Life lately!

Hi there famiglia e amici! So I know some of you have been enquiring about what I've been up to lately! Basically since my last post the first group left for back home so there are now only 6 of us left to hold down the fort! I've been working so much there hasn't been a lot of traveling going on but I've had some amazing food and fun with the people here!

I went on a trip to Salzburg, Austria and learned all about the sound of music! It was absolutely gorgeous! I couldn't believe some of the sights I was seeing! We got to see the von trapp house and the gazebo and the trees the kids were filmed swinging in! It was so much fun to hear some facts of the true Von Trapps and facts about the movie!

We also made our way to Verona, the place of Romeo and Juliette! It was really crowded and I was only there for about 2 or 3 hours but it was pretty wonderful! We got to go up into Juliette's tower, and stand with her statue! Verona is simply a cute town! I loved it!

Another thing we have done lately is spending a night in Venice! Kari, Taylor and I left mid afternoon and walked around Venice at night! It's just as gorgeous as it was during the day! We started exploring and were really hungry so we stopped off and got some dinner and wine! After which, we were walking around and met a guy who's nickname was Fafa from the middle east, and visiting with his parents. He bought us all a drink and we all had a wonderful conversation! After our drink we all got gelato and then caught the bus to our camp site! Normally we get a tent and sleep in that but since there weren't any available we all shelled out a few more euro and got a bungalow. This room was awesome! We had a shower in the bathroom and air conditioning! It was wonderful to wake up in the morning and not be sweating since it was so hot outside! We then made our way to the center of Venice and then took a boat to Morano, where they make the best glass in the world! We went to the glass museum and walked around and shopped a little! It was a wonderful place!

This next week I will be working for 7 days straight and then hopefully going to Croatia! I only have 10 days left so I better get to soaking up as much of Italia as I can! Ciao!

Wahooo! Canyoning!!!

This weekend was the weekend I was looking forward to! About 1 week after we arrived here in Italy the first group returned from a trip offered through Outdoor Recreation. They told us we must do it so a few weeks later we signed up for canyoning in Slovenia! I have been waiting and building anticipation for the past like 3 weeks! So today we woke up at 7 and met Randy outside who took us to Outdoor rec where we loaded a van with about 13 other people and headed for a 2 hour road trip to Slovenia! On the ride over, our van watched super troopers and slept! When we got there we all got fitted for a neoprene wet suit and jacket, along with booties, a helmet and what we called a plastic diaper which was used when sliding down the rocks! So we took the can from the equipment place to where the trail was. We stuffed everything in the neoprene wet suit and wore it like a backpack as we hiked up the mountain! The water was such an incredible teal color but absolutely freezing! We stopped to put on our getup which was so hard. Putting on a dry, tight wet suit on a sweaty body was such a struggle! We were able to wade in the water which they said was totally drinkable and iceberg cold! The whole day was full of sliding down natural water slides into small but deep pools of water, and jumping off bunches of cliffs! We jumped off a 20 foot cliff and then if we were 100% sure we could jump off a 40 foot cliff! Of course, I was one of the 4 who did both, and the only female I might add! :D The scary part was not the height but the fact that we had to clear a boulder sticking out of the cliff in order to get to the water! It was so problem though was absolutely an adrenaline rush! I wanted to do it again but there were people waiting so we had to move on! The final cliff was roughly 50 feet and was so dangerous that they lowered us down with a rope! As you were falling the water from the waterfall was crashing on top of your head and then you hit the freezing cold water! I loved every minute of it! After we did our canyoning bit, we went and had lunch and then went on a hike to see a single waterfall in this cave like structure that got barely any light! It was amazingly beautiful! We took the rest of the trail around and made it back to our vans and back to Aviano. It was an incredible experience and one that I would recommend and do again in a heartbeat!

More beach and relaxation!

So the weekend after Tay and my fabulous 3 day Rome and surrounding areas trip I felt I needed to take it a little easy. Dom and I decided to head to Lignano and enjoy some sun! When we arrived it started to pour and I was a little nervous but hey "It's an adventure" as mama says! :D So we walked to find Sabbiadoro, a more hopping area of Lignano. Once we found it, the weather started clearing up so we layed out for a few hours. Once the sun started going down we went and got some dinner and I got a wonderful seafood spaghetti! I barely finished my meal and was absolutely stuffed to the brim when I did! After dinner we went on a walk down to the main road! There were people all over the street and we must have heard at least 4 different languages walking down the street! We then got some gelato and ate it on the beach! Finally as we got super tired we headed back and fell asleep. The next morning we walked back down to the beach and hung out until the bus came to take us back home. Although there weren't many stories from that weekend it was very refreshing to have a simple relaxing weekend.

