One of the only pictures we have of Switzerland (digitally), here's a blue silt river near Interlaken, Switzerland, at the foot of the Alps.

From Cinque Terre via La Speiza, it took about 3 hours on the train to Milan. Then, from Milan it took about 3 and a ½ more hours to Interlaken, Switzerland. However, shortly after Milan were the Alps to greet us and make the rest of the hours zip by.

Comparable to the British Columbia Rocky Mountains in size and stature, the towns were cute and precisely laid out within, along, on, and sloping with these Alp mountains. Lawns, ball fields, and even factories all seemed meticulously set up and choreographed in sync with the inclines.

Arriving in Interlaken, we weren’t sure if we needed to double pay for the gondola or if our previous ticket was good all the way through to our hostel in Gimmelwald. It turned out our train and bus pass were also concealing a gondola pass! YES! So, I proceeded onto the large rectangle on a string as Tracey scurried to hunt down her ticket. It was a despairingly light good time of franticism for her. Then, smiles all around from her and I, fellow line waiters, and including the gondola driver, when she found it.

5 minute trip lapses...

It was a quick gondola flop up the Alps, and we were in our Gimmelwald Mountain Hostel once and for all. It had prime locational and continually astonishing views of the famous Swiss Alp peaks. Too grand to photograph. As soon as you walk off the gondola, the hostel is a 50 feet walk and whala – the view is spectacular. No words, nor pictures can do it justice! Majestic beyond all majestic comments before! HA!

Wide gaping canyons! Towering granite monsters! Mysterious fog creeping in across a variety of spruce trees. Silt grey rivers with rushing waterfalls spicketting out of the mountains every chance they get.

We were looking forward to $30 mini pizzas, Peppermint Schnapps and hot chocolate, peace, beauty, hikes, free internet, chats with a Chinaman, and maybe not so looking forward to awkward BGSU run ins, teen bopper college minded Americans, and an unbecoming hostess.

That’s all for tonight! I’m all pumped up, and unfocused, in preparation for the great long weekend ahead with mom and dad! WOOOOOHOOOO!

I’ll end with this, a funny (to me) random To Do List from the trip:

Take hypoallergenic pillowcase off pillow before leaving.
Leave “truthful” feedback about Gimmelwald Hostel online when home.
Download “Sometimes the Sun” by the Lashes when home.
Make mojitos
See Sunshine movie

Some fall pictures to enjoy today.


A few weeks ago we shredded lots of brush and created two *almost complete trails! I'd say once they meet in the middle they'd be a quarter of a mile in length! 4 laps = a mile! The dogs love walking it of course.

This coming week, we're taking Friday off and then it's "Parents in Alaska" excitement!!!!!

yes,yes,yes,yes! Side note (to self too): Switzerland report to come early this week!

It was a good weekend of rest and FINISHING MY DC BBALL SCRAPBOOK ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!!!

An unbelievable run with that scrapbook tallying 7 full years of not doing it. CRAZYTALK!

I'll just say it's not pretty, BUT it's done, and well okay not too bad. A trip down memory lane completed; and now a book to be pushed!

How were your weekends? Good I trust.

The fall is beautiful with yellow birch tree leaves floating oh so Charlie Brownlike distributing peacefulness to my eyes as they behold them.

My parents are coming up here in less than 10 days, and that is a grand, grand joy.

I got two songs over the weekend. You may have heard them and perhaps even disregarded them on some commercials:

1. Liberty Mutual Commercial - Half Acre by Hem
2. Walmart Commercial - Nice Day by Persephone's Bees

Not as good as I wanted them to be, but worth a look in my opinion. They stick in your head, and the lyrics are pretty good. Just so, so in presentation.

Well, today we had a teacher day so I'm still in space cadet unfocused mode. Time to veg some more before hitting the hay. I have a few pics to post sometime this week. For now, have a great week!

ovedlabb

check out that special password for blogger posting tonight on Matt's blog - do they really need a secret wavy, sometimes crossed out word for password security? apparently, but I've never been denied posting, so who is getting denied?

Ovedlabb

Like Uncle Ben Obi Wan Kenobi's twin sister, Bennifer Ovedlabb

Had a bizarro Monday absent mindedly. Like trying to present a journalism lesson without the crucial copies and/or instructions .....

cross eyed, blobby headed by 5th period, enjoyable and now dose off into unwanted Monday night football vegging, soon to be changed to Flip This House on HGTV when Casey falls asleep heeeeeheeehee

happy moving 1156

Cinque Terre Report!

