Zermatt -- Schonbielhutte -- Zmutt -- Zermatt

Cullen met Gabe and I in Zermatt last night, and after catching up, we explored downtown Zermatt, which is a really charming, unbelievably expensive town. Zermatt is small and justifies maximum only a few hours of slow, relaxed ambling. For dinner, the group elected to eat outside the hostel, and after fruitlessly searching for a meal less than 30 francs, we eventually found a burger joint that was cheap by Zermatt standard. A lovely and hilarious meal ensued, lasting almost 2hrs. Drinks at the ZERMATT YOUTH HOSTEL followed.

To our list, I can add:

- "Georgia," our 17 year old roommate who, given his birthplqce and accent, reminded us of Maddox
- "So-Cal," a group of five high school grads who came to Zermatt to snowboard ... in the Summer?

The following morning, we woke up at 7am, snarfing down breakfast at lightening speed so that we could beat the weather and hike the 6hr30min round trip to Schonbielhutte and back. The hike begins in Zermatt, and rises gradually through picturesque alpine meadows until reaching Zmutt, a town consisting of ten houses and two restaraunts. We went further into the valley, affording us picture perfect views of the north face of the Matterhorn, which, in a stroke of luck, was not obstructed by any clouds. As we approached the hut, a storm started to build, and we elected to turn back only 15 minutes hike from our final location, with the hut in site ... Responsible but slightly unfortunate. We ambled down to Zmutt, and had another marathon meal (three seperate types of rosti), before returning to Zermatt for some serious R&R, dinner, and further relaxing walks through the town.

Como

From Cinque Terre we went North to Como, a town about which I know very little. Como sits around a large glacial lake, and the town around it, quite frankly, is dumpy, deserving an hour of exploration maximum. No matter! Gabe and I arrived in Como in the afternoon and checked into our hostel, THE RESPAU ECO HOSTEL, which was without a doubt the BEST hostel we have stayed in so far. Before I tell you about Como, let me give you some more description of the hostel. RESPAU is located in the middle of a park outside of Como, and the location/general vibe is very serene, idyllic, and relaxing. The beds were clean, and get this, comfy! And perhaps most important, the staff was incredibly solicitous and helpful, answering every question and concern from the legitimate to the anxietious. Drinks were cheep and the food was delicious. For $24 a night, what more could you ask for. The first night we arrived at around 6pm and the place was so inviting that Gabe and I just opted for some serious R&R. To my family, this place was the hostel equivalent of the ST. REMY DE PROVENCE :) The following morning, Gabe and I slept in, something we haven't done, as we have been constantly on the move the entire trip! After a relaxed breakfast, we took the bus to Piazza Cavour and decided to take a ferry to Villa Babianello, the number 1 rated Trip Adviser destination in Como. In hindsight, this turned out to be a smart decision, as the following day, the ferry workers went on strike. The actual ride too was incredibly relaxing, and for 1.5 hours Gabe and I took in the lake and its surrounding towns. Villa Babianello itself was incredible. As the site and inspiration for Naboo for George Lucas' Star Wars, Villa Babianello had big expectations to defend. The Villa met every one (just google pictures of the gardens to get a sense), and perhaps the most interesting part of the tour was the focus on the Villa's owner, Guido Moncino, who was an Italian explorer and alpineist. Consequently, the tour of the villa was as much an homage to Guido's exploits -- including an Everest summit and visit to the North Pole -- as it was about the architecture of the Villa. After lakeside libations, we took the ferry back, walking the 40 mins from downtown Como to our hostel, thereby checking off "explore Como" from our tourist checklist. The following and final day, Gabe and I woke up early and took the furniculer from Como to Brunate and began a 6hr30 hike around to the lake to Pian Del Tivano, which is a little over half way on the road to Belaggio. With the threat of bad weather in the afternoon, Gabe and I booked it in the morning, arriving at Rifuggio Riella in time for a polenta-intensive lunch before hiking a further 2hrs to town. When we arrived in Pian Del Tivan, we learned the bus left only every 2hrs, so we relaxed at a bar (no English speakers present), relaxing and watching Formula 1. We eventually caught the bus back to Como, and though we were packed like sardines and forced to stand for 1hr10min, we made it back in time to RESPAU for one last night before leaving the following morning to meet Cullen in Zermatt.

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre, a region comprising five towns -- Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernaza, and Montesorro al Mare -- is an area that finds itself on the bucket lists of most individuals. I myself had never heard of it, and Gabe and I decided to go at the recommendation of our parents, despite the schlep south from Milano.

To say the least, Cinque Terre was the most outstanding, visually beautiful, calorically intensive place Gabe and I have yet visited; the perfect combination of great views, food, and wine made our two night visit to new and undisputed highlight of our trip thus far.

