New Experiances

On my run this afternoon I Experienced a new wonder, one that I hope I do not have to experience again in a hurry.

On my run, I suddenly became desperate to, er, open my bowels lets say.

I stopped at a pleasant looking cafe that kindly let me use there loo.

I use the term loo loosely, it was a hole in the floor.

 HOW THE HELL DO PEOPLE USE THESE!!!

Without going into the mucky details there are three core problems with this toileting style:

1. For the love of god, whatever you do don't get poo in your shorts   

2. Trying to sustain a half squat while simultaneously try to 'de-clench'

3. Because you work so hard on the first two problems, it is impossible to know if you have achieved 'full release'.

Ridiculous!!

Milan

After another huge free breakfast in Como consisting of croissants, cake, cerial, yoghurt and ham sandwiches I headed over to the Como train station.

at the station it seemed everyone was as puzzled as me that the doors would not open. Due to this strangeness I struck up a conversation with a very pleasant young lady named Francesca. She was Italian but of Vietnamese family origin.

We had a great chat for the entire hour journey to Milan although she was only 18 she seemed to have a very good head on her shoulders and told me of all her plans to become a doctor. Judging by her sensibility I have no doubt she will achieve her goals.

When I arrived in Milan we parted ways and after dropping off my pack at the hostel I got the bus out to explore the city.

I took in the Duomo, the third largest church in Europe. Constructed entirely of marble, which boggles the mind how they managed to build it back in 1386 (although it wasn't actually finished until 1965). 

The next day I woke mid morning and went for a big run to a nice park I had spotted the day before. Then spent the rest of the day walking around the castle and the city, spending long periods reading my book.

My final day in Milan was by far and away the best. I decided to go on a free walking tour which by the by was terrible as the guide was very unconfident in his mannerisms and really struggled to get his point across.

I did however meet Amanda and Sam a Kiwi and a Korean living in New York, respectively. After ruthlessly ditching the tour we went back around the Duomo then to the castle gardens for a chill out.

In the evening the three of us went back to my hostel, I cooked up some dinner, then we had more than a few bottles of wine with my dorm mates Zoe, Lyndsey, Kennan and Matt. A very good evening ensued!

The trouble with trains...

My first attempt at a train journey has been very eventful!

This little story starts last week in a balmy Internet cafe in Switzerland.

My friend Anthony had been raving about a place called Sorrento on the south west cost of Italy. To cut a long story short I realised that lots of Italian places have different names in Italian to English.

Being the clever dick I am I decided to book my train to Salerno, as to me, this was obviously just the Italians way of saying Sorrento.

I was incorrect.

So here we are on the 15/06/2013

Firstly I decided to see off my friend Mandy as she was getting a train an hour and a half before mine.

We 'enjoyed' some stale bread and some biscuits before Mandy departed without a hitch.

This is where things got interesting...

Firstly I realised I had not bought a post card for mum and dad in Milan. So I went to go find one with my full pack on. Could I find a shop selling postcards near the biggest station in Milan? Could I balls!

After 45 minuets of looking I opened up my wallet.... Not a cent! So I then had to wander around in the 30 degree heat still fully laden for another 15 minuets looking for a cash point. 

-don't worry mum and dad, the card is in the post!-

Anyway, trains I hear you cry! 

I got back to the station with 25 minuets before departure and my train was no where to be seen, not on the departures board, no notices, nothing.

 

I began to panic, my booking codes were not recognised by the machines or the aids, and no one would even believe my train existed!

So I got my IPad out to check the full booking -cutting my hand on the Velcro of the false bottom in my bag I have put in to evade theft, causing more bloodshed, a theme for this trip!-. 

It was then with under 20 minuets before my train departs to Salerno that I realised I was at the wrong station, assumption indeed is the mother of all balls ups!

I had to run down to the subway, get across town and find my train.

For once in my existence the eyes of fate were smiling on me and I am now traveling 300km per hour down Italy!

Lake Como

I have spent two days in Lake Como with the lovely Brooke, who I met while sipping cuppa soup in Switzerland.

We had a pretty wine based evening on the monday; sitting at the edge of the great lake on the first night and off to Menaggio today. Menaggio is a very picturesque town. I found a secluded beach to unwind for an hour or so of pure bliss!  

