Buongiorno!

Move over Swiss bankers - team Italia has arrived. I know, I know - I was going for "corniest opening line"... I think it's safe to say, I was successful. :) So, before I elaborate on Italy, Ive got a little catching up to do (surprise, surprise.)

First... before I get any more behind... let me finish "Spring Break."

Like I said, Budapest turned out to be a great move. When we got off the train (luggage in hand, and no idea where we were going) we happened to meet a lady who sold us on her flat that she rents out to travelers... So glad we went with it... she was sweet and the place was great - perfect location. A little history lesson: Buda and Pest used to be two different cities, separated by a river - the Danube, now combined into one city. We stayed on what used to be the Pest side - but traveled across to Buda, took a few good hikes, and had some breathtaking views of the city. It really is beautiful... Id love to go back again.
A quick little story...
One night in Budapest, Michelle and I were at The Old Man's Music Pub, listening to some incredible jazz and these two older men from Cypress approached us and introduced themselves. Michelle and I reluctantly shook their hands and said hello. Then... they asked us our names... sounds simple enough. My friend smiled and said her name was Michelle. They understood. Then came my turn.
"My name's Melody," I said.
"What???" (really confused look on their faces)
"Melody."
"Whaat??" (still dumbfounded)
"Mel-o-dy... like a song... la la la." Now, in the past this has always helped people understand, or at least not mistake me for Melanie... but noooooo, not this time. Instead, they both looked at one another as though someone finally turned the light switch on... and turned to me with great enthusiasm and replied...
"Ohh, LaLodia!" (Duh!)
In utter defeat, i simply nodded my head and smiled. Michelle and I walked away laughing, and have ever since had lots of fun elaborating on the fantasy life of Lalodia. Ever since, "Lalodia" has picked up a character all her own.... one might say she's my alter ego. Lalodia only comes out at night, and nearly our entire group asks of her when she's not present. It's hilarious.

Enough of that... You'll all soon meet her. :)

Munich was also great.... Shopping was great again. Although we'd traveled through Germany several times, this was our first actual stay in Germany. Once before, we had a 2 and a half hour layover in Berlin that we attempted to spend productively by trying to find the remnants of the Berlin wall.. (to no avail thanks to the parade)... So, truly, this was our first "real" visit to the country. Well worth it... especially because we stayed in a hotel. A humble little hotel, but a hotel nonetheless, which means it had real beds with down pillows and down comforters!!! It was the best Ive slept in a LONG time. Plus it had its own bathroom.... clean floors, clean shower.... it was heaven.

After Munich, we met back up with the group in Austria... Unfortunately we could only stay in Austria for 4 days... but it was BEAUTIFUL. We stayed in Vienna.... It's no wonder so many musical geniuses have emerged from this city... inspiration is not hard to come by. We went to the Spanish Riding School one morning and watched the horses practice for their lipizanner performance... if u click on the link below, you can see a picture of the riding hall... it's quite impressive.

http://europeforvisitors.com/switzaustria/articles/spanish_riding_school.htm

Later that night we went to the famous Golden Hall to listen to the Vienna Mozart Orchestra... The entire orchestra was in costume, and they only played Mozart (go figure)... the night was wonderful. We sat in the balcony, losing ourself in the music. Classical music tells a story all its own. It was great. The city had the most incredible shopping.... kinda like 3rd street promenade -only bigger and better. I really wanted to buy a music box, but alas i refrained... they were all overpriced and would never survive my suitcase - I guess, one day, I'll just HAVE to go back -darn. :)

On our way to Switzerland, we took a day trip to Salzburg. I definitely let the nerd in me fully flourish as I purchased myself a ticket for the Sound of Music tour bus... Julie Andrews painted on the sides of the bus... soundtrack playing the whole time... me singing along.... taking pictures... frolicking through the hills... humming something along the lines of "The Hills Are alive. . . ." and dancing through thE gazebo singing "I am 16 going on 17. . ." Yes, another glorious moment for me. Now you all know. Some might call it embarrassing... I call it, truly liberating. Everyone needs to experience that. :) I think my 3 friends and I were the only ones on the entire bus under the age of 40, but we held our heads high. :)

So finally, Switzerland... Another wonderful country. I think I already mentioned this in a previous post, but seriously, the people couldnt be more friendly. I havent come across too many rude people in my travels, but still, our entire group couldnt help but notice the welcoming spirit of the Swiss. I'd love to live here one day, or at least spend more time here. Im not sure if I could ever move so far from the beach, but at the same time, Ive never fallen so in love with mountains - the Swiss Alps to be exact. :) We stayed in Zurich for the week and visited a few other cities between our group.... Interlakken took first place as being one of my favorites. It's just at the base of the Swiss Alps... It's breathtaking. I bought some Swiss Army knives here and look forward to airport security on my way home. :)

Anyway... so far so good. Ill write more about Italy next time. We just got to Florence.... so far SOO GOOD. 5 weeks of Italian life until home. I'm still trying to decide whether or not I'll extend my stay. My friend Emily is living in an apartment here in Florence for the semester (which is a beautiful apt by the way... The Duomo at one end of the street and the "David" half a block away... not a bad location), so I may end up staying with her for a little while longer. It's all depending on how much more my bank account dwindles, so we'll see. I hear oil is higher than ever, so I'm not looking forward to gas prices when i return... but I'm not sure if itd be better to postpone that longer or come home before im completely broke. :) At this point, my ticket home is still marked for November 22.... Home sounds good too... so does Thanksgiving dinner.. mmmm. We'll see.

Alright all, I miss you guys. Love to you all.

Love, love, love, Melody