South Tyrol

Once again, I'm on a big, green Flix Bus headed north. One of the best budget travel inventions in Europe.



We just crossed into Germany from Austria and were immediately stopped by three attractive German police for passport control. They pulled a young man off the bus, talked to him, checked his luggage, and let us go.



Like most bus rides, I am lost in thought as the green and yellow-flowered fields pass by.



I can't believe its the middle of May already. My month of workaway in Italy is over already.



It has been incredible, and to say it flew by would be an understatement.


(Sophie joined me for a week. She is from Minnesota and awesoomee! My last day was spent exploring the town with her and making her climb the mountain to see the cows with me. You rock Sophie!)



I had arrived on a cloudy day to be welcomed into a South Tyrolian family's home, nestled amongst the most beautiful mountians surrounded by breathtaking rivers and pine forests.



The first two weeks the weather was comparabale to Wisconsins March. Snow one day. Rain the next. Three nice days. Seven below freezing with sleet. Despite the weather and therefore spending most of my time inside by a fireplace with my coffee in a cow mug, it was a fantastic time.



My job was pretty simple most days. The morning was free pretty much free, occasionally working with their horses or cleaning, then I would make lunch for the kids and mom when they got home from school (they only go until 1:00pm) then spend the afternoon watching Franzi, the precious, spunky, opinionated three year old.



The first week Hubi (dad) took me to see two dairy farms in the area. South Tyrol is such a cool place with really unique culture. One of my favorites is how the barns are often structured - they are often attached to the house! Separated only by two doors and a mud room, I can't believe how clean the house is despite being feet away from cows.

I of course would love this...



I love how every dairy farm I visit in the world is so similar but different. They all have machines and stalls or parlor and a milk house with cooling equipment and a tank. Unlike the states though, all this milk is sold locally and bought locally. They have tiny tanks and daily roll it out to the road where it is picked up. No milk trucks here!



The larger farm that we visited had a parlor and a barn full of swiss, holsteins, red and whites, and jerseys.



They had a double two parlor where cows came in individually...



...and a large freestall with everyone together.



The cows get unlimited hay and silage, and enter a stall that regulates their feed by reading the tag around their necks.



In South Tyrol most farms have from five to 30 cows. Sixty cows is considered big, and hundreds of cows is unheard of.



They sure know the beauty of community and small businesses.



In each farm the calves were housed individually, often tied after a few weeks.



The thing that blows my mind most is that the barns are often built into the sides of hills, covering part of the barn, meaning cows are in the dark underground with just a small window or two leading out.



It seems like there wouldn't be enough ventilation to keep them healthy?



But they must be doing a lot right because their oldest cow is 15 and many are over five. A far cry from our 3-4 year average.



Not barns are underground though... this one wasn't attached to the house, either.





It also has a pretty cool claw to move the hay since they mostly keep it loose and don't use bales.



Really though. Can you imagine walking out of your barn to this view??



I got to visit more than once, and finally got to help milk. (Communication with a German who speaks no English is rather difficult, yet entertaining.)



I asked the farmer his favorite cow and he pointed to one, and said she gives 40 liters of milk. I'm not sure how many pounds that translates to, but it is a lot.



So, of course cows were fantastic, but apart from the German-speaking bovines, I also spent a lot of time riding and exploring the unbelievable area.



The horses were pretty fantastic...



My home also had sheep and a sweet, fluffy dog named Spike. Considering my history of dogs, we got along pretty well.



And the sheep...





The second weekend I made a trip to Innsbruck Austria, just an hour away. Innsbruck is beautiful, surrounded by snowy mountains and the stone streets lined with colorful houses.



I met up with two couch surfers, Michelle and Sam.



The first day we explored the city and Sam gave us a fabulous history of the town before heading to his friends house and snacking on pretzels and beer and talking about languages and how many dialects of German there are.



The next day Michelle and I made our way up the mountain overlooking the city.



Although I can't take credit for beast climbing it (we took a cable car most of the way, but you better believe if I had more than one day in the city I would have!) The view was incredible...







Later, I was invited by a friend (we had met in Colombia two years ago and traveled to Ecuador together) to join him and his family for dinner, being some holiday where each village puts up a tree and decorates it and the surrounding villages fight to keep theirs standing while taking down the others...or something along those lines.



I met with Christoff and he drove me out of the city, up a hill, to his family's home with a beautiful view. His family was fantastic and so welcoming, participating in wonderful conversation, delicious, traditional food I can't pronounce, and a local liqeur made from trees and tastes like pinecones as it burns its way down your throat.



It was fantastic, and reminded me how strange yet fantastic the local food is.



Lots of pasta and potatos and spinach boiled and balled and rolled in cheese.


(Absolute favorite. Eaten with cream and ham.)

Another day, I visited a market with Hubi. Like any small farm community market, there was machinery and animals and I felt right at home.



Aand of course trips up the mountain...






(Also got the opportunity to go rock climbing. Always the most thrilling terrifying thing in my life.)

...And now, another airport. Tomorrow I will be in The Netherlands - another country long time dream.