When we got back I decided to go get some supermarket food, 30 minuets later I had eaten a half roast chicken, a huge slab of pizza, a tub of tomatoes and two doughnuts! Good eating!

After that mamouth meal I found out when I met up with Brooke that if you buy a drink at pretty much any bar you get a free buffet! Damn! 

I still eat the full buffet...

Milan tomorrow!

Interlaken

I went to Interlaken on the train yesterday.

When I first arrived I was somewhat underwhelmed. Sarah Bell as told me at great length how lovely the town is but to me,  aside from the Hooters bar, it was really nothing special. 

That is until I got to the lakes.

As it was a beautiful sunny day I decided to rent a bike after I found a hostel to stay in.

After I got the bike however I realised I only had the one pair of boxers that i was wearing to sleep in and wear the next day. So I had to nip down an ally and as quickly as possible strip down and take my boxers off to go commando.

Luckily I was not caught and I proceeded to cycle just over 50km in 3 hours around the most picturesque lake you could possibly imagine. 

The water was rich turquoise shimmering in the sunlight, reflecting the small sailed boats meandering gently through the water. Around the lake were fantastic contrasts. The lake was lined with thick greed forests scaling the mountains snow capped mountains and hills.

As I crossed a small metal bridge on the way back to Interlaken I was forced to stop by the most amazing view I have ever seen in my life, a small but rapid stream snaking through the countryside lined by trees allowing green and white shards of light through. All this was watched over by the alps in the distance.

After my bike ride I overshot.

As I knew I needed to eat to prevent DOMS I had a pint of milk, 500ml of yoghurt and biscuits and a whole pack of sandwich ham, all topped off with a beer.

I cannot describe the deep stomach ache that follows consuming two pints of dairy in the space of 3 minuets....

When I got to the hostel (the funny farm) which was surprisingly quite a grand building with marble and oak floors and pillars, I met Gabriel and Teresa newlyweds from Seattle and JJ and Stephanos, South African brothers.

We decided to take advantage of the happy hour across the road and bought as many beers as we could carry! We chatted all night then accidentally ended up in a nightclub for locals, where German versions of fatboy slim songs where the tunes of choice.

You don't need to know about the hangover I have today! 

10,000 feet!

Today I got up super early (7:20) to get the cable car up to Schilthorn which is 10,000 feet or 3000 meters above sea level and thus is one of the highest points in Europe.

I did not dress appropriately! I thought it would be fine to wear my fit flops (which by the way are the comfiest things you will ever wear). 

I did not anticipate two and a half foot of snow on one of the platforms! I ended up in the toilets with my feet in the dyson hand dryer!

The views were spectacular from the top and even better from Muren, a small Swiss village about half way up the mountain so I walked from Muren to Gimmerwald then got the cable car back to Lauterbrunnen. 

I did try to take a nap in a field just outside Muren  after drifting off in the sun I was woken with a sharp pain in my hand. A HUGE red ant was sucking my blood and I couldn't get it off. After a swift splat I thought it a better idea to keep moving!

I bopped down the rest of the way down to camp listening to Now 52, great tunes.

Interlaken tomorrow!

Waterfalls

I am now in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland.

Last night I had a couple of beers with Ant and some of the other busabout people. The hostel has a bar converted from a underground bunker. 

Today we met up with the tour guide and bus driver as it was their day off and went up and behind the waterfall next to our hostel (which is really a campsite, I am in a really quant wooden cabin). Ant and I didn't want to get our shoes wet so we decided to go up bare foot... Not a good move, turns out stones are VERY sharp!

Ant and I then went to the Trummel-bach-falle waterfalls. Which is a system of ten connected waterfalls inside a mountain. The falls drain three of the biggest swiss mountains (Eiger, Monch, Jungfrau). The waterfalls apparently carry around 20,000 litres of water per second! I took a bunch of pictures but the camera really couldn't do them justice. It really was an amazing site, so much power but so beautiful at the same time. As the waterfalls were inside the mountain there were little cracks in the walls of the cave making a fall of light too which really added to the atmosphere.