Practically Perfect

*WARNING: My computer is about to die forever, and my camera has not been happy lately either, so I'm playing catch-up today. Also, Ale is rubbing off on me and I take tons of pictures. That's why this post is so long.*

Ale and I are in Europe! A few days ago, we were sitting on the Rialto Bridge eating gelato, watching the night in Venice. I asked Ale what her favorite event has been in the trip thus far. Her answer went something like this, "I would have to say... riding bikes in Amsterdam. Aaaand climbing the Eiffel Tower. Aaaand seeing Phantom in London. And going back to Vienna. And seeing the ballet. And everything that happened in Hallstatt. And laying on the beach in Cinque Terre." We agreed that we have done such a variety of things that we can't even compare them! Everything has been so amazing, and I'm happy that we can't pin down a single favorite event because there are so many. We have also been blessed when it comes to weather, living situations, and transportation.

At some point during our conversation, a man came up to us and offered us a rose. It would have been way cute if he didn't want money for it. We declined, but he wanted to talk for a bit so he asked us where we came from. When we told him we are Americans, he shook his head, smiled, and said "you are so lucky. So so lucky." He probably said it at least 5 more times before he left. But his words reaffirmed to me that I AM SO lucky to have been born in a stable environment, and in a loving family. I'm so lucky that I don't have to walk around selling flowers on the street for the rest of my life. Of course America is not perfect, but I'm grateful for the freedoms we have. I love all the history that I see in Europe every day, but I'm also grateful for the history of my country, my family and my religion.

I'm also grateful to live in a country where napkins are easily dispensable in every eating establishment. It's rare enough in Europe that I took a picture of these napkins...free for anyone to grab!

 We woke up on Wednesday and hiked from Monterosso to Vernazza, another town in Cinque Terre.

I've been in love with this farmy mountainside since we got to Cinque Terre, and we got to hike through it!

The hike took us about an hour and a half. There were lots of stairs, but it was gorgeous.

Both Ale and I brought too much stuff on the trip, yet neither of us brought shoes for hiking. Oh well!

 

I'm pretty sure that the flowers didn't help with the allergy situation, but they were beautiful.

On our last hike (in Hallstatt) Ale sang the Sound of Music the whole time. On this hike, we tried to think of something a little more Italian. I started singing "That's Amore," and this lady in the red shirt started humming and singing. We are facebook friends now. JK. But seriously we are buddies. Please note the walking sticks that look like ski poles. Everyone had them...at least the older folks, but most of the hikers were older folks. Studs.

This thing transports people and goods throughout the mountain so they don't have to do the same hike we did every day.

 

This boat left a wake that could be seen nearly all the way to shore. There's not much traffic in these parts!

There are lots of cats in Monterosso. Brenna should move here when she grows up.

The water is so clear that you can see the rocks beneath the water while standing on a cliff!

The famous "Lovers Walk" trail is closed right now, so people made a make-shift fence to seal their love, much like the fence in Salzburg, Austria.

Vernazza!

 

Row onward, my friend, row onward!

 Cinque Terre suffered from a flood last October. It really affected the area. People are still recovering.

After hiking to Vernazza, we took a train to Manarola.

Just 4 socks hanging out to dry. They look so content.

 

STACKED!

I love the rock!

With only 10 minutes to catch the ferry back to our home-base, we jumped in the Mediterranean AND got gelato. We felt very accomplished.

 

Kate this is for you. The guy sitting next to me on the ferry was wearing purple socks!

Another town we rode past in the ferry.

I took this on accident, but it looks pretty cool, right?

Back where we started: Monterosso. It's by far my favorite town in Cinque Terre. And Ale agrees.

Lemons are a big deal here.

Ale fell up the stairs to our apartment, which is an easy thing to do because they are so steep. See her hand prints? Yeah.

This guy was awesome, but he looked at me funny when I tried to take his picture.

Caught her!

 

Dad I wish you could see how huge these peas are. They were so good too!

Our town is small, but there are at least 3 nautical churches in it!

Today we left Cinque Terre and headed to Milan!

 

Caught her again!

In the train station. So cute!

We made it to Milan! And we met missionaries on the way! They were so cute. They needed 50 cents to make it on their metro, and we needed them to help us with directions. One of them is from Holladay (however you spell it), and the other is from Texas and is dating my BYU dance friend. Crazy!

This is a side order of bread. HUGE!

This is a calzone. Huge!

Now, to backtrack. I took tons of pictures of doors on the hike because they were all unique and interesting, and most of them looked like they hadn't been used in years. I only chose some of the pictures to post on here, but I wanted to save them for the end. Here you go!

 

I think it's a bed frame...

My favorite door in Europe: "Water Closet? Not here please! NO" Wonder what the story is behind that!

With love from Italy, Ciao!