We arrived in Manarola by train, and hiked up to the OSTELLO CINQUE TERRE, a famous hostel, which quite frankly, Gabe and I were lucky to book on such short notice. The rooms were clean, and the staff was friendly, which one can not necessarily say that about many hostels. To add further luxury, breakfast every morning and after dinner drinks in the evening were on a temperate porch overlooking the water.

As with the rest of our trip, Gabe and I were go-go-go upon arrival, and quickly dumped our bags, catching the next train to Corniglia to explore the town in depth and sample our first "slow food" meal (the Italian equivlant of the US organically, locally sourced movement). Corniglia was absolutely gorgeous, run-down in the most charming of Italian ways. We had dinner at the CANTINA DE MANANAN, which too proved the best meal of our trip, the highlights of which included poached fish, four seperate preparations of anchovies, local wine, octopus, mackeral, and spaghetti pomodoro. Further, everything was enhanced by some mouthgasmic olive oil, which too, I suspect was local (-ish).

The following morning, Gabe and I, as a Cinque Terre right of passage, decided to hike all five towns, which included 11-14km of trails that went from along the ocean, to 100s of feet above the towns, affording us picture perfect views along the way. We completed the entirety of the walk in 6 hours, which included numerous stops along the way for pizza, focaccia, etc.

After we finished the hike, we swam in Manarola for a few hours, and that night, had dinner with a friend we met in the hostel, whose pedigree includes a spot on the US Olympic Rowing Team and former position at Goldman ... pretty impressive. He claims to have known and even -- get this -- sued the Winkelwoss twins. Pretty crazy if you ask me.

We lounged around the following morning, before proceeding northward back through Milano to Como. Stay tuned!

For more info, please read:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/travel/05hours.html

Milano

As our first Italy diversion, Gabe and I took the train to Milan, a major hub in Northern Italy that made sense as a stop en route to exploring the particular region. To be honest, I had not heard the most flattering reviews of Milan in the past ... that it was dumpy, crowded, hot, etc., and though I had a jaded impression, I quickly adjusted upon arrival.

The city is so alive ... the people watching itself deserves three triangles in Rickey Stevey! Perhaps this is uncouth, but I found the city to be very similar, at time almost identical, to Rome, without the Roman ruins of course (Rome is one of my favorite cities in the world). Milan has the same general topography and architecture, the same stereotypical, albeit endearing, Italian approach to efficiency, and the same amazing food. Coming from Switzerland, we were immediately struck by the differences, and in particular, the the prices.

Given the short time we had to explore the vast city, Gabe and I dumped our bags at the ZEBRA HOSTEL, and took the city by foot, trying to hit every major tourist destination in less than 24hrs. We walked to the Piazza del Duomo and ambled below the shopping mall adjacent to the square. After getting lost a few times, we had dinner, and returned to the hostel, staying up until 2am socializing with:

- "Canada 1" and Canada 2," two college students from, you guessed it ... Canada
- "Brazil," a profoundly chill dude with dreadlocks
- "Nice," a nice guy who spoke little English, who probably was just nodding politely at everything I said
- "Austria 1" and "Austria 2," two unbelievably good ping pong player who embarresed Gabe and I multiple times

The following morning, we woke up at 7:30am, and charged ourselves with visiting every major site/church in time to make a 2pm train. We first walked to the Duomo, beating the morning crowds to explore the inside of the church and climb to the roof for a view of the entire city ... just incredible! We then caught the metro, and went west of the Duomo to view the Chiesa di San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, the number one rated "to do" site on Trip Adviser. Again, because we beat the midday crowds, we could appreciate the beauty of the church without bumping into throngs of tourists. We then walked the length of the touristic part of the city, visiting a castle structure along the way and having some delcious cacio e pepe for lunch before catching our 2pm trian with little time to spare.

I will also add that Gabe and I were really intent on viewing THE LAST SUPPER, disappointed to find out that one must book a tour 6 months in advance. If it is any cancellation, we were only 5 months and 29 days short :)

Schynigge Platte and Darwinism

Visibility ...

As I previously noted, the weather in St. Gallen was less than ideal, and as Gabe and I made our way southwards by train towards Interlaken to begin the Tour of the Jungfrau Region hike, it became increasingly clear, and later confirmed by weather reports, that the clouds, intermittent rain, and periodic thunder and lightening were a problem across all of Switzerland. Always hopeful, we still took the 50 minute train from Wilderswil to the Berghotel Schynigge Platte (2000m approx.), hoping beyond hope the weather would turn in our favor ... Not so much. We could only see clouds from the porch, despite the fact that the hotel boasts a panoramic view of the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau mountains, and the Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen Valleys.

