Saturday June 18

Welcome to Italy! It is unbelievable to me that we are in different country again today. We got into Como Italy after a very lengthy bus ride. We watched the first two Twilight movies on the way in . We hit some outrageous stopped traffic which made our trip a bit longer. Lindsey and I had to pee so bad they almost had to let us out in the traffic jam to pee on the side of the road but we decided we would try and make it. After what felt like forever they stopped at a gas station finally. We were parked far away andit was pouring rain but Lindsey and I sprinted through it- there was not time for umbrellas or jackets. It is safe to say, I am not drinking anything while I am on the bus for the rest of the trip.

We made it into Como, Italy around 9pm. This hotel was a considerable step up from our last hotel room. The beds were actually somewhat comfortable which was a nice change. We checked into the hotel and then Devon, Amy, Michelle, Scott, Nick and I went down to the restaurant and bar in the hotel and got some food and wine. The rest of the group trickled in within the next hour. We hung out at the hotel bar and drank wine out on the patio the rest of the night It was a lot of fun. The hotel bar I am sure thought we were all crazy Americans and pretty loud. We thoroughly enjoyed our first night tasting Italy- 16 of us went through 25 bottles of wine :/. Jordon, Lindsey, Michelle, Adam, Ridge, Nick and Kailee all came to Michelle and my room to play cards. Eventually most of us called it a night by 2am. It was a successful first night in Italy.

We got to sleep in today and did not have to be on the road again until 9am. We had breakfast- salami, cheese and fruit and breads- this has become the common breakfast we get served lately. We pulled out of Como, Italy at 9am and got comfortable for another 6 hours bus ride. We are staying in San Gimignano, Italy for the next three nights. We stopped around 1pm for lunch for an hour at this massive truck stop restaurant place. Michelle, Ridge, Baylee, Zach and I ate at this buffet alacart place. It was really good. We were running late so we tried to weave our way through three levels of bars and restaurants and grocery stores and finally we come out on the other side. We started looking for the bus when we realized that this truck stop was on both sized of the interstate and was bridged together by the top floor restaurant. So there was Michelle, Ridge and I literally sprinting back through the restaurant, up three floors, across the interstate and back down. It did not help that the places were so packed with people you felt like you were at the state fair. It was literally the craziest maze of my life. By the time we figured out where we were we realized we had ten minutes before the bus pulled out so we were good. We got back on the bus and were on the road again. We watched all three Bourne Identity movies on the bus today and then had a dance party to pass some time. It sucks to be stuck on a bus so much sometimes, but we see pretty scenery and we all have a lot of fun and make it a really good time when we are on the road.

We arrived in San Gimignano, Italy around 5:00. It is sooo beautiful here. Tuscany hills and rolling vinayrds. It is so much like the movies. I love it here. Our hotel is a cute stone hotel with vines on it. It has so much character and is right in the heart of the little city,. No cars are allowed here so we had a long walk to the hotel. It was so hot! Italy is supposed to be low of 70's and highs in the upper 80's and sunny all week so hopefully we will get some good sun before we head out to Salzburg, Austria on Tuesday.We got to our hotel and got to our rooms. They are out of a book, like a castle.

At 5:30 we met up in the courtyard and went to the back of our hotel that overlooks the vineyards to take pictures. We walke around the city and then went o the museum here. We were there for a little while before splitting up. Jordan, Lindsey, Michelle, Ridge, Devon and Amy all went to a wine bar and had some wine. We finished up and met everyone for dinner at La Mandragola. It was a huge meal. We got wine and bread. Then we had duck pattei and sausage. Next we got a rice dish and two pasta dishes followed by potatoes in garlic and chicken, rabbit, peacock and pork. For dessert we got crumbly bread and strong sweet Carmel liquor shots. Next they brought espresso shots and then we went for Gelato. After dinner most of us went up to hike up a hill into some castle ruins to see the sunset over the vineyards. It was gorgeous. The guys pissed us off and climbed way up some ruins that were steep and easily crumbling.

We then walked to the center of town where our hotel was and got Gelato and bottle of wine. We found a spot at all the tables in the courtyard and most of us skyped home to wish our dads a happy father's day because we will be busy tomorrow. We are now just hanging out outside and gearing up for a night of Italian wine and headed out to explore!

Most of you have probably noticed the blogs are a little more lengthy lately- extensive bus trips allow for a lot more down time to recall your day :) Michelle and I have a good system. She recalls a lot of the details while I type them. She always knows the cities and specifics of the day and we fill in where the other has missed. Most of us keep journals or blogs on this trip so sometimes we all try to do it at once and try to recall the day or in some people's case- recall days or weeks earlier if they fell behind blogging and need to catch up. Ireland seems so long ago already. We are excited to start rereading through our blogs and reminisce.