Switzerland - Italy 2001 (4)

Hello all! I made it up the hill to my hostel at long last. Had to climb some thousand stairs with my pack on to get here. But, like I said earlier, rooms here are $12 a night so I can handle it. It's another dorm situation... 6 beds a room with a marginally friendly staff and less than marginal Italian rock music blaring in the lobby... but, the view of the ocean.. sea is phenomenal! The other funny thing is that the majority of the hostellers are Italian. It's the first time I've come across folks in a hostel that are from the country of the hostel.. but I am in a resort town and if they come from inland to here, they also wanna be reaping the benefits of an inexpensive stay by the shore.

I spent the day on the beach...well, let me back track.. I walked around Final Borgo this morning and checked out the climbing store. The climbing guide book for the area runs a fat $25 and is chock full of great looking sport climbs on impeccable rock! I asked about finding partners to join up with while here alone and they recommended camping out with the climbers on the other side of town... and then some (trek by bus and then walk 2K) so, I may check that out tomorrow and decide if it seems lucrative... otherwise, I'll just milk the sandy free beach for one more day and then head toSpain, or wherever... So, after I checked out the Borgo district, I did head back to the beach. I layed there for an hour before it got too hot and I had to jump in. The water is as clear as a pool! If I had 20 foot long legs, I'm sure I would still see my toes at the bottom. And the water was so warm! I didn't even raise my shoulders when the wave crashed up on my tumtum. I swam around on my own, regretting that I was on my own, but enjoyed it all the same... until, damn those sharks. They may not exist in these waters, but they sure exist in my head. I can't help seeing myself as their bait. This time I got spooked cause a fishing boat was going by with loads of birds soaring overhead and I thought they may be attracting the Big fish, ya know! Tomorrow I'll be braver. As my good girlfriend Megan Wolfe taught me, I can just tit dem sharks un tchase dem up dat mountin!

When I decided to head from the beach I looked around and realized that everyone was reading the paper. I saw New York on every beach towel! If only I could get out of bed early enough to get an English copy. It's not so much the sleeping part actually, just their location each day by 10am that is setting me back. Tomorrow I'm there!

As I walk around in all these cities you wonder what people think about you... well, sometimes, and maybe it's only me that thinks this cause I'm the foreigner... But, I remember once in Paris, all these people kept looking at me as I walked through one of these metro tunnels alone. Then when I got to the metro dock, everyone there was looking at me. At first I thought, oh, maybe I look cute today ;) Then I realized that I was the only white person waiting at that stop. Maybe that was it!? Then once I was walking about getting some looks and I thought maybe I had a boogie in the nose or food on the chin.. I never figured that one out. Here in Finale, I get so many looks.. ya know, those sympathetic ones again. I noticed that so far, I am!!! the only American around. So it mustn't have been the hot pink sarong, but wonder at my state of emotions or level of knowledge on the situation back home. I have seen Aussie's, Britts and Germans, but no Americanos... unless they're hiding. I guess American travel season is slow now anyway with school... and this isn't one of the BIG cities in the Let's Go guide....;)

Well, I will surf USA Today for a bit. Later I'll go out for pizza and a beer.. and dad, that's what I do in my spare time. Tomorrow there is a 'thing' coming to the museum... an exhibition! That's the word. So, I'll check that out and soak up some more rays... Oh, yeah, speaking of my tan (Jon, you can go now :)..) Today, I was buying fruit at a stand outside this shop and the shop keeper, an Italian man, said.. 'che nero, il piel' (how black your skin is...) 'are you from spain or france?' HaHa.. I said Spain... A smaller town outside of Madrid.. Toledo! ;) I kept him going. He let me sample all the fruit, the figs.. he said, you don't have these in Spain. They are from Italy! I bought my fruit and asked for more directions and headed off laughing at the bluffer I am. I am proud tobe American, but right now, it's kinda nice to not deal with the questions or assumptions! Soy espanola!!! Chau amigos! Vaya con cualquier dios quedeseas!! Un beso, Raquelita!