Europe Chapter 8: My Pork Seasoning Has Been To More Countries Than Most People!

"The river runs deep through the canyon hinting at its age, yet the jagged peaks of the mountain prove otherwise. A new mountain has appeared. Its back is that of a zebras, white stripes of melting snow contrasted with the dark stripes of earth beneath. Waterfalls drop steeply from the sky disappearing behind trees and reappearing further downward. The train weaves around mountainsides popping in and out of many tunnels. I like when we go around a corner sharp enough to see the engine ahead pulling us along. Spring-green leaves and yellow flowers dot the forest of coniferous trees and meadows of grass. Despite being isolated in the cabin of a train, I easily imagine the taste and smell of the freshness outside. The highway below is congested with traffic. It looks as though they are not going anywhere fast. I wonder if they care or if they are taking the time to see what I see. Often, the world passes us by so quickly and we are so concerned with our destination that we forget to take in the journey. For now, I am enjoying the journey well enough to not be concerned with its purpose or final destination."

Journal entry; Journey by train to Locarno, Switzerland. May 13, 2006 11:40am

Switzerland was bliss.

After being on the road nonstop for the last few months and especially city-bound, it was great to relax in small towns and get outdoors in nature again. From May 7^th -12^th, I visited a good friend in Lyss, a small town between the capital city of Bern and the Swiss-German-French border town of Basel. For those 5 days, I basically vegged. I slept in, read, surfed the net, caught up on emails and cooked. My favorite part of Lyss (besides hanging out with Brett of course) was having a full kitchen again! It probably doesn't seem like it, but traveling is physically and emotionally tiring. Whether it be bed, waking, or eating times, physical activity, food, place of sleep, transportation modes, or currency, everyday is different. Nothing is routine and it takes its toll. Sometimes, I forget what country or city I am in and have to pause to remember. Needless to say, staying with a friend and having their apartment completely to myself during the day for 5 days was paradise.

On May 13^th, I took a train to southern Switzerland to meet up with Stacey and her mom, Lynn, for the Goldeneye Bungy on the dam, Diga Verzasca. At 722 feet, it is the tallest bungy site in the world. It takes its name from the James Bond movie, 007 Goldeneye. Bond jumps off the same dam. Having jumped the Nevis in NZ, I was more nervous this time around than scared. I forced myself to look down while I stood with my toes hanging over the jump platform. Surprisingly, that only reasserted my excitement. I launched off gaining a lot of parallel distance before free falling. I remember focusing on Stacey and Lynn who were positioned directly in front of the jump platform until I fell below their gaze, then watching the scenery below get bigger and thus closer. I don't remember making any noise, but Stacey said I growled as I fell. (Jumping the Nevis, I said the choice phrase of holly s*it which is very clear in the video. I was very conscious to not make the same mistake!) What a rush! Of course, I immediately wanted to do it again, but my dwindling bank account thought better of it.

After the jump, Stacey and Lynn headed north to Lucerne while I stayed on the Swiss-Italian border town of Locarno to do some hiking. The small tourist town sits on a beautiful lake surrounded by forest-covered mountains. The night I arrived, I experienced one of the best thunder and rain storms. Out of nowhere, it started POURING fatty rain drops and within minutes, the ground was covered with puddles of water. Soon after, lightning began followed immediately by loud cracks of thunder. It lasted throughout the evening and of course, I got lost walking to and from dinner and was thoroughly drenched by the time I made it back to the hostel. I was convinced my planned hike for the next day would be hindered either by rain or muddy trails. I awoke the next morning to clear skies and had an awesome hike with a fellow American, Travis, to the top of Monte San Salvatore. We both felt the pains of that hike for the next few days. It literally kicked our butts!

On Tuesday, May 16^th, I took a train south to Rome to meet one of my best friends, Kristi. We also met up with Stacey and Lynn and Kristi's friend, Vu. The 5 of us relentlessly toured Rome seeing everything we possibly could in our 4 days. We planned to go out and experience the night life on a few occasions, but we were so beat from walking around all day that we never made it! We trekked around touring the Colosseum, Palatine, Circus Maximus, Il Vittorino, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Vatican City (St. Peters Basilica and Square, Vatican Museums, and Sistine Chapel) the Tiber River, Pantheon, and many more churches, fountains, and monuments. We experienced a strike of Rome's public transport system which is critical for tourism. It seemed to affect tourists more than anyone else. The locals couldn't have cared less, probably because they are so used to it!

(Pope Benedict XVI; General Audience at St. Peter's Square)

Our last day in Rome was on of my favorites. Vu, Kristi and I walked to a park above the city called Villa Borghese. The views were stunning. From the park, we could see the Tiber winding its way through Rome passing by Vatican City, Il Vittorino, and the Colosseum. The three of us rented a pedal cart, bought a round of beers and spent the afternoon riding around the park. Later that evening, we saw The Da Vinci Code which was a perfect ending to the day and our trip to Rome.

On the night of May 20th, I said a teary goodbye to Stacey, my travel buddy of 130 days straight, 24/7. Despite a few rough moments, we managed to not kill each other and are definitely better friends than before our trip began. We pushed each other's limits and in the process, learned a lot about ourselves and each other. I'm extremely lucky to have had both Stacey and Ken by my side throughout Europe. Thanks guys! I can not imagine having done this trip without you both!

On Sunday, May 21, Vu, Kristi, and I flew out of Rome to our current location of Malta. Malta, an independent country, is a small group of islands in the Mediterranean. It lies between northern Africa and Sicily, Italy. Im spending a month living with Kristi and about 50 other law students from different parts of the US while they do a study-abroad program here in Malta. We've now been here 2 out of 4 weeks and I'm convinced one of the requirements for getting into law school is to drink and party beyond the capacity of most normal 20-something year olds. I just cant keep up, nor do I have the money, ability, or notion to do so! But that is another update in itself!

Explanation of title: Ken bought pork seasoning in Rome when he first arrived in Europe in December. (I know that sounds gross, but its actually an herbal seasoning that tastes a lot like lemon-pepper seasoning and is very good on veggies!) He traveled with it to Ireland before meeting up with Stacey and I in London. Over 4 months, the pork seasoning traveled with us through the UK, France, Monaco, Italy, Greece, Turkey (where no pork seasoning has gone before!), Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, and Switzerland. It almost made a full circle back to Rome, but I left it in Lyss, Switzerland with Brett. Brett, I hope the well traveled seasoning is getting put to good use!