Italia Blog

So I’ve made it back to Würzburg after a week and a half of traveling through Italy, followed by a concert festival in Nürnburg. I had an amazing time, despite a few difficulties along the way. My uncle Steve and I had some great adventures through Northeastern Italy, and I had a nice ‘break’ from the Uni. I got home to Würzburg and left about 12 hours later for ‘Rock im Park’. The festival was crazy—by the last day, it looked like a disaster area. The first day poured rain, so our tents were wet, and we were completely soaked…but it gradually warmed up through Sunday evening. The music was great: my favs were the Scissor Sisters, Wir sind Helden, the Beatsteaks, Linkin Park, and the Sounds (who I started listening while working at Zumiez, before leaving for college).

Now, I’m getting back into the school routine, which is alright. I enjoy classes, for the most part. I’ve even started working through German grammar books on my own—the more the better. My advanced German class is kicking my butt a little, but I prefer it this way than being too easy. Soaking it all up as much as possible, listening to as much German on the radio, reading a lot…everything I can. =)

Here are some fotos of my travels through Italy and the festival:

Day1: The Wild Goose Chase

The first day, we went to an area close to the foot of the mountains (Dolomites, which are south of the Alps), where there is a cave. The water is unbelievably beautiful, tons of fish, and at the bottom is a statue of the virgin Mary. It used to be popular diving spot, but now it is off limits, because divers were caught under.





This goose kept hissing at us. I was provoking it a bit too, I could not help it, I had never been hissed at by a goose! It got fed up and ended up chasing us…our “wild goose chase”…the real one. (Which, according to “legend”, are actually beautiful women by night, which have a spell cast on them.)










Somebody’s backyard…not too shabby, huh?






Oh gelato, how I love thee…


The so called, ‘chrome dome’, at the feet of the mountains.


And the view down from this church…


They were having a wedding—what a smart idea to saran wrap the car. I will definitely be using this idea for any future weddings I may be involved with…



Day 2: Volksmarch

We woke up bright and early for a volksmarch (~12 km walk). We met at a “bar”, which here means café, for breakfast…always a brioge and cappuccino. The day started out pouring rain, but held out during the walk.

The church across from the café.


Getting ready to start


Through the vineyards


Rest Stop #1


And #2







Day 3: Bordano (the city of butterflies)

We drove up into a few towns in the mountains, one, called Bordano, has paintings on almost every house of butterflies. Some very beautiful (and clever) artwork.



First stop @ the market in Maniago:


Mmm formaggi

I think this picture is funny, even though my eyes are closed.








Yet another amazing house on the way up to Bordano


In Bordano…

Hooray for AC Milano…European football (soccer) champions!








Check out how the stones in the painting match those on the ground..












The drive to the next town over: Biking is VERY popular here…


Had lunch at the lake here: The highway you can see leads to Austria, about 45 km away.




Sept. 11 memorial painting




The window is real, but nothing around it










½ real, the other a painting


The Friuli-Giulani (the spelling is off) flag…for the “state”, where my uncle lives




Dried-up river beds


And our last stop of the day was to San Daniele, the Proscuitto (ham) capital of the world—every year is a huge festival.





Day 4: Pordenone and the dinosaur hung in the Dolomite mountains…



Soccer is LIFE here, Milano had also just won the Champions League (for all of Europe).









So during the volkmarch, I talked to an Italian woman named Lara. She told me one of the things I MUST see besides from the coast is the dinosaur footprint in the mountains. We went to the town she said, only to be sent to another town. (And with our limited Italian, ‘my friend…dinosaur…foot’, is what our Italian roughly translated to. Haha) We found it eventually, only to agree that is was made by a group of people drunk, thinking it would be funny to make them drive 8 kilometers winding up to the top of the mountain, only to be greeted with a walking path that says “dinosaurio 5 minuti”. My question is, if you sprint is it still 5 minutes…what about if you stand there for 5 minutes? How do you measure distance in minutes, somebody must teach me.

What? This is it?


I can be a dinosaur too, my hand is the right size!


I did find the waterfalls beautiful.






Driving through the rocks to get there…


Day 5: Beach Reunion!

On the way to the coast, we found a yard filled with statues for sale, was pretty cool, they all looked so unique.


Beach chairs...in the morning, before the crowds of German tourists came.


Slovenia is off in the distance there…somewhere.


Beach, how I love you…




What a cool idea!?!


Couldn’t resist…


Uh huh…


The city of Aquileia…remains from the city dating back to 180 BC.
The church floor was pulled up here, and the original layed beneath, from the 4th century:




A cemetery in the behind the church






The remains of the foundation of a mansion, from the first century.


The city of Palmanova: the city of palm trees!




The town is built into the form of an octagon.


Day 6: ‘Drive-bys’ on the way to the airport, in Treviso (near Venice)

That’s right, I belong here at the Ferarri dealer.


A beautiful town we discovered…












We found some steps. What does that mean? Why, climb them, of course!


So eventually we end up on the top of a mountain.


With the Italian flag flying proud


Hello statue, I look so little here.






On the way up to a castle in a train car.


Can you see us??









Had lunch here on the river


There is a human chess game here every other year in the square.


The last town, where they are famous for making ceramics: even their light poles are filled with them!


Woah…lots of pics. Was definitely an adventure. Figured I may as well close this post with a few more I got from my uncle. Can’t believe this was already more than 3 years ago: