Moving on...

Well hello world. Sadly we have left Italy but fortunataly our new adventures are just beginning! We left Venice yesterday and traveled most of the day to Switzerland. Although I was motion sickness on the train and zonked out due to dramamine, the ride i did see was beautiful. The train travels through mountains, rivers, waterfalls, and the greenest hills ive ever seen. Luckily, I hvae family in Switzerland! They picked us up from the train station in Zurich, and took us to the market; we made dinner in their home last night. Its amazing to have family across the world, barely know them, and have them be so hospitable. The house we are staying at doesnt even have anyone here! They work on the weekends but they offered their home anyway. We are getting some laundry done, and able to get some quality blogging time. However, im so tired so bare with me.

Alright, lets recap about the wine tasting in Firenze. we went on an all day wine tasting tour in Tuscany. We went to two winerys, ate brunch at a local farm, toured the cellars, visitied an old medieval town, and purchased some scrumptious tuscan vino. The local family farm brunch was a magical experience. First of all, the drive to the farm was stunning; the air was fresh and the view was breathtaking. Since we booked through the budget hostel and got a screaming deal, our expectations werent set too high. Well, our experience could not have been more excellent! We arrive at the farm and the brunch table were all set up for us outside under a tent... in the middle of the freakin vinyard. The tables had pitchers of white table wine, baskets of bread, and three different olive oils. The meal continued with cheese tastings, meat tastings, and of course, wine tastings. We were so full! It was sooooo yummy in the tummy! To top it off, a storm came in the middle of the brunch. Rain. Thunder. Lightning. TUSCANY. It was splendid! We continued to the second winery. We explored the cellars, learned about the making of wine, and tasted a few more. It was a wonderful day under the Tuscan... rain.

We left right after the wine tasting and headed to Venice. It was an easy two hour journey. Now. for those who have been to this city, one word comes to mind. LOST. Ive never been so lost in my whole life. Its funny now, but at the time, we thought we were going to be mugged and thrown into the grand canal for all we were worth. We literally walked around, asking for directions, going over bridges for at least an hour. With our packs!! My shoulders and back were killing me but that was the least of our worries. It was our fault. We spontaneously decided to go to Venice that afternoon instead of the next morning. We had 20 min at the FLorence train station to book our next hostel before our train took off. I had the internet for 15 min. I was stressed and still a little tipsy from the vino. I had just enough time to confirm the hostel and capture the address; no directions from the train station. We assumed if we had the address, it would be a piece of cake. HAHAHAHAHAHA. Didnt we know we were going to the most confusing city ever??? Apparently not. Anzwaz, so we were stranded in the streets in venice and honstly had no clue what to do. I said a prayer, and literally, God provdided. A host at a cafe felt bad for us because he literally saw us walk by nearly four times. He called over his friends and his friends called the hostel for us! I was skeptical though, they didnt speak a lick of english and I knew no Italian that could help me except for thank you. Teh two older guys literally told us to follow them. We glanced at each other and were so desperate we just followed them. Luke was still hodling the wine bottle that we purchased that day in his hand. I could tell it was in position to use as a weapon if needed. The guys never seemed shady, but it could have been a bad situation if thez want4ed to mug us. Needelss to say, they walked us 30 min to the doorstep of our hostel, shook our hand, and walked away. It was such a god thing and one of the craziest experiences thus far. It was probablz one of those had to be tehre type things, so sorry ha. The rest of our Venice trip was perfect. The next day we ventured off. Venice is one of the most incredible cities ive ever seen. There is nothing in the world that compares! We drank cappucinos, watched the gondolas, got lost again, and just took in teh city with one large breath. We went to the supermarket and made sandwiches and salad for dinner that night. We spent all tnight with the other backpackers we met and had a great evening chatting with fellow travelers. we went to bed that night with huge smiles.

Okay, now we are in switzerland! We are just outside Zurich with family and are headed to Interlochen on Wednesday to skydive and vist the alps!!!! we are SO stoked and praying for good weather. Today, I visited were my Oma was born. Tears welled up as I took pictures and learned more about my family history. It was a very overwhelming and inspiring experience. I love you Oma and thank you for your heritage!!! My familz here is extremely generous. They took us to yummy restaurants, showed us amayzing castles and churches, and just had great discussions with us. It was so humbling to be welcomed (last minute, too) with such graciousness. We have been able to save a lot of money bz staying here and getting a great feel for the local life. Switzerland is probably one of the most beautiful places weve seen and the rain and greenery is getting us excited for Ireland!!!

my brain is fried and we are very sleepy. Plus, this blog is becoming jibberish. I was just talking ot julie on skype and explaining to her that its hard to blog! I absolutely love to write but when you have so much to say, the creativity just doesntä come the same as usual. its soo fun sharing our adventures so I appreciate thsoe who are following us and keeping up! We are off to Barcelona after interlochen so Ill write again soon.

bye bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

k