I've been cherishing this time on Italy's northwestern Mediterranean coast (see on map near La Spezia) for many weeks now! And it is time to report on it! Continuing the travelogue....

Let me start by again reiterating that photos were pricelessly captured on a disposable camera only, but the images are all too vividly joyous in my mind. I shall try to recreate them for you, but I'm sure it won't do it justice. Otherwise, I have borrowed some pictures from online to help your imagination.

After an overnight train from Pompeii, through the eerie Naples and dealing with a packed, unsafe, and stuffy train situation, we arrived at La Spezia train station. It was pitch dark around 5 a.m. when we arrived and there was a slight chill in the air at this empty station. We had to wait till 6 or 7 for our 8 minute train to Riomaggiore which turned out to be our new and most favorite home on the whole trip (Tracey don' t let me speak for you, but let me! HA!)

There was no one on the train and the town was far from stirring as the train let us off hovering above the beautifully serene and peaceful Mediterranean.

We were heavy with the overnight trip that dealt with quite a high level of stress in Naples and on the train, i.e. "Why won't anybody help us!"...BUT THIS, this one town of five wonderful towns, was an oasis!

Instantly we felt it was time to slow down, a time to truly embrace the Italian culture where time with family and friends is number one, and where you'll surely here an inevitable elongated "goooooooooooooooooal" shouted from the rooftops. That is even more so if you're there during the World Cup.

Cinque Terre (5 towns and we call it CT) was two days, turned into 5 of basking in the sun, walking up and down many, many stairs and cliffs, observing a peaceful early history culture of Italy. They still sit and talk with each other after getting their daily bread and vegetables at one of the tiny marketplaces.


We saw this bench scene every day as we came down 7-10 flights of stairs from one of our grand pensiones.

The first couple nights we were spoiled with an old world styled apartment that had 2 bedrooms, a nice large bathroom and living room, as well as a shared kitchen. We made pesto spaghetti with bread and bitter salad while sipping wine and staring off into the Mediterranean. Although logistically misplaced, I just kept thinking of Jesus on small boats with the apostles, calming the wind and waves, embracing the fisherman lifestyle.

The main draw for being in CT was to hike the one mile in between each town. One mile of quite rugged terrain straight up and straight down cliff sides. We were a little apprehensive to go for it considering it was our first big hike of the trip and it was for 5 hours, but we went for it of course because we had been dreaming of it for 10-12 months!



"I myself was over strenufied on the hike, huffing and puffing and enjoying pit stops! The views were spectacular and unbelievably serene. Through family owned vineyards and on a skinny trail, often times we had to scoot and wait or be excused by other hikers or visa versa. (Remembering the heat of Pompeii) needless to say it was very hot and tiring. But all was made perfect through Jesus' blood as well as the splish splash of the cool Mediterranean when we got to Monterroso's super sandy resort beach area." - from my travel journal.

Passing quickly through Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, we finished the hike in Monterosso which is a larger more touristy town with resort hotels and even a "pay to be in" part of the sandy beach. The public beach area was exactly the same, minus the cocktails and sun umbrellas, so we layed our towels out there for free and headed into the refreshing earned water! Tracey and I had eyed a wonderful beach front restaurant with a large basket of bread and yummy looking food that we planned to go to after laying out.

IT CLOSED EARLY THOUGH! It was, after all, a day when Italy played in an afternoon World Cup game. No one was working anywhere at that time, so we missed out on what seemed to be a great restaurant!

Sorry but that's all for now! More to come about a river rock beach discovery, limonetta in frosted glasses, and an Ikea outfitted pensione!

Hey Dad do you see Tunisia on the map there oh so close to Italy? Neato!

If anyone wants to find out more about Cinque Terre go here:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.cinqueterre.it/&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=2&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcinque%2Bterre%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG

2 weeks of school complete and only 15 until Christmas! Sounds so close and good!

The children are of almost a rare quality of delight, meaning all amiable and right off the bat accepting of summer being over and actually sitting through an English class and enjoying themselves without sass!

MTV music awards make me puke, but then again basically all musical taste of the mainstream does. Let's not get started with the radio stations up here.....

Instead of going with my original plan of a 4 p.m. bed time, Casey and I mustered up some energy to clean the garage. It was one of our preliminary necessities for our next house guests. Sinbad! Hahahahha, get it movie lovers?

No, no, my padres! Yes! And Dad your birthday is nearing!

Well, I'm watching Las Vegas as usual for a Friday night, and really wondering why I tried to blog b/c I am quite shattered - Clare Horgan.

Hope all is settling well for Matteo and Trace! Have a great Labor Day weekend all!