So I left Split, after walking around all day. It's a maze city, the main part being Diocletian's palace. During the wanderings, I lost a flip-flop, so had to buy new sandals. first shoe store I walked in had exactly what I was looking for. Comfortable leather sandals, with a big toe strap instead of a thong. It was a sweet find. No need for Chacos. Now to find a messenger bag that's not super European. Split was rather boring. Like Athens, it's a pass-thru town to the island, but pretty. Ate fish, but had to pick the bones out... not fun.

So bought tix for the ferry: got a lst minute deal of a double cabin for the price of a seat. The ferry was nice. Roomed with Paul, a kid from near Leeds. Pretty thick accent at first. We found a Brazilian girl and a couple of other English who we drank with for the nite. They were 3 girls and a guy named Paddy Finn (kept complaining about traveling with girls, I feel bad for him). Fun: talked politics and such. Next morning, we arrive Ancona and have to get to the train station. Thank god we met these people. Paddy spoke Italian, and had lived in that area for five years. 2 buses later we got to thhe station, which ws away from the port. He helped buy tix, since they didn't speak English. Paul the Brazilian and I went to Florence, they went to Paddy's house.

In Florence, Paul had booked a hostel, so I tagged along with him to see if I could get a room. I ended up rooming with him for a week for all of Italy, and we got to know each other well (and I started understanding his accent). Hostel was called PLUS and it was wierd. Corporate, clean and hotel/nice uni dorm like, with a pool and private bathrooms. Walked aorung the city, passing by the museums, and just seeing what it was like. Lots of nice statues... but didn't go into many museums, since it was kinda expensive.... And I tought Croatia ws expensive. Italy was more so.. food with prices a few dollars more, but in euros. No tap water on demand, outrageous drinks prices (without refills), additional service charges. First night ate a buffet with really crappy food. So also, cheap food in Italy is quite bad, while in America you can probably find a decent meal for $7. then had pizza or lunch... But the next two nites, I wanted a real Italian 3 course meal. All the restaurants don't have Entrees, they have First (Pasta) and Second (Meat) courses. These costly dinners were better, but expensive. (Gnocchi, Gulash, Tiramisu - Cream Sauce Penne, Carpaccio) Florence was pretty, and gelato was everywhere, ate different flavors every day (I think prices were comparable to ice cream).

Met lots of cool people, and found more Americans here and less Canadians, both from Cali, and not. Too many Aussies tho. They are everywhere, doing this BusAbout tour. Party people, take frats and live that way. Fun to be around, but had to take after a while... can't get beneath the skin (appearance). Whereas the Brits are unassuming, and more chill. 2nd nite in Florence, went to a bar and a club after dinner...good people watching, but drinks too expensive. Met this awesome German girl, and talked for a while, but she was leaving the next day. Uffizi was the next day, a big art museum.. I'm getting sick of museums, especially art ones. Dunno how many more I'll goto. Odd note: that nite I met a girl named Starr Spangler - yes, for serious. Last day: went to a small town on a hill and did a wine tour, tasting, and learned about production, and had lunch. It was nice, and there was good wine for

So, Paul decides not to go Siena, and instead we book a train to Venice together, along with two young American girls from Florida (Columbian and Venezuelan) who were also on the wine tour.

They switched between English and Spanish. I have an idea that such a language will become American standard, so I want to learn it and start experimenting. Then Americans will have their own lnuage, not just pronounciation, and it will be a nice amalgamation of the two largest European languages. If there was a wave of Spanish music that come thru the States like hip-hop, this could happen.

Anywho, on the train to Venice, I'm questioning the value of the Eurail pass, since the tix in Italy are cheap: under 40 euro. Then, on the train, this conductor, a complete dick, tells me that I didn't check off something on my pass, and so I had to pay a fine. I should have made more of a scene, and pestered him, because this was rediculous, but I really didn't think like that. 50 euro for not making a slash, STUPIDEST thing ever. I hate fines, and that's why cars suck, but honestly, I have never heard of a more retarded system. And nonestly what could they do if I didn't pay? The pass was marked on the train before by the conductor, so I thought it was the same. Since then, I've been paying attention to European fines, and they are high, and rediculous. Pretty sure the rail pass was a HUGE mistake. You have to pay a reservation fee beforehad for a train anyway, (up to 10 euro) And unless the German and Czech trains are more expensive, I'll be quite annoyed.

