We no speak Americano

Salve from Roma!

Leaving Austria was almost as hard as leaving Kenya, and that only after one week stay there. Finally on the road to Italy I saw also lots of amazing mountain views. My last stop for hitchhiking was in a fuel station about five km-s from border and this was incredible place. Right behind the fuel station and hotel was a shere wall of rock rising I think at least 800 meters. In front of it formed clouds that then slowly sailed away. I felt that I could watch it entire day. Sometimes I even didn't notice a car coming, just stared at the mountain. But on the way I saw more, and even more beautiful views. I really hope to travel to these areas again in future (although if I move to Kenya, it may become pretty impossible).

Anyway, finally I got the ride to Udine in Italy, my first station. Funny was that this car or actually small bus, carried the taxy sign, so basically it was my first time to hitch a ride with a taxi. But in this car was a Iranian family on a travel. Ok, if I understood right, they were born in Germany and boy actually still studies there. They were very friendly and ride was extremely enjoyable. Especially when we listened some traditional music from Iran. But first time after long time I had a documents check on European border, but it went quickly too.

I was actually on a road outside Udine already before noon, so I had entire day to waste. Although sky was clouded, it was very hot. What if really sun comes out. Actually from my first days in Italy I have contradictional feelings. I pretty much like what I see in the Italian cities, that different architecture and nice gardens in front- or backyard of the houses, and parks. One day when looking the roofs and narrow streets from the castle hill here, I even found some similarities with Kenya (although houses here are prettier, roofs made of stone and everything more systematic and fitting with the naighbourhood). And I certainly would like many trees and bushes and other plants from here to my guesthouse in Kenya. I haven't even seen many of these in any pictures. Variety is so great. I may also take some design examples. And probably it would be good idea to make window casements also in Kenya. Anyway, in this sense I really like Italy, but I still miss Austrian nature and amazing little cities like Klagenfurt.

I also miss Austrians. Italians seem really too cold natured for a southern people. I feel lonely quite often here. I don't get so much contact with locals. Ok, it is not like Czech, where people in city just avoided you when you go to talk, but yeah, even when I was with my host and her friends or in a party with some other coach surfers, I hardly felt as a part of it. I don't know, maybe it is also partly because of me, as now suddenly I got a little travelstress and even maybe some kind of a culture shock, and started to miss my girl and Kenya more than ever... maybe even Estonia a little bit. But then again, when in Austria everyone just started  (at least mostly) to talk in English when there were foreigners in the group, then in Italy it doesn't happen. It is hard to go to talk with some people when they talk amongst themselves in Italian. In this party only few people saw that I was lonely and then started talking with me. Moreover, in Italy it actually really seems that people are not so good in English, some even can't speak any English. In Austria you can be fairly sure that any young person can speak English (even if they say "only little bit", then actually they are quite good). I don't know about Austrian TV channels, but here everything is dubbed and probably most people don't have international channels. I think that Estonians speak English so well because we have movies and shows in original language, while at the same time subtitles help us to learn. BTW, most of the Italian TV and radio programme seems really scetchy for me. in TV and radio they pronounce very theatrically, making it all seem like soap series. In reality their language is much better sounding.
Ok.. actually I had now a really great time in Firenze, and also finally got a host in Roma for one night, so I have managed to come here, to one of the great dreamplaces of me. How exacvtly these trips were, I have to write in a next post, but know that although I want to go to France now as fast as possible, I feel quite good right now. And hopefully some West Coast Italy with beaches give even more happiness.
Ciao!

More awesomeness

Ok... in last post I didn't write much about Klagenfurt. It is really beautiful place surrounded by mountains. Yes, actually there are some really great mountains. And there of course is the Worthersee lake, surrounded by tourist attractions. Even though there is not any great place to dip yourself in, it is actually best place to have a wonderful look on nature around. Lake has light greenish blue colour that so well mixes together with woods and mountains.

And even though I don't like sightseeing, also walks in the old town are nice. Klagenfurt is much smaller than Tallinn in Estonia, but so much grander by look of it. Old town is full of people, amazing old architecture, plazas, parks, fountains and sculptures. Even new parts of town seem well to fit into the whole picture.

Wolfgang, my host there found that Klagenfurt is boring, but I had as good time there as in Vienna. Like I wrote to him in Couch Surfing - friends, beer and ice hockey or pop quiz in Irish pub, this is what's good time for me. Ok, there should be some place to go for real party too, but still it is not overly boring place either. Not places itself, but people make places special. That is why I instead of looking around try to get into normal local life, even if I have only few days for it. And I try to get to know as many local people as possible. I hope for random encounters. It was actually one day when I was sitting in park in Klagenfurt and writing. I hoped that someone comes to talk with me. Even just few words would do. But no one came. Well, there was one girl walking around in the park and taking photos of everything. Probably not a tourist as she took photos of treetops and bushes and many photos of same thing. So probably more of a American Beauty type of artistic photographer. She took also few photos from behind of the fountain, where should also be me. So I started writing of her. She taking photos and I writing about her. Kind of poetical and romantic actually. I noticeably followed her with my eyes, and she came quite close by, but past without neither of us saying anything. Maybe she hoped me to call her, but then I felt that maybe it would be bad idea. Lots of couples here make me wish for a girl to hold around too, but then I always remember my sweetie and think that it wouldn't be right to her.

