Tuscany is Absolutely Beautiful

I finally made it to Italy, and let me tell you it was a bit of a challenge and I might have (most definitely did) gotten lost. But I’ll get to that..first I’ll tell you all about my last two days in Switzerland.

I went Paragliding!!! Although I have two weeks left, this might be my favorite thing I did on this traveling adventure. I was a bit scared at first, but then I just went for it, and it is something I will always remember. The view was spectacular, and it actually felt like I was flying. Once I got back to my hostel around lunch time, I didn’t know what to do with the rest of my day…I mean how to you top paragliding..you just don’t. So I went to lunch with some new friends and then just relaxed the rest of the day.

My last day in Switzerland was spent with new friends, and hiking up a waterfall. I also had to plan where I would be heading next. Standing on a mountain behind a waterfall, is an amazing experience. I would definitely recommend it, if you ever have the chance. I also found the best hot chocolate place in Lauterbrunnen (and trust me, I tried them all). It was in a small cafe on the Main Street that had ice cream pictures outside of it. I had another pretty chill afternoon, and finally bought some more shampoo (I’d been out for a few days). I know it seems silly, but Switzerland is expensive, and I really didn’t want to buy more. But with my leftover franks, I took a glorious shower (see mom I’m taking care of my self).

Now the real adventure started as I made my way to Florence, Italy. I decided to use my hostel in Certaldo (about an hour train ride from Florence) as a home base and take some small day trips to Florence, and surrounding cities for the week. While I was waiting for the train at one of my connecting stops, I met this lovely couple who were traveling around from Minnesota, they were headed to Milan just like me, but they were staying there. The reason I mention this is because we had about an hour stop at this small town in Italy on the way to Milan, and while I was sitting on the train, I noticed they were on the wrong platform. So, I ran off the train and made sure they got on the right train ( I sort of felt awesome that I could help someone else with the train transportation). After feeling so great about finally figuring out the transportation and not really getting lost since London, I got lost. The directions the hostel gave were great, but of course being directionally challenged like I am, I could not find this place, plus it was dark. Thankfully, a lovely local women saw my look of desperation and pulled over, and then gave me a ride to the hostel ( I would like you all to know, I was very close).

After making it to the hostel and checking in, I picked up a Pizza and bought a bottle of wine and just relaxed outside for the evening. I also must add that the pizza was delicious. This morning I walked to the small town and got some coffee (shot of espresso) and a absolutely wonderful chocolate pastry. This afternoon I am going to explore an old historic town, and then tour a winery. So far I am loving everything about Italy, and I can’t wait to continue to explore. Addio for now.