The next weekend was also supposed to be a chill weekend. One day we just all hung out around the base and relaxed after working 45 hours in 4 days! The next day Dom and I took a bus to Pordonone and then headed to a store called Decathalon. The closest bus stop was a good 15 minute walk to the store so we got off the bus and began hoofing it to Decathalon. The walk wasn't that bad and I was blown away when we got there! Basically it was a store that sold equipment for camping and swimming and every sport you could imagine! I ended up getting a camelback, pair of soccer shorts and a bright teal shammy towel! After shopping we had about an hour to kill so we headed to the mall and got a coffee. When time came, we started walking to the bus stop. We got about 50 feet from the bus stop and we saw the bus go right past us! So we could either wait an hour for the next bus or we could start walking. So since we are both kind of antsy people we decided to start walking on the highway! We walked for what seemed like hours and asked two people along the way how to get to the Pordonone bus station. Both people we asked seemed shocked and asked us "con piedi???" meaning "with your feet???" hahah! We ended up making it there around an hour and a half later! We were exhausted so we got some pizza and waited for the bus to take us home. Finally we got home safe and sound and went straight to bed!

Monday was monday funday and was a totally blast! The guy who is in charge of the dorms, mr.Lewis, had all of the lifeguards over to his house for a BBQ. We all pigged out on hot dogs and hamburgers and totally stuffed ourselves silly! Later, once we were out of our food comas someone found nerf guns and so the Lewis family and all the guards had a giant nerf fight! It was so much fun and a great release! We all pilled back in the van and went back to the dorms full and happy!

First 3 day weekend!

So since we are transferring to working weeks versus working the weekends which we have been doing, we were given a 3 day weekend to travel. So Taylor and I decided to take advantage of our eurail passes and trained it all the way down to Naples! We took a midnight sleeper train for 10 hours which was very interesting. There were seats in each little cabin room area and each seat pulled out to create a mini bed so since Tay and I were sitting across from one other we slid them out and made it a long bed which was a tight squeeze but we made it work. When we got to Naples it was really busy and a little dirtier than we had expected, but we didn't mind since we weren't going to be there for very long. After Naples hopped on a subway like system and took it to Pompeii. We walked around Pompeii for a few hours and enjoyed getting lost and finding some cool random spots! It was cool to go back and visit since I had already been there before. There were certain places where I would have total flashbacks of when I was there several years ago! It was cool because about every block there was a water fountain with freezing cold water! So Tay and I of course kept ourselves hydrated and now have Pompeii water running through us! haha! After Pompeii we decided to go find our camp site in Sorrento, so we took a train and then hopped on the bus we were told was going past our campsite. To make a long story short somehow we got on the wrong bus and ended up going an hour past the Sorrento and making it to Positano. It's a good thing Positano was so gorgeous or I would have been a little worried! haha! We ended up getting off in Positano and taking another bus back to where we started at the train station. From there we ended up just walking to our campsite since we had a map and were pretty sure that we could make it there by foot! It took about an hour walk and a lot of cautious walking since the roads had like a foot wide walkway on the road so we almost got hit a few times! haha! We ended up making it to our campsite fine and met some Ausies who we hung out with for a little on a table outside our tents! They were super funny and we talking about differences between Ausies and Americans! After which, everyone went to their respective tents and Tay and I passed out from a loooong day! The next day, we decided to take it easy so we went down to the campsite beach and laid out on the rock slates and jumped in the ocean and just relaxed. It was a much needed day! Around 3 we headed back to the station and got on our train which took us from Naples to Roma! Once in Rome, we hopped on the metro and decided to take a little stop off at the Colosseum! So we get off the stop and walk out the door one step and look up and see the colosseum!! It was the most incredible sight I had absolutely no words! Taylor and I basically, jaws dropped, stood there for 2 minutes just staring! Not only were we looking at the colosseum in Rome, but the sun was setting! So we walked around for like 2 hours and then decided to go find our campsite in Rome. We took the metro to the train station and followed the directions we had to Aurelia station. On the train, at the stop before we got off 3 guys and 1 girl walk on and are total punks. And by punks I mean crazy hair and piercings and 2 dogs. All of a sudden they break out their sharpies and start tagging the train! Tay and I just sat there thinking "If I don't mess with them, they won't mess with us". So we got off at our station and it was basically abandoned and dark...kind of scary. We then started walking in the direction we were supposed to but we weren't exactly sure. As we were walking some homeless man started offering us tea and we just kept walking and staying "No, Grazie" haha! So basically once again, there was no sidewalk so we weren't sure if we walking in the right direction so we came upon these three girls sitting in their heels and in the dark on the side of the road, and Tay decides to ask them where the camping was. They responded that we were going in the right direction and smiled. We thanked them and kept walking. I then turned to Taylor and said "you do realize you asked prostitutes how to get to our campsite" and her response was "desperate times call for desperate measures!" hahaha! It's our favorite quote so far! Scary but funny memory! We finally got there safe and sound and it was a HUGE campsite! We fell asleep thanking goodness we found our site! The next day we went back to Rome and walked around the Vatican City, and took the metro random places we never heard of and just had an overall blast. When all was done, we took our train back from Rome to Venice where we headed back to Pordonone and home! It was a wonderful journey, long and tiring but absolutely worth it! I love it here! Ciao!

The hardest most incredible hike!

