Chiao From Venice!!!

Sorry about the lack of pics in the last two posts, as the trip is progressing its getting harder to sit down and update everything. So where to start? How bout with how difficult it is to operate a computer when everything is in italian and you have a keyboard with buttons that can do this è § à ° ò ç é £! Crazy foriegners what will they think of next, definately not ice, airconditioning, or free public restrooms. On a serious note though i just left Lucerne a couple of days ago and i have honestly never seen a more beautiful place on this planet. I really wish i could put pics up for ya and i will eventually but not on this post. So close your eyes and picture a beautiful blue lake that you can see 20 feet deep because there is no polution. Now surround your self with flowers up and down the boardwalks with beautiful swiss architecture all around in the most quaint city youve ever seen...wait for it...wait for it! now put the most gorgeous snow caped mountains youve seen in the background and youve got your self a little place called Lucerne. Oh yeah, now picture me with 5 of my best friends on this trip in a pontoon boat swimming and drinking and rockin out to paul simon acapella provided by yours truly...thats right "you can call me al"

So Switzerland, good stuff. Now im sitting in Venice, the one place that i have wanted to see all my life since i first heard of it. Unfortuanetly i think everyone else in the world had the same idea because this is by far the most touristy place ive been so far. the city has a pop. of 64,000 and they get 17 MILLION, THATS RIGHT 17 MILLION tourists a year. So other than the fact that is so crowded it is quite a sight. there are no cars and more bridges than there are in Madison county (i dont even know if there are a lot of bridges there but i figure theres at least a few since they made that movie :) Yesterday was another rough one though. we had to go to this place called the lido which is this amazing beach on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, i know sounds rough. Oh by the way i havent mentioned it but there is some actuall class going on from time and i got a B on my first test!!! SLAM PIG! ok, back to the sea. This thing was awsome it was salty you almost didnt have to swim you could just lift you feet and you would float from all the salt. Tonight should be a kicker though because tonight is the once a year festival in Venice where everyone dresses up in masks and body paint parks all there boats in the Grand Canale and tie them together and have a massive fireworks show, oh yeah, and its actually required that you have a bottle of wine in your hand. I really am serious! our teacher told us today that its considered very bad manners to not bring wine and that even if you dont drink it you should have one in your hand! What a crazy world we live in, again, crazy ass foriegners.

Well, i gots to go get ready for the party now so ill leave you with this: America = Colder, Fresher, Faster, and Less Expensive. Cherish every aminity you have back in the states including organized trash systems to keep your city clean, free restrooms, people that where gloves when they prepare your food, water fountains next to every restroom in America, and most importantly the people you care about. As amazing as this trip is Ive discovered its not really where you are that matters at all, its the people that you surround yourself with and a truly love all of you that are reading this.

LIFES A GARDEN ... DIG IT!!!