Blog for Suzy, wife of Owen.

I've been reprimanded for not appropriately keeping up with my blog, despite two important facts: 1) I cannot possibly write entertaining blogs about my crusades around Europe without appropriate pictures and commentary, and 2) I am going to need my brother to perform surgery to stop the hand tremors caused by typing on the tiny keys of my crackberry. However, in a spirit of loyalty to Suzy and the blog world in general, here is a quick list of lessons I have learned from the random cities I have visited over the past week or so.

1 - Zurich, Switzerland. Flying into Switzerland sure is nice. However, when the first thing you do upon disembarking the plane is shell out $220 for train tickets within the country, I'm going to admit... you are left with a bit of a bad taste in your mouth.

2 - Interlaken, Switzerland. Bongo-like drums can accompany piano and vocal solos at any hour of the day or night. 1 am is a prime concert-starting time, and any casual inquiries from weary travelers may be adequately dismissed with the comment 'welcome to the world of backpacking.' Precious.

3 - Grimmewald, Switzerland. The Alps rock. Snowboarding on the Alps might have been even cooler, but taking pictures and wandering around the Park City-esque resort town can be quite relaxing.

4 - Lucern, Switzerland. The combination of a charming city, random bridges over water scattered throughout town, and Swiss chalets on rolling green meadows against the backdrop of lakes and the Alps in rural towns outside the city limits are breathtaking. However, if you think you will not have to buy a $6 McDonalds milkshake after eating a teeny $150 'dinner', you would be wrong.

5 - Milan, Italy. Visiting the main tourist sites in Milan over the course of 3 hours and with a 22 pound pack strapped to your back is totally possible. However, chances are good that you will be laughed at by a number of Italians in the process (see prior blog).

6 - Cinque Terre, Italy. The 5 cities nestled in the Italian coast are awesome, picturesque, and so worth the hike. However, if you do choose to do the 7 mile hike between all 5 cities, you will face a ridiculous (- ridiculous, + charming) amount of rocky stairs, which are better managed when rain is not pouring down all around you (lack of rain comment is not based on actual experience).

7 - Florence, Italy. The Uffizi Gallery has some pretty great paintings and sculptures, though I must admit... the painted and sculpted women from whatever period was represented in the Uffizi cannot be considered even mildly attractive according to modern standards. The Ponte Vecchio bridge is pretty, filled with hoity toity shops, and perfect for buying a charm of none other than a miniaturized Ponte Vecchio bridge.

8 - Venice, Italy. Boats as taxis and ferries as busses? Venice is a must-see city. However, if you think you can get your daily gelato fix at 11 shortly before boarding a night train to Rome and not freeze to death while waiting in the train station until midnight, you are once again, sorely mistaken.

9 - Rome, Italy. No tourist experience is complete without getting pickpocketed on your first ride on the Subway, then waiting on the floor for almost two hours outside your locked B and B for the manager to arrive, while fending off stares and angry words by old Italian women living in the same building. Welcome to Roma.

10 - Vatican City. The 'Garden Tour' actually gives you a detailed tour of the whole city, which basically houses the Pope and his entourage. St. Peter's Basilica is the largest, most ornate piece of artwork I have ever seen, and Michaelango's La Pieta is amazing, though now housed behind bullet-proof glass and therefore hard to catch on film because of a stupid, rowdy tourist. Oh, and the Sistene Chapel? Worth the aching feet, endless droning of the tour guide, and seven million other pieces of art you must first wander through and view.That's a report of the first ten cities... just a few more before my feet have any chance of returning to normal size.