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Travel: once again, a very interesting travel experience, and by interesting I mean difficult and complicated. By taking a train to a town called Trento, we thought we would be avoiding the hassle that comes with budget flying. We were, of course, wrong. After about 2 hours in the very hot train, we realized that we had been stopped for awhile, and that passengers were getting off the train and making calls on cell phones. Considering we were in the middle of no where, with only fields and power lines in sight, we became a bit concerned. The train conductor made various announcements over the loud speaker and we gauged the nature of these announcements based on people's facial expressions, which tended to be ones of exasperation and anger. After people started to become noticeably perturbed, Teague and I decided to get off of the train and join the growing crowd surrounding one of the train workers. Since we were going to a more remote area, few people, if any, spoke English and we were the only Americans. Teague and I attempted to speak Italian to the worker, who seemed to speak a different dialect with a much different accent than we are used to, while the large crowd of Italians grew silent to hear the nervous American girls attempt to communicate. Somehow we managed to divine that the train had halted because there was a fire (somewhere) and that we would eventually start moving again. Comforted slightly, we joined our friends on the train and waited, eventually arriving in the beautiful city of Trento, which lays nestled in a valley surrounded by steep and sudden mountains. The weather was warm and the air was clean and crisp-- a much appreciated change from the fish/sewage smell we left in Florence.
Accommodations: we stayed in what I'm sure is the ONLY hostel in Trento. It was clean and decent, which is all you can really ask for in a hostel. Accustomed to sharing rooms with creepy, staring, silent men, I was relieved to learn that we were in an all-female, 8-bed dorm. After one pleasant night with friendly and neat women, I learned on the second night, that women can be creepy too. After returning from our day's activities on the second day, tired and sweaty, my friend Brielle realized that a woman had taken the sheets off of her bed, put them on the floor and gotten into her assigned bed. Slightly put off, we changed and showered while this strange, silent woman stared at us from her bed. Later that night as we changed for bed at 11pm, this woman screamed, "RAGAZE" (GIRLS), at us after we made the slightest noise. Her strange antics continued until we checked out, prompting me to realize that after numerous strange experiences, I am O-V-E-R staying in hostels. Mark my words, when I return to Europe in the future, I will be staying in strictly luxury accommodations without the fear that someone will touch my feet in the night or use my towel when I'm gone.
Activities: We rose early on Friday morning and headed to the tourist information office to gather information on activities in the area, hoping to find a bus to take to a nearby mountain or lake. The woman at the information desk seemed to be confused as to why we would want to hike, and thereby partake in voluntary physical activity. She kept explaining that there was snow on many of the mountains and that we should not go near them. After what turned out to be one of those frustrating exchanges that make you realize just how large the cultural divide between Americans and Italians can be, we finally managed to convey that we wanted to go to a lake and hike, even if we could see snow on the mountains still. She refused to be helpful, so, we referred to the information Jess had printed out regarding hikes in the area and we took a bus to a place called Riva del Garda. Once again, Italian public transportation proved to be superior to any I've experienced in the U.S. For 3 Euros we made the hour-long, mountainous drive to Riva del Garda in a luxury coach bus. We arrived, not knowing what to expect, and stepped out into a paradoxical paradise where we could see both palm trees and snow-capped mountains. Despite the fact that we saw snow, as the woman at the office had warned, the weather was a sunny, warm, 80 degrees. Astonished at the beauty of the place we had stumbled upon, we explored the lake shore, taking in the breathtaking view of the serene, blue lake matched perfectly by the clear blue sky and separated by steep, snow-capped mountains.
We identified the route for a panoramic hike around the lake and up to one of the mountain peaks, and started walking. The woman at the information desk told us the hike would be 12 kilometers total, but it certainly didn't feel that long. We reached the top after about 2 hours of walking up the moderately steep path, where we were passed by numerous mountain bikers. The view that accompanied us along our hike was amazing and it was difficult to not stop for more pictures every few steps. After reaching the small town at the end of the path, Jess and I decided to explore a small foot-path that we had spotted at the edge of the woods. After scrambling up a hill, we were confronted by one of the most spectacular panoramic views I've ever seen. Alone at the top, we messed with the self-time in order to get a picture of us together and then headed down, to eat a picnic with the other girls before returning to the town at the base of the hill.
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| Our trip leader starting the hike |
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| I love Italy |
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| Picture me yelling, "JESS TOO CLOSE JESS GET BACK" |
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| We did it! |
After eating some lunch next to the lake, we couldn't resist the peddle boat rental in front of us, and we each shelled out a meager 2.50 euro to rent a lime-green race-car boat for an hour of serenity on the lake. Thrilled by the perfection of the day and a bit sunburned, we boarded the coach bus back to Trento.
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| riding shotgun in our car shaped peddle-boat |
The next day was hindered slightly by the fact that we had to make it back to Trento by 5:30 for our train back to Florence, giving us less time than was necessary to do another hike. Instead, we decided to explore the area surrounding Trento. Foolishly, we returned to the original tourist information desk and spoke to another, even more incompetent worker, who advised us to take a bus to nearby Sardagna. We disembarked the bus in Sardagna and quickly realized that during the off-season, this town is a veritable ghost town and there was literally no one in sight and we had no idea what we were supposed to do there. We snapped a few pictures and headed into the town, but soon noticed the bus that had dropped us off only minutes before heading back toward us. We flagged the bus driver down and giggled as we explained that we had changed our minds and wanted to go back to Trento. At least I can say I've been to Sardagna. Check that one off the list.
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| A beautiful and brief view of Sardagna |
Back in Trento we explored the city, did some shopping and ate lunch. The city is noticeably more quiet than Florence as it lacks the cars, mopeds and ambulances that tend to get old after awhile in Florence. The lack of vehicles also made the air smell sweet, fresh and flowery. After lunch we headed to the park near the train station that we had noticed upon arrival on the first day in Trento. From a distance the small park looked inviting and peaceful with a fountain and expanse of grass. As we set our stuff down and began to relax under the warm sun, we noticed that something was off. Upon closer examination, we saw that we were literally surrounded by cracked out weirdos who were unabashedly going about their sleezy business. One might think that we would leave immediately, but the sun was sooo warm and we were sooo tired, so, we just sat there for about two hours.
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| Looks nice, right? |
2 weeks left!
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