To round out our time in rural Italy, we visited Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis. This patron saint of Italy is known for his love of animals and the environment. Born around 1182 to a wealthy Italian silk merchant and French noblewoman, his journey from living the lavish high life to renouncing his father and patrimony, to subsequently committing to a life of poverty and founding the Franciscan Order is inspirational. Prayer of Saint Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me bring love. Where there is offense, let me bring pardon. Where there is discord, let me bring union. Where there is error, let me bring truth. Where there is doubt, let me bring faith. Where there is despair, let me bring hope. Where there is darkness, let me bring your light. Where there is sadness, let me bring joy. O Master, let me not seek as much to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love, for it is in giving that one receives, it is in self-forgetting that one finds, it is in pardoning that one is pardoned, it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.
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You may have the universe if I may have Italy. - Giuseppe Verdi After Cinque Terre we kind of skipped our way through crowded Florence and landed in Siena, a Tuscan hill town. Full of history, beautiful medieval buildings, and a gateway to the gorgeous Tuscan countryside, Siena was a delightful treasure. Ali took on the brave role of driving us around Tuscany one afternoon! (Since we've now lived in Germany for six months, Matt and I have to pass a German driving test to have a valid license - boo.) She did a FABULOUS job. We did have a tense jaunt through one small village. Wrong turns aren't usually very stressful, but they definitely are when they lead you up a steep hill with an ever narrowing road, a vehicle behind you, and a stick-shift driver in training. At one point if we'd all put our hands out the windows we would have been touching walls on both sides of the car. Ali was a champ and got us through unscathed!! My heart started beating again awhile afterwards.
On the northwest coast of Italy is the ever popular (especially with folks from the US) Cinque Terre. Comprised of five coastline villages connected by a small local train, ferries, and footpaths, this area is a gem. We based ourselves in Vernazza and spending the night within Cinque Terre meant having some more peace and quiet in the evenings once day trippers had left. Highlights included hiking the steep landscape full of forests and terraces, soaking up our first sustained sunshine, eating gelato and focaccia, and drinking tasty local wine. Yes, Cinque Terre is touristy. But it is totally worth it.
Venice, the most touristy place in the world, is still just completely magic to me. ~ Frances Mayes Venice. There's no denying why this magical destination attracts over 30 million tourists a year. The "Floating City", which was built on more than 100 islands, contains a dizzying maze of over 170 canals and 400 bridges. We wound our way around the city, taking in both the famous sites and getting off the beaten track far enough to feel the local vibe. At one point we came across young kids enjoying a pick-up soccer game in a church square. The game wildly ensued around those passing through as the athletes kicked their way towards the tombs on the church walls which were creatively serving as "goals". When we weren't walking, we took the local boat transportation (seen below) everywhere. It provided a fairly smooth ride and beautiful views of the city. We marveled at a trash collection boat and wondered about how different local life must be without wheels and handicap accessibility. While the city certainly benefits from tourism, it's also battling how to minimize the negative and sometimes disastrous effects of overtourism on its delicate environment. Unfortunately, this overcrowding is stifling Venetians to the point where some claim it's no longer enjoyable, or even feasible, for them to live in Venice. The city is sinking at a rate of 1-2 millimeters a year and the cost of maintaining homes keeps climbing. Venice's population has declined significantly and today's population is roughly 1/3 of what it was just 50 years ago. Some believe that Venice will eventually become a ghost town, existing purely for tourism.
One proposed solution to address overtourism is a controversial tourist tax that will require day-trippers to pay an entrance fee of 10 euros to visit the city during the high season (2-5 euros in the low season). While we paid a tourist tax on our lodging, this tax will target day-trippers, primarily cruise ship passengers. According to CNN Travel, around 32,000 cruise ship passengers visit Venice daily from April-October. The tourist tax is expected to start in September 2019. While it's not expected to actually deter people from visiting, the money would go towards addressing the city's infrastructure needs. Venice is not the only international city facing the burden of overtourism. My mom and sister visited Europe bound for Italy. But first, we detoured through Austria and took three trains and a ferry to visit the idyllic storybook town, Hallstatt. Before 1890, this town was even more remote, accessible only by foot and boat. Rick Steves first brought our attention to Hallstatt and it became a bucket list item (for a few of us). We had plenty of time to leisurely explore this outrageously picturesque town because the rain was relentless. Unfortunately, this meant no mountain hikes or trips up lifts to enjoy scenic views of the region from up above. Sometimes you're just at the mercy of the weather. Hallstatt was jam-packed with day trippers, but by the evening, it was deserted. Just as Cinque Terre would be full of tourists from the US, Hallstatt seemed to be popular with Chinese tourists. In fact, we learned that China even has its own replica of the entire village. Besides the pretty views, the highlight of this region was visiting the world's oldest known salt mine, today known as the Salzwelten. Archaeologists have uncovered local graves and the artifacts (which extend back to 1200 BC) have given them insight into Hallstatt's ancient history. Inside the mountains they even discovered a well preserved body (thanks to the salt!) and what is considered the oldest wooden staircase in Europe. Organized mining in the area took shape around 800 BC and the mine is still operating today. The "white gold" in the idyllic mountains, which would eventually make the community wealthy, was accidentally discovered by hunters who were following animals attracted to the salt. In addition to the interesting history, the cave included thrill rides! As we were putting on our mining clothes, we wondered why they included padded butts. The answer to this question came when we arrived at the wooden slides within the cave. Hallstatt proved to be so much more than a picturesque postcard and that made this destination much more interesting.