So I'm sorry that it took me so long to finally start to catch back up on my blogging! I know some of you have been dying to know what I've been up to lately! So 2 weeks ago my group and I went to Cinque Terra! There were a total of six of us and so we ended up splitting into two different groups. The people who wanted to actually hike all 5 cities were Dom, Taylor and I and then the other 3, Kari, Karen and Heather decided to take it a little easier. The first 2 cities were fairly easy and were only 1 km each. However, it was insanely hot so even though they weren't much of a hike we were still sweating like no other! So what we ended up doing is deck changing into our swimsuits and jumping in the ocean for a little while to cool off! Then we really started our hike! In the second city we came upon this random man sitting at a table carving stones. He would go down to the ocean and find rocks and carve them into shapes and put it into a necklace so Dom and I both ended up buying one. I got a cool black and white and gray rock carved into a heart and I wear it every day! At the end of the 2nd city we took a random road off our trail and ended up hiking straight up hill for a good hour! We turn around and look where we had hiked and felt like we were absolutely on top of the world! The sight was incredible! We realized that we weren't going in the right direction and that if we wanted to finish all of the cities alive we better head back and continue hiking the trail so we went back down to the bottom and found our trail again. We continued through the 3rd city and then to the 4th, Verazza. In Verazza we stopped off and got some lunch since we were starving and craving some cold water! We got seafood spaghetti and gnocchi with pesto and cold water all around! It was wonderfully filling! After our lunch we walked around the town a little and just explored the culture. We found a castle so tried to get in there but you had to pay and we didn't really want to go in that bad so we bailed on that. We started hiking the 4th city and started going straight up hill! We looked back down at Verazza and had the most amazing view of so many colorful umbrellas and boats and buildings right by the water! Absolutely glorious! These 2 cities, 4 and 5, were so intense! It was uphill stairs then downhill stairs, then some more uphill and downhill! It was a total body work out! By the 5th town we knew we were hitting the end and it was a good thing because we were exhausted! As we are going downhill on the last stretch we ran into a man on the side of the road sitting on the other side of a face with a hole in the middle, selling lemonade and lemoncello. So we each got a lemonade and watched him make it for us right there! Squeezing lemons then adding some sugar and ice water! It was so refreshing we thought it was a perfect way to end our 5 city hike! Little did we know our adventure was not over! We found this hole in a gate and the very end of the trail and decided to go through it and check it out and we ended up coming across these rocks where 2 italian boys were jumping off into the water! So what did we do? None other than strip down to our suits and join them! The rocks were 12 meters high and the water was such a perfect teal color! Dom went first with no fear and then Taylor freaked out a little, but ended up jumping and flailing! Then I went and it was such an awesome feeling! We all were so excited that we ended our hike with jumping off rocks in Cinque Terra! We then stayed at a wonderful campsite that night! They were elevated tents with 2 beds in each. It was so fun! We all watched the Spain and Germany game and then went into my tent and played some games. The games didn't last for very long though since everyone was totally exhausted and just wanted to go sleep! The next day we headed back home and went right back into work! This trip is still my favorite not only because of the beautiful landscape but the people and the work out and drive it needed to finish all 5 cities! It couldn't have been a more perfect weekend!

More to come...I Promise!

SO it has been a packed and craaaaazzzzyyyy 2 weeks! Last week we hiked Cinque Terra in a day and this past 3 days my friend Taylor and I hit up Pompeii, Naples, Sorrento, Positano, and Roma! I have so many stories to tell you all but I just don't have the time right now since it is so late and I'm exhausted from traveling the past 3 days! But I wanted to let you know that hopefully within the next few days, in between homework and lesson plans and working, I will be able to catch up my blog and fill you in on what's been going on during my travels! Info and details are soon to come... Promise! :D

A Great day!

So after work on the 4th of July, we all headed to flightline to watch the fireworks! And let me tell you, it was the most incredible firework show I have ever seen! Before the fireworks there was a performance by a show choir which was so awesome! It made me miss choir and dancing! haha! They sang everything from "Don't stop believing" to "God bless america"! It was absolutely fabulous! After watching them sing the fireworks were about to start so we all moved to the field where we all stood and watched 20 minutes of fireworks! When they were done, we all got rides back to our dorms by Jordan, an airman a floor above us. We all then sat and played some games and when it got late we headed to bed!

Monday was a holiday so everything was closed, including the pool! Not only did my group have the day off, but group 1 did as well! We knew it was going to be a wonderful day since it was the first and only time both groups could really travel together! So where to go for a day? None other than a gorgeous sandy beach called Lignano! So we all hopped in airmen cars and they drove us all to the beach! The water was warmer than that of Hawaii and was an amazing teal color! We then rented these paddle boats with a slide on top and paddled out into the sea where we took pictures and slid for an hour! After which, I had a great conversation with a guy in the airforce academy named Greg and his buddy Dave. By that time, a bunch of people were tired and wanted to go home so they left, while Kim and I stayed back with the 4 Airforce Academy boys. We all went to dinner and had an amazing procuitto pizza. Then some gelato and then finally headed home. Somehow the boys got lost and what should have been an hour car ride was roughly 2 and a half hours!!! But we made it home safe and sounds and had so much fun along the way!

Today we hit the commissary and now we are planning our weekend trip to Cinque Terra! It's going to be a lot of hiking and walking but I can't wait! More details to come! Ciao!