Gelato!

I'm now back stateside and I'm having Gelato withdrawals!

Firenze

In addition to all of the art and architecture, the heat in Florence was incredible! You pretty much wake up in a pool of your own sweat every morning.

Coming here was kind of a mecca journey for me. I was able to see a lot of the art that I've learned in my art history classes. Of course, seeing things in person is such an amazing and humbling experience. I'm a strong believer that aspiring artists should know the greats before they can work on their own craft.

Lake Barcis

Yes, the water was this blue. It was so hot I was ready to jump in the water with my underwear!

Venezia

... I've decided that I'm going to eat gelato for everyday I'm in Italy.

Swiss Cheese!

Of course I had to eat Swiss cheese! It's uncommon for Swiss people to eat fondue in the summer, but since I'm a tourist, I went anyway. Swiss people+cheese=heaven! There's also another specialty called Raclette, which is melted cheese onto bread. The more potent the smell, the better it usually tastes. MMMMMMM!

Zurich by day

The Zurich Sea gets water directly from the Alps. It's perfect for swimming, but in my case I missed my chance and only waded for a couple of minutes due to the football game (Germany vs. Argentina). Afterward, it started pouring rain and the temperature dropped about 10 degrees, which made swimming out of the question.

Hopefully there's a next opportunity!

Zurich Music Festival

This past weekend was the Zurich Music Festival, which occurs only every three years. The whole city is lined with booths of games, beer, foods, and rides. Throughout the weekend are special programs, like the Swiss Air Force air show, and a spectacular fireworks show in sync with music (which lasted about 30 minutes, and probably costing about $1 million!).

Mainzer Dom

This 1000 year old Roman Catholic church nestles in the marketplace of Mainz. Inside, stained glass windows lined the bottoms, listing the names of past Bishops, dating all the way back to 975. Downstairs was a more private room for worship. This level also housed the burial sights of some past church rulers. It smelled a bit stale, which added to the atmosphere; it was kind of creepy!

Gold Field

We got dropped off at this field on the way to Mainz. The scenery was an endless patch of gold and windmills. Doing what you must to get a shot...

We came across these friendly horses. One immediately took a liking to Milena as other horses came and went.

More to come!

Sooneck Castle

This castle dates from the Prussian Era, with some original furnishings inside. The knight's armor weighs 20 kg, which was considerably smaller than the average height of a man today. Upstairs, you're greeted with this beautiful gold chandelier, which weighs 150 kg. Yikes!