But of course I still met one very enticing girl. In the last day we went to this pop quiz finally, because of what I actually was in Klagenfurt so long. And Wolfgang invited also two girls from Slovenia. One of them was so charming, sweet and funny, and actually I even gave her possibility to take contact with me. I even don't know if I'm strong because actually I haven't followed desire for now, or weak because I have so many enticements. Probably still weak, because if opportunity really would rise with such a divine girl, then probably I would give in, and that would be a mistake, as I never wouldn't forget my real love. I don't know who would get hurt, but probably someone.

Ah yes, actually I wanted to write about pop quiz. We needed a name for the team. Wolfgang proposed "Kaksteist kuud" (twelve months in Estonian) what he had heared from his friend, but noo... that would be too sick, when they say the names of teams. So I put the name "Archive of Awesomeness" instead. Yeah, we got a awesome name, that suited us, but there was another team with sick name - "Jedi Aholes". So it got a goal for me to won that team, but we didn't. At first we did good, but there were some things on what we got confused. So, when we left the pub, I said with a loud voice: "But you can't win us in awesomeness".

Now I'm actually already in Italia and I haven't missed my girl so much as now. I have also a little stress from traveling and some sort of a culture shock maybe, but Italy is already theme for next post, and hopefully for that time I have already got better feelings too.

Greatest thanks to both of my hosts (Hanna and Wolfgang) and their friends for amazing time in Austria. I will regard you always as good friends and hopefully we'll see again. Love!

Awesome Austria

Austria... it is really amazing country. Both cities and countryside with beautiful nature. People is so open and social. If you know someone, then you also quite certainly meet his or her friends. You go to parties, you are invited to dinners, to some group events with social games... they buy you beers or cakes. All the time something happens and you never feel alone (even when you actually are alone for some time). I really have started to love how German party feeling, French social commons like two kisses on cheek and Italian expressiveness and freedom are together in this country. And I started to love German language. At first I was surprised that German sounds better than I remember, but it was explained to me, that actually Austrian German is softer than real German. So that´s why. And truthfully I love girls here. They are so special and sweet. It is very hard to resist the temptation. Everyone, whatever is your taste, could find a girl that he likes here. Jürgen could get a chinese chica or for example that gorgeous half Philippino girl we met. And here are lots of black people, Arabians, Turks, Italians, somewhere probably even some Indians or Americans. Or you could fall for some pretty and nice Austrian or Swiss girl. You may find hippies, goth-metal girls, dreadheads or just old sweet vanilla flavour. I still love my girl and actually I don´t want anyone else but her, but here I simply got a crush on many girls. Especially my host Hanna in Vienna. She is such a pretty and special girl. Her energy, her laughter, the way how she takes the life, it just makes me crazy for her. Luckily she didn´t sho any such interest for me. Otherways who knows what could have happened. And Jasmine and her friend Karoline, girls from Switzerland studying music here. They invited me and Patrick (another coach surfer from USA, really awsome dude) to play minigolf and then after that to dinner they prepared. Both of them beautiful and interesting in their own way. Also Patrick has a girlfriend in USA (and as it seemed from the photo I saw, a dark skinned beauty), but sometimes it seemed to me that also he is not far from slipping. I guess that´s why he also looked the photo of himself with his girlfriend so often, to bring himself back to earth. Sometimes it really seemed that this place here is like paradise. Patrick´s favourite was clearly Jasmine, and I totally understand why. Especially when she sings, then you simply forget everything else. She is like divine creature.

But both of us, Patrick and I, we went on with our travels and hopefully it makes things easier. Actually it felt so hard to leave Vienna. Like really some magical song or laughter would chain me there. I left Vienna and I even didn´t had chance to meet Elisabeth (I think it is bad, although who knows, maybe she would have charmed me too). I still feel overpovering wish to go back.

Now I´m in another nice place in Austria. It is a small beautiful town in Alps (although not so massive mountains here as I hoped - I guess I have to go up to north in Italy... or maybe visit Switzerland), named Klagenfurt. Here my host is a guy, but my time with him and his friends is almost as amazing as in Vienna. They are great fans of ice hockey here and one day we were first in a Irish pub having plenty of beers and then two o clock in night his friends came here to watch hockey game. Today will be the same. By the way, I have never been interested of hockey, but it was still interesting to me, as guys look like Dwarves from some fantasy. They have beards (as in the end of the series it is a common not to shave), and in these teams, most of these beards were orange. Also their armor makes them look short but wide. Sport is agressive as I imagine anything to do with Dwarves would have to be. I just started imagining that they would have big axes instead of hockey sticks. Anyway, not much time to rest in Austria. So again, Estonia is a good place for resting and south here for living. Yesterday I actually took a possibility to rest and write... and today a little bit too, but actually I already hope and expect more active eavning.

Ok, I will go and check out the lake here, and maybe make myself wet. When I came to Klagenfurt, it was raining and first time on hitchhiking I got a little bit wet, but really only little, as soon a car picked me up and brought me exactly where I needed. Now it is perfect weather again. What else you can hope from life - beauty around, good weather, nice people! Katrina actually asked from me yesterday if I take my girl now to live in Austria, but I still continue with my plan to go back to Kenya. It is anyway very expensive here and making business would be even more impossible for me than in Estonia. And in winter it still gets cold here.

Ok, tschüss!