Sinner

We quickly befriended a fellow hiker named Rishi, who himself had schlepped from California for the TJR only to find that the weather for the week rendered the hike not doable. Despite all this, we had a lovely time in Schynigge Platte, dining with our new friend Rishi for a three hour, five course marathon dinner, the discussions of which ranged from Silicon Valley (where he works) and the next "big thing," to the usefulness of a college education and his positive thoughts on the new Facebook timeline.

Fortunately, even at 2000m, the Berghotel had wifi, and after dinner, Gabe and I, with the aid of our parents, we're able to pow-wow, and asses the situation for the remainder of our trip. Rather than wallow in our disappointment, we instead opted to adapt, changing our entire trip and replacing our itinerary in the hopes of returning to Switzerland for a second attempt at the TJR ... only the fittest species adapt, and in our case, evolve their plans to make the trip continuously enjoyable.

To that end, Gabe and I opted to go South to Northern Italy, and explore that region for a week. We decided to eliminate Nice and 2 days in Paris, so that we could return and try the hike in better weather. Given our Eurail Pass and the modern wonders of the Internet, we were able, with relative to ease, to incorporate Italy into a brand new itinerary. More details to come!

Open Air Music Festival

What an experience! For me, this trip is forcing me to try new things and attending a music festival in St. Gallen certainly qualifies. To begin, let's get a sense of the setting. St. Gallen, though pretty, is not a worthwhile town to visit on its own.

After Gabe and I checked our bags at the hotel WEISSES CREUZ and fueled up with Doner Kebab, we went straight to the park, which was 5 minutes outside of town by bus. Quickly upon arrival, one experiences sensory overload -- 30,000 people, trash, intermittent rain, the unmistakable smell of pot, an alarming rate of tobacco smokers, uncomfortably public urinals, and blasting music ... But bear with me; despite all of this, it added to the experience. The incredible music definitely helps. But the badass feeling Gabe and I had from thinking we were at Woodstock 2012 justified the surrounding.

After loosening up at the "Latino Night" tent, we went to watch the first act ... The Kooks. As you'd imagine, the crowd, drunk, high, and excited, went wild. Surprisingly, moving to a good spot was not difficult and we listened for the 45 minutes they played. After they finished, we went back to the Latino Night Tent.

Next up was Palo Nutini, and for the purposes of brevity, I think it sufficient to tell you he was our least favorite act. Back to Latino Night.

Finally, the main act ... Mumford and Sons. The viewing area was noticeably more crowded and the fans more engaged. As a novice Mumford listener, I learned why .... They're freaking awesome! We stayed until the last song, at which point they were joined by Wolfmother, Nutini, and The Kooks, to sing "The Weight," by THE BAND.

 That event, Gabe and I watched Spain defeat Italy for the title of Euro 2012 and were enjoying the street celebrations until someone shot fire works horizontally. We left after that :)

 To my list of friends, I will add:

- "Ticino," a girl in town to watch the festival ...

En route to St. Gallen

 All travel by definition cannot be smooth and seamless -- things go wrong, punctuality goes at the window, and chaos, albeit fun chaos, ensues. For Gabe and me, what should have been a smooth journey from Fussen to St. Gallen proved quite the ordeal.

After our 32km bike ride, Gabe and I made a picnic, and allowed ourselves 20 minutes to arrive at the train station. With our bags packed, we checked out, and Gabe asked me, "where did you put the bike key," to which I responded, "oh, was that my responsibility?" Now to be clear, the small key, which would unlock our two bikes joined together, was in fact my responsibility. And like an idiot, I just forget about it ... somewhere. After panicking briefly, we elected to forget about the lock, and carry the bikes, but given how tightly we locked them, we had to physically lift the bikes. This ultimately fruitless effort lasted 20 feet, at which point we elected to miss our train, and give ourselves another hour to find the lock.

We searched desperately through House LA, and only after admitting defeat did Gabe remember where I last left the key. Lo and behold, we found the key in the basement, and hoofed it to the train station. After further libations and even an ice cream break, we began a long, BOILING journey to St. Gallen (no airconditioning in trains).

As an unsuspecting tourists planning this trip, I assumed that the direct route Google Map provided would in fact be the route we take once actually in Europe ... NEIN. Collectively, we had five transfers:

1) Fussen to Kaufbeuren
2) Kaufbeuren to Lindau
3) Lindau to Bregenz
4) Bregenz to St. Magarthine
5) St. Magartine to St. Gallen
... 6) At this point, trained out, we took a cab from St. Gallen to Buhler, where our hotel, the lovely LANDGASTHAUS STERNEN, was located.

For the theme song of this leg of our journey, please watch the following video from the DARJEELING LIMITED:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lshQ2LL0-3Y

And depsite all of this, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would trade it for nothing.