Everyone needs a friend who will call and say, "Get dressed. We're going on an adventure." ~ Anonymous Our Minnesotan friends Nik and Danielle graciously let us crash their whirlwind road-trip through Switzerland at the beginning of May. I'm amazed by how much ground you can cover when you have your own wheels. First stop, the capital city, Bern (population roughly 133,800). And the first stop in Bern - the toilet. A typical annoyance in Europe is paying for public toilets, usually anywhere from 50 cents to a whopping 1.50. Usually this involves leaving a "donation" on a plate left in the bathroom. The plate may be guarded (to pressure people into paying) or it may be left unattended (don't mind if I do use this public toilet for free). However, sometimes you have to pay at a machine and enter the restroom through a turnstile. This is particularly bothersome when you don't have the exact change and you're desperate to go (Could I sneak under this turnstile? Around it? Is anyone really watching those security cameras?). After visiting the ATM (because even though Switzerland is part of the EU it has its own currency), you then begin the frantic search of where to spend a small amount of money in order to get coins! And then you hoard that change! I apologetically used a 100 to pay for the cheapest thing I could find - a Subway cookie. "It's ok," the Subway worker responded. "You're in Switzerland now." Gulp. With our basic needs taken care of we then climbed about 340 steps to the top of the Bern Minster (cathedral). While hazy, we could still pick out the Alps in the distance and soaked up sunny views of the city center, which is a medieval marvel, and therefore, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. That evening we made our way to the French-speaking part of the country in the southwest and landed in Montreux, on Lake Geneva. Montreux was this gorgeous, unreal mixture of palm trees and snow-capped mountain scenery. The flowers were surprising lush for the first week in May. We clearly could not get enough of them... As we drove through the countryside, castle ruins and vineyards zipped by. While we love traveling by train, a definite bonus of car travel is the ability to stop whenever you see something enticing along the way. Like painted cows with alphorns. The next day we entered Lauterbrunnen Valley, which has been on my bucket list for awhile now due to its jaw-dropping beauty. The view below reminded me of California's Yosemite Valley, with huge rock faces and abundant waterfalls. What's hidden in this scene are the impressive Swiss Alps, which should be visible towering all around. Alas, this visit became all about the valley because those shy mountains stubbornly remained hidden behind the clouds for most of the trip. So instead of heading up the mountains for non-existent panoramic views, we ventured inside of them. We explored the impressive Trummelbach Falls and enjoyed views of the series of ten waterfalls found within the mountain. They were truly incredible. A totally unique and surreal experience involved taking a car train through a mountain tunnel. This particular tunnel was 100 years old and it took about 15 minutes to get through. It sure beat driving an additional hour to go around the mountain. We spent the last night on the road in Lucerne, home to Europe's oldest covered bridge. Originally constructed in 1333, the Chapel Bridge is just over 200 meters long and contains original 17th century paintings portraying the city's history. A devastating fire in 1933 consumed 2/3 of the bridge, including 85 of the 110 paintings. While the bridge has been restored, you could still see some charred remnants. This fire was allegedly caused by a discarded cigarette, and with the Notre-Dame fire fresh on our minds, it was another alarming wake-up call to how quickly a historical gem can be destroyed. It's a strange thing to experience an aching, nostalgic loss for something you've never experienced in person. On the drive back to Munich we passed through Liechtenstein, a 25km-long country nestled in a mountain valley. Somehow there are three European countries even smaller than this one! In A Knight's Tale, the movie's hero (Heath Ledger) borrowed the title Sir Ulrich von Liechtenstein in jousting tournaments. And that's where my insightful knowledge of this tiny country ends. However, Liechtenstein instantly stole my heart as we encountered a kids race through downtown Vaduz, complete with a child running without a shoe. And just like that, we were heading back to Munich. Thanks for the memories, Switzerland. We hope to be back!
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