts, it is up in the Alps (lots of snow here) just up the mountain from a small town called Grunau.

It's not really accessible to town so the staff pick you up from the train station, make huge home cooked meals every night and breakfast in the morning...the basement is turned into a bar with drinks that are cheap (half of them are on the house!). My one night here turned into 2 and now it turned into 3.... but tomorrow I leave for Venice...for sure...I hope.

It's a 5 minute walk to the base of the ski hill.  The hostel has a room full of mis-matched ski clothing to borrow so we all looked ridiculous but we were warm! We all went skiing yesterday and I taught Rachel, Tammy and Jason to ski. They all did good! I thought the Aussies would pick it up very fast because they surf but Rachel was the one who was instantly good at it...she kept up with me all day in intermediate runs.

It was beautiful spring skiing although the hill will likely close within a week as things are melting fast.
It was cheap too...21 euros for a lift pass and 11 euros for ski rental.

Today, I am figuring out train schedules and trying to find a place to stay in Venice (not an easy or cheap task) Tammy is heading off for eastern Europe somewhere, Rachel to Florence and Jason is going to travel with me a bit before he heads to Greece in a week.

Salzburg

I am in Salzburg! Home of the Sound of Music! I have been having a great time, the weather is 25C and everything is green except for a few bits of snow her and there.

My dorm room (had it all to myself!)

I met some really cool people my first night here: 2 Aussies (Jason and Tammy) and Rachel from Chicago.
We are all travelling solo and met at the bar in the hostel. We all saw a tour advertised at the hostel to go and see the salt mines in Hallein, a small town 20 minutes from Salzburg, however, none of us were too keen to pay 40euros for it. We decided to all take the train out together and do it for a fraction of the cost.

We had the most incredible day!

Jason and Tammy (can't remember the girl's name of the right!)

Left to Right: Me, Rachel, Jason,Tammy

We took a train to Hallein and hiked about 1 hour up the mountain into the salt mines. The tour of the mines was very fun. We got to actually slide 300 meters into the mountain on the original slides the miners used...disneylandesque!....followed my a boat trip on the huge salt lake deep within the mountain.

Rachel, Tammy, and Jason in their mine gear!

Sliding into the salt mine!

On the way back down we found this beautiful walking trail down the side of the mountain by all these waterfalls and finally stopped for ice cream before heading back to Salzburg on the train.

Jason's first snow angel

It was funny seeing Jason and Tammy, who had never seen snow before, to run into piles of it like little kids and to stare in awe of snowcapped mountains! You really take for granted all the things you see everyday in Calgary.

It was pretty funny that we ended up all running to barely catch out train to Hallein in the morning and then we were all running from the train station in Salzburg to the hostel to catch the end of happy hour at the end of the day!

We all decided to travel together a bit longer so are heading to a small town in the Alps closer to Switzerland to a hostel called The Treehouse in Grunau, Austria. It is a mountain chalet and has been getting rave reviews from other backpackers and we are excited to go skiing and hike out there.

Munich

I just spent 3 days in Munich.

I am staying in a nice hostel close to the train station.

Yesterday I took a day trip out to Dachau Concentration camp and did a tour there. Very horrifying...especially the 20 minute film they showed which was taken by the allied soldiers during the liberation.

Gas chambers labelled "shower"

Today I went to the Dueches Science and Technology Museum and took a self guided walking tour of the old part of the city.

There was a huge anti-war protest in Marienplatz today, there were literally thousands of people and tons of riot police everywhere. I climbed to the top of St Peters church and took some great panoramic shots, you could hear the chanting and speeches for blocks and blocks.

Huge protest

Tomorrow I travel onwards to Salzburg where I will stay for 2 nights.