Venice: another maze city, but with random waterways, creating dead ends. Don't even try to use a map. Food was crap here, mass-produced touristic stuff. Or at least the cheap restaurants I went to were. Don't eat off the cheap tourista menu deal, it's premade, and not too good. It's unfortunate, I wanted Italy to have good food, but I guess not. Just wandered for two days, mostly back streets, getting a water taxi pass, and not going to any museums or churches. Completely forgot my camera the whole time, so no pix... not that I'm taking many anyway. Gondolas are way redic: 80 euro for 30mins - minimum. Second day went to the island of Murano, which is renowned for glassblowing. Watched a demonstration of that, both making a vase, and a rearing horse. It's amazing what they can do with glass. And like hardest souvenir ever, tho it would be nice: expensive, and breakable. That day I had run into an American taking on the phone about going to Vienna, so i sked him about trains, debating between Salzburg and Wien. Anyway, he had nothing to do and tagged along with me. He must have been around 50, having a 21 year old daughter. Didn't work much anymore, just a little management here and there, spliting his time between a house in Sarasota, one in Montana, and traveling the world. He made bank thru auto parts wholesaling, which he started early, and then thru real estate and development. Probably has good connections, and had plenty of advice. It was good to be around a decent American for once. We also found a kid from Minnesota studying water policy, and went to this pretty residential island. The whole place was surreal, with boats and no cars.

As for housing, we stayed at a PLUS (same company) campsite, which was sweet. We sprang for something like a mobile home: 3 beds w/ private bathroom, cuz we heard the tents were buggy. I think I could have dealt with a tent and public bathrooms. It was huge tho. Families and older people on one side, and TONS of kids on the other. The first two nites were parties, so I expected the last to be so as well, but no. (Tho i did meet a girl from Vermont, and Au Pair in Rotterdam, who didn't like Americans.?.?) Fist nite was just dancing at the bar, met some cool Danish kids who really enjoyed my pipe (which is also a great way to meet girls, since they are fascinated by something so odd), and ended up talking late to more English chicks (or birds, as they say). second nite was a foam party by the pool, followed by a toga party. My intial experience with such things, which seem to be common for other colleges. So again, sensory overload, and I think I learned interaction skills conscouly, and hopefully more, subconciously. Traveling is surelyy helping with socializing, and meeting people, and learning from them is probably the best thing. I can even go up to groups now and start talking fro the most part, when sitting around. But ones standing in a party, where groups take on a different composition and action, I still cannot fathom. Anyway... such parties were difficult, but at least I felt more comfortable at them than I have in the past at home.

That was Venice, next morning, I go the station outside the island to avoid crowds and get a train to Salzburg, with a connection at Innsbruck. The buses and subways (and water taxis) in Europe are interesting. There's an honor system, where you are supposed to punch your ticket as you get on, but nobody checks if you have a ticket. For the trains, you have to puch your ticket before you get on, but unless Paddy had told me so, I wouldn't have known. This trip is about learning to find housing, understanding transportation, and quick-and-go research, in addition to culture (architecture, food, and people; tho I wish I could meet more locals).

Austria is BEAUTiful. Picture this: training along a mountainside, a rock wall on the other, lined with pine trees on the other, with a deep, clifflike valley behind. Across the valley, you see houses scattered about on a 30 degree incline, neither tiny, not giant. In the distance at about the same elevation as the train, there is a road, supported very high on columns winding thru the pass as well. I have never been in awe of a road, but this was amazing. Train was so fast and so quiet, so I didn't get pix. In addition to how pretty it is, Austria is very clean, and they seem to get things done fast, unlike the Italians. Got to Salzburg at 21.30, and found a hostel, playing cards at the bar with some Brits, and met some French: the one who spoke English was a Gendarme.

This computer has been so handy, since Internet is rediculously expensive to use without WiFi (like 1 euro for 15mins). Off to see Salzburg now, as Sound of Music plays in the background while writing this (damn it's still annoying). I think I'll only be here for 2 days, then to Czechia.