Wow that title deserves some apologies. We have been moving at an unbelievable rate. Zell am See was a nice respite from the go go go of European travel. However we moved right back into the grind of daily city changes and bus trips. I miss the mountains and greatly miss the full relaxation but there is so much to see and do that speed is often the only option. Salzburg is weak, do not visit unless to are desperately in love with Mozart (which I am not), but they do have really really good pretzels, just in case that is worth crossing the pond with the rapidly depreciating American dollar in tote.

We then got back on the bus and headed for an old castle apparently “400 years older than yoooouuuuurrr country” which may not have been the most comfortable place in the world, but I stole a full set of knights armor and did battle with Linds and Seth which made for some laughable pictures. Surprisingly good food and a surprise dance party in the dungeon made for an interesting treat from what we expected from the place. After the party, we all hung out on the terrace which is set high above sea level with no lights to be seen for miles. By far the best stars I have seen in a very long time, maybe ever. They were absolutely unreal, almost fake looking.

After the castle we carted off on a 9 hour bus trip to Venice. Normally this would sound horrible, but between the incredible rolling scenery passing by and talking with Linds (as we were the only 2 awake for the whole trip) it went by relatively quick, albeit the soccer breaks we took at rest stops helped as well. As I have been to Venice before I wasn’t too worried to see it all but instead just tried to take it all in. Its a weird thing to feel as if you know a place that is so far away from home but off all the Italian cities I visited in high school, Venice was my least favorite and remains so. Everyone else really liked it but they hadn’t seen Florence yet.

So we get into Florence yesterday and immediately go on a walking city tour in the 93 degree weather. That is just as brutal as it may sound. We went into the Duomo which is still my favorite cathedral in Europe although it is pretty basic. We then spent a good part of the day walking around and eating gelato before our dinner. A bottle of wine later and some great italian cuisine and we were ready to go clubbing. Purchasing a bottle of absynthe was suggested and you know I was in. Let me tell you, it is nothing special and is just really expensive. Its just like a double dose of alcohol, but we had to try it. Then to club Space which was awesome. Mirrors, lights, great music, and bars with fish in them gave it a great atmosphere. The dancing helped as well.

Today we went to the Uffizzi bright and early and saw a number of famous works of art. I am glad none of us were hung over as that would have made the rest of the day hard, but vacations aren’t supposed to be easy (or are they? I’ve never been sure on that one). The girls wanted to climb the Duomo and Seth and I decided to get some food and watch two street vendors actually fight over territory. Don’t worry it will be on Youtube soon enough as I took film of the whole encounter. Then to the Da Vinci Museum which was incredibly small but really interesting. Tomorrow we leave for Rome very early. I can not believe that I will be leaving this part of the trip in 3 days. I have met some incredible people and had some incredible experiences. Both of which I will sorely miss at least in the interim.