⤗Travel Diary 1

Today marks a week since we have been on the road and it would be an understatement to say much has happened. Currently we are parked in Pistoia, a Tuscan city sprawled with narrow passages and quaint restaurants. I must say that my mind is pretty scrambled trying to process the immense amount of new experiences I have just gained in the past week so I guess I’ll start from the beginning:

Austria:

Our first day out was mostly spent driving, especially through the Austrian Alps which the van was not too happy about. As we chugged up the cow filled mountains we passed by a group of hitchhikers who we quickly decided to turn around to pick up. A Swedish couple traveling with their Dutch friend who they had met during their workaway at an animal shelter in Austria. They were incredibly friendly and Gonzo was happy to have company on the back seat. We have plans to link up with them in Spain since they are also headed in that direction. After dropping them off we continued chugging on until we found a perfect place to park for the night alongside a river. Next morning we headed out to a rock climbing place we found on 27crags. After a tasty breakfast with a panoramic view of the Alps we spent the whole day climbing. This must have been my toughest climbing experiences so far. There was a track that I was pretty much ready to give up at but after some motivation from Laci and me getting my shit together I pulled through. At the top of the track there was a ledge where I could sit out on and due to the adrenaline and the pure happiness of the situation I burst into tears. Truly an amazing experience.

 Slovenia:

After our climb we headed out to Lake Bled which we both had heard good things about. We rolled into the city after dark and following a calm walk around a segment of the lake and some chaotic parking spot searching we ended up parked at a rest stop right outside the city. I must say that Bled is beautiful but for sure overhyped. There is a great deal of tourists and the coast is mostly lined with hotels. Our dinner menu consisted of a delicious can of sardines, potato chips, and some Slovenian beer. When we woke up we promptly realized we were actually parked in a pretty beautiful spot with a great view of the mountains. We quickly made up breakfast (Laci’s first time making the flatbread from scratch which we have been feasting on the whole trip so far) and headed out to Bohinj, a much larger lake at the foothills of the Triglav Mountain range. If you ever get the chance, GO! The landscape is absolutely breathtaking. The lake has this blue green color that tempts you to jump right in, despite knowing that the temperature is only about 4 degrees Celsius. We parked in Ukanc, a quaint town filled with cabins for rent and an abandoned hotel. The first day after a number of palinka’s, some with our new friend Zsiga who we called over after he stepped off the bus, we visited the waterfall Slap Savica which legend has it was created by the dragon, Zlatorog, by slapping his tail against the mountain side. The next day we trekked up to the Black Lake which provides the cascading water for Slap Savica. This climb is not for the faint of heart. It mainly consists of pulling yourself up rocks looking right over the ledge of the mountain. Once again, I was pushing my limits and nothing has ever felt so good. Once we made it back to the van we decided to go search for some beer at the nearby restaurant. We took a look at the menu and decided to treat ourselves to some juicy burgers to go along with our beers (even though Laci was super lame and got a vegi burger). Good thing we had some super full bellies because otherwise I would have had a hard time falling asleep knowing that the next day we would be in Venice.

Italy:

                Venice and Chioggia- We headed out from Bohinj early in the morning and after about 5 hours and a vast change in landscape we made it to Venice, the city of grand canals and a shitload of tourists. We decided it would be safer to park in a camping across the Ponte della Liberta and let’s be honest, it was about time for a shower. We cooked up some lunch and headed out on our bikes into the city. Being in Venice was absolutely surreal especially after seeing so many travel shows and reading so many books about the city. It may be cliché to say this but I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Obviously, we brought a whole lot of palinka with us and drank a whole lot of it in Venice… along with a few bottles of wine. We randomly found a pretty sweet bar packed with Italians and if you know me you can guess how long it took me to make a bunch of friends. Titziana and her boyfriend Luca were two of these aforementioned friends who were nice enough to take us along with them to their favorite bar in Venice. There we were happily entertained by a young magician with his goofy card tricks. The bike ride back to the camping was blurry as you could guess. In the morning we slowly got ourselves together and travelled on to Chioggia, a city which Laci mentioned I must see if I loved Venice since the number of tourists are drastically less. The main square was filled with merchants selling various amounts of random trinkets, all of which we wanted to buy but since we are pretty much pinching pennies (gas is expensive) we left empty handed. However we did end up spending some money at a seafood restaurant right next to the local fish market. Grilled King Prawn, Calamari, and some local white wine. Sylvi happy! After dinner we followed the setting sun towards Modena, the city of traditional balsamic vinaigrette.

                Modena- We were lucky to find a great parking spot in Modena with the help of our trusty app, Park4Night. Seems like this spot is frequented by vans since there were a number already parked there when we made it in after dark. We fell asleep pretty quickly and in the morning after our practiced and perfected breakfast routine we walked into the city center. Italian cities are nothing short of magical. Their enormous piazzas and decorated churches are awe-inspiring. My plan was to have balsamic vinaigrette with vanilla ice cream! This plan changed quickly when we went into a balsamic vinaigrette shop and their cheapest bottle was 50 euros. So we stuck to ice cream instead. Emilia’s Cremeria… if you love creamy ice cream check it out. Most likely the best ice cream I have ever had in my life. We were lucky enough to find a random shop were they had a small bottle of 12 year aged balsamic vinaigrette for MUCH cheaper than the first place we went. A small memory from Modena which we have already started to devour. Back to the van to head to our next stop! Corno Alla Scale, a small ski destination located in the Apennine Mountains halfway to Florence from Modena.

                Corno Alla Scale-Laci was not happy to have to chug up mountains again with the van. Most all of the work on the trip we share however the van is his responsibility solely so his worry is completely understandable. We made it up however safe and sound right before dark. We had

checked the weather and were well aware of the rain the next day however I was not expecting the cold that greeted us in the morning. We dressed up nice a warm and waterproof and after a tasty flatbread and whatever we could find in the van breakfast we went to go see the 7 waterfalls (Cascate del Dardagna) situated just a 45 minute hike from where we were parked. This hike was ridiculously beautiful. We were literally walking through rain clouds amongst monstrous pine trees. The smell and feel of the forest here took me straight back to my childhood in humble old Pennsylvania where my grandparents owned a log cabin. The best forests are the forests covered in moss, nature’s carpet, and this was one of those kinds of forests. We made it to 4 out of the 7 absolutely gorgeous waterfalls by which time we were pretty tuckered out. We had previously mentioned to each other how strange it was that we were not sore from the climb to the Black Lake in Slovenia, we were very wrong. This is when we both started to feel the soreness in our thighs, also the rain started to pick up but this may or may not be just an excuse. After a quick nap in the van we headed to Florence which on the way quickly turned into Pistoia since it is closer to a rock climbing spot in Monsumano de Terre. So here we are, I am writing this for you all from a random bar we found at the market square in Pistoia.

This is our everyday life, this is how we live now. We spend our days exploring, cooking, brewing herbal tea, and loving and laughing. Obviously it is not always easy. Laci and I sometimes have days

were it is difficult to connect, we are locked up in a van together so this is not surprising. For me one of the biggest difficulties in Italy especially is having to say no to all of the delicious food that surrounds us. However, these difficulties are totally outweighed by the immense happiness I am constantly feeling. So, what is the point of this blog? To inspire my friends and anyone reading to get out and do something similar if they can. I will be back in week to share the rest of our adventure but until then…

Sylvi signing out.