I am alive and in Grenoble
If there is anyone out there who still reads this, for your information I am alive and in Grenoble France. Since April 25 I traveled across Poland; to London, back to Rennes for a week, then I took the train to Milan. There I stayed one night in a budget hotel. The next day I trained it to Salzburg, Austria and hung out with my friend Ryan.
The very next day, we took the night train to Berlin and stayed with the uncle of our friend Jenna Williams from Missoula. They were a super nice family and we had an amazing time in Berlin. It is quite an amazing city with so much recent history! I could write pages aabout it, but I wont since I am paying for this internet use now. After Berlin, we got back to Salzburg and hung out and partied and hung out. It was really a lot fo fun.
Then I left and began my solo journey. After one entire mnoth of paying for only one single night of lodging, I began the exspensive part. I picked a random place on the map and I ended up in Bergamo, Italia, which is gorgeous. An old walled city built on a hill with tiny winding cobblestone roads; perfect stereotypical Italy. It wasa great. But. I lost my eurail pass. It fell out of my pocket or something, or out of my backpack; honestly I have no idea and it is a mystery. But it is gone and I was pissed. That pretty much ruined my day, but I got over it, eventually found internet...ha that is a story. Ok, one story I will tell. I needed internet desperately in order to finalize my plans for Morocco. Of course the internet at the hostel was broken. I forgot; this is Italy so nothing at all is remotely for sure or gauranteed. So I asked the tourist info person and she told me there is not one internet cafe in all of Bergamo. I was astonished. Yet she directed me to 2 internet "points" whatever that means. But of course those did not actually exist from what I could see. I returned to the hostel and asked the front desk if there was internet anywhere. They told me yes, not too far from the hostel, near the stadium. So I went there and looked around and found nothing. I asked in my pathetic Italian 3 different people on the street including a POLICEMAN, and they all told me that there was none, I would have to go to the center city. After succeeding at conversing very basically with a man (I was a little proud I could at least sort of barely get by in Italy) I got on the bus and from the bus I saw the internet place. It was such a happy moment. The man there spoke no English, so again I used my little Italian. However, after much difficulty right after I left for the last time, I learned he spoke French which pissed me off and we could have avoided many communication issues. oh well.
Italy was great, yet it is nice to be back in France where I speak the language and know how it all works. And Italy makes France look like Denmark in terms of efficiency and things being logical. So I am in Grenoble now and I hiked up to the top of this mountain today about 11km total, a nice little day hike. It was snowing at the top!!! It felt so good, in contrast to the heat of Italy. But wow, May 31, falling snow, crazy. I will go to Aaix-les-Bains tomorrow and maybe a day trip to Geneva the next day. Good times on my nomadic adventure. I meet Seth on Saturday, and Morocco next week!!! Sadly we have but 3 days in this amazing country, alas, it was the only way though; better than nothing.
The very next day, we took the night train to Berlin and stayed with the uncle of our friend Jenna Williams from Missoula. They were a super nice family and we had an amazing time in Berlin. It is quite an amazing city with so much recent history! I could write pages aabout it, but I wont since I am paying for this internet use now. After Berlin, we got back to Salzburg and hung out and partied and hung out. It was really a lot fo fun.
Then I left and began my solo journey. After one entire mnoth of paying for only one single night of lodging, I began the exspensive part. I picked a random place on the map and I ended up in Bergamo, Italia, which is gorgeous. An old walled city built on a hill with tiny winding cobblestone roads; perfect stereotypical Italy. It wasa great. But. I lost my eurail pass. It fell out of my pocket or something, or out of my backpack; honestly I have no idea and it is a mystery. But it is gone and I was pissed. That pretty much ruined my day, but I got over it, eventually found internet...ha that is a story. Ok, one story I will tell. I needed internet desperately in order to finalize my plans for Morocco. Of course the internet at the hostel was broken. I forgot; this is Italy so nothing at all is remotely for sure or gauranteed. So I asked the tourist info person and she told me there is not one internet cafe in all of Bergamo. I was astonished. Yet she directed me to 2 internet "points" whatever that means. But of course those did not actually exist from what I could see. I returned to the hostel and asked the front desk if there was internet anywhere. They told me yes, not too far from the hostel, near the stadium. So I went there and looked around and found nothing. I asked in my pathetic Italian 3 different people on the street including a POLICEMAN, and they all told me that there was none, I would have to go to the center city. After succeeding at conversing very basically with a man (I was a little proud I could at least sort of barely get by in Italy) I got on the bus and from the bus I saw the internet place. It was such a happy moment. The man there spoke no English, so again I used my little Italian. However, after much difficulty right after I left for the last time, I learned he spoke French which pissed me off and we could have avoided many communication issues. oh well.
Italy was great, yet it is nice to be back in France where I speak the language and know how it all works. And Italy makes France look like Denmark in terms of efficiency and things being logical. So I am in Grenoble now and I hiked up to the top of this mountain today about 11km total, a nice little day hike. It was snowing at the top!!! It felt so good, in contrast to the heat of Italy. But wow, May 31, falling snow, crazy. I will go to Aaix-les-Bains tomorrow and maybe a day trip to Geneva the next day. Good times on my nomadic adventure. I meet Seth on Saturday, and Morocco next week!!! Sadly we have but 3 days in this amazing country, alas, it was the only way though; better than nothing.