Oh the places we will go.

Rome

After three weeks in South Tyrol, I finally got the chance to spend a weekend in "Italian" Italy. I took the train to Rome, a quick 7 hour journey past mountains and villages, each with a tiny stone church.



Halfway through I changed trains in Verona. I had an hour wait so decided to walk. Italians are beautiful. I had always wanted to come to Italy, and just keep falling in love with it.



Halfway between the train station and a cafe I was stopped by a young man. He was tall and dark sporting a black leather jacket and a cigarette. He went on in Italian and I gathered that he wanted me to join him for a coffee but insisted that I don't understand. He spoke with his hands saying a few more words I didn't understand, then frustrated said, "beeauutiful" and hurried off waving his cigarrette.



I smiled and continued walking. Maybe I like these cultures so much because they let me know they think I'm beautiful, or maybe the fact that so many are brave enough to say it. And the Italian language is beautiful. I am going to learn to speak it.



I sat and had my cheapest cappuchino yet - 1.60 for the goodness - and studied the streets. One reason I always wanted to come to Italy was what I pictured as their streets and buildings, and so far my mental picture has been right.



Stone streets and brick buildings with matching balconies and overflowing with flowers.



Driving through Italy you see every kind of landscape - from snowy mountains and castles on rocky hills to endless farm land, and in many places there are bike and hiking trails through it all to explore.



And the people range from the German speaking South Tyrolian culture in the north to the Romans and costal people in the south.



Besides that, Italy has countless cafes in every town, not to mention the food. Yes, they live off of pasta, but they eat it in every way imaginable, and then some.

And then there is the gelato...I have eaten my weight in the stuff.



Walking along the streets the smell of freshly baked bread is everywhere. Another staple food.  And, thanks to the train and bus system running all throughout Europe, its so easy to get around for pretty cheap.



Downsides....powerlines are nearly everywhere, spotting the farmland and ruining the nature.



Hostels are pretty expensive thanks to the tourist industry, and yeah, there are tourists everywhere, but for good reason...this country is fantastic.



And despite what it is or may represent, Italy is covered with artistic, colorful grafitti.



I can't help but appreciate the work and wonder why the artists don't focus on creating art that could be sold or appreciated without being vandalism.



Arriving in Rome, I was more excited about the city than maybe any other city I've been to.



It looks just like the photos, but way cooler...



I filled the first day with wandering and visiting the colloseum.





I walked around it and got a little tour and took on tourist status with my picture taking.



I can't believe the history packed here...People from the Bible walked and died here. Crazy stuff.



I wandered up small side streets with rocky roads and balconies with flowering plants and vines spilling over beneath the wooden shuttered windows.



Walking up steps beneath a stone, vine covered arch where a man played slowly on an accoridan, I was greeted by an artist.



He asked if I wanted to look at his paintings and insited that looking was free....but I never just look, paintings are my weakness. I stopped to look.



As I scanned his work, we talked. He told me he was from Albania and that there was a huge population of workers in Italy that had come from Albania.



I bought two little paintings. He invited me to go dancing that night. I gladly agreed. Dancing makes every place awesome.



The rest of the day, more wandering.



Walking through the park I was stopped by a man asking for the time.



I gave him the time. He proceeded to give me a detailed history tour and drive me around on his motorbike showing me cool places.





I love traveling...and being a blonde female.



Later, I met some fantastic people in the hostel and we explored the fountians and streets as it got dark.



The two Frenchmen and I sat on a monument looking down at the roman streets and discussed cutures and politics, permaculture and family, and factory farming and the nature of gun cultures.



Later, I met up with my new Albanian friend and we explored the nightlife, finding a small latino club and a scottish bar that turned from modern pop to latino and we danced and walked the streets and laughed about how similar but different the Spanish and Italian and Albanian languages are.



The next day it rained, then got sunny. Then rained again. More walking, the bacilica, vatican, and countless cathedrals.





Walking past a cafe with three waiters outside one says, "I love your shoes... black shoes muwah." Two girls in front of me look back at my shoes and I say, "Uh, thank you..." Then to the girls, "Old, dirty shoes, I hate my shoes." And we all laughed and it felt so good to laugh with strangers.



Later, I walked with an Argentinian roomate and he treated me to lunch and coffee. A roman soldier grabbed my hand and posed with me for a photo, wanting 10 Euros but accepting a few cents.



A tall man with midnight skin selling bracelets called out asking me where I'm from.



He told me he is from Senegal and is going home tomorrow and his wife is pregnant. He gave me a bracelet and said don't worry, it's for me.



I wonder if Rome is as lovely to everyone, or just to me...or maybe infatuation is blinding me.
 


Another night of exploring the beautiful, lit monuments...




And conversations with wonderful people made me wish I had so much more time in the city.



But the night ended, I spent one more day wandering around in awe of how much cooler Rome was than the history books said...







...and headed back to my South Tyrolian paradise in the mountains for one more week of workaway before my next checkmark on the map. :D


Until then. Xoxo