I'm in Spiez, Switzerland (15miles from Bern and Interlaken) and all I can say is WOW. I'm literally in an outdoors man's heaven. It's amazing up here, gorgeous hills and lakes, and houses that still capture the character of a city hundreds of years old.
Before I get too into Switzerland (I could go on forever about it), I'll play some catch up on the last few days.
My last day in Nice was spent in a little French town called Villefranche - just two stops over on the train. This place was recommended by a few travelers who knew of this secret gem in the south. Not quite a secret though (a Royal Caribbean cruise ship was visiting there), it was still the closest thing I could find to a quite, quaint town on the Riviera, that wasn't completely overrun by tourists. With it's deep blue and amazingly clear fresh water... I willed myself to lay out and take a dip in it's calm shore. The day itself wasn't particularly amazing, overcast with drops of rain, but like other tourists I chose to put on the weather blinders and pretend it was the most gorgeous day ever. The water was freezing cold, but it was just too beautiful to pass up. I jumped in and swam out to get my blood flowing and when I got out far enough, I turned around and saw the most amazing sight I had ever seen while swimming. The little town of Villefrance, spread out on a hill, was towering over me with it's ravishing beauty. It was protecting me almost, possibly from the eyesores of tourist traps and modern technology. This quaint town was intact and dazzling in it's own right and put the perfect end to my time in France.
The following day I took off to Milan, Italy. This was my first train venture of this trip. Sometimes the train system can be confusing - just four transfers! - but I made my way safe and sound. It was an exhausting train ride, about 5 hours long with some interesting sights along the way. On my stopover in Albenga, Italy; I was reading a book when an older man attempted to have a conversation with me. About 20mins in, with neither of us speaking the other's native tongue, the best he could get out of me was that I was a tourist from America, traveling to Milan. He got that I was waiting for a train and that I clearly could speak no Italian. From him I got that he was an immigrant from Algeria who could speak four languages (except English), and that he loved Obama over Bush. After 20mins of hand gestures that provided more laughs than information, I headed back onto the train, astonished by the fact that my "conversation" with him was one of the most interesting I've had to date.
I was welcomed to Milan by the heavens with rain, as I got off the metro to my final destination of the day. I stood in the shelter for 30mins, before giving in to the men selling umbrellas to unprepared civilians. I took my 3Euro umbrella, my luggage and my fatigue to the streets of Milan to find Ciao Bella hostel. Ten minutes later, I was lost and starving. I ran into a little Italian pizzeria and stopped in for some fresh calzone! A nice treat after a long train ride. I asked for directions and headed off, but this time running into two English-speaking folk at the corner. I asked if they knew where Ciao Bella was and the told me they were staying there as well.
Arriving at the door - that had no sign (I would have never found it), we were greeted by Jenny - a hard-nosed New Yorker who brought her east coast attitude to full force. After blatantly offending me for not clearly telling her when I booked my reservation, I soon realized "Jenny-from-the block" was like that with everyone. I took it for what it was, and found her to actually be helpful and entertaining at times. I guess you just had to know how to talk to her, and not be offended by anything she'd say. I was desperate to find out her story, all I knew was that she was a New Yorker who lived in Amsterdam for four years, and has now moved to Italy without speaking a lick of Italian. Unfortunately I never found out... sigh, another missed opportunity.
Milan itself wasn't much of a travelers fantasy. With graffiti on almost every wall, abandoned streets and old-musty looking buildings; the highlight of my Milan adventure was a Stanley Kubrick photography exhibit, from when he was a photographer with Life magazine. The area of Dumo street was the liveliest place in town on a Sunday, where I spent most of the afternoon people watching and eating gelato. Overall a lackluster experience, but hey it's Milano... could I expect more.
I must say though, the most surprising thing I found in Milan, was a hidden society of Filipinos. The most scenic view was in front of a church, and since it was Sunday, I found the hub and meeting place off all the Filipinos on a Sunday afternoon. There were a whole slew of them, speaking tagalog left and right. Filipinos in Milano... who knew!
The next day I left and headed to the dazzling town of Spiez, Switzerland...
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