And One for Your Mother’s Manicotti

And One for Your Mother’s Manicotti

            Since today is a short entry, we thought we would give you some statistics.  We are officially a quarter through our trip.  If you have a question about any of the statistics, make a comment asking about it.  We will (likely) explain it to you.  Expect a refresher stat-page every quarter.  Unless stated otherwise, assume that each statistic is the sum of both of us combined:

1^st Quarter Statistics

Trains Taken: 15

Buses Taken: 4

Cabs Taken: 3

Boats Taken: 1

Countries Visited: 5

Countries In Which American Music Is Not Played Almost Exclusively: 0

Capital Cities Visited: 3

Cities/Towns Explored: 10

Passport Stamps: 3

Museums/Attractions Visited: 19

War Museums/Armories Visited: 6

Churches/Monasteries Visited: 2

Local Food/Drinks Had (ignoring duplicates): 6

Made It Just In Time: 13

Times Picked Up by the Military: 1

Andy Specifically Picked Out By Customs: 2

Most Roommates at Once: 9

No Hostel to Stay In: 2

New Friends Met: 9

Old Friends Met: 1

Foreign Versions of Friends Met: 3

Crazy People Met: 6

Languages Spoken At Us: 5

Languages Spoken By Us: 4

Times Replied in Wrong Foreign Language: 2

Items Lost/Broken: 4

Items Jury Rigged: 4

Items Lost/Broken : Jury Rigged Ratio: 1.00

Souvenirs Bought: 2

Books Read by Andy: 4

Books Read by Will: 1

Videos Watched: 3

Times Watched Appropriate Movie for Country: 3

Times Played Appropriate Song for Situation (e.g., London Calling in London): 5

Meals Crafted: 5

Pizza Hut Buffets Eaten: 3

Gypsies Fended Off: 2

Clutch Situations: 3

Times Saved by Foreigners: 8

International Mail Sent: 1

Times Tried and Failed: 3

Fences Hopped: 1

Epic Fails: 4

Times Taunted by Animals: 5

            Today, we overslept.  I also discovered that Sweet Hostel doesn’t believe in hot showers.  In fact, it doesn’t even believe in lukewarm or tepid showers.  It only believes in ICE DOOM.  It sucked. 

            After I was done freezing my ass off, Will and I left to get a ticket for our day trip to Verbania.  Verbania was recommended to us by the beautiful French woman who saved us back on Day 8.  She said it was super pretty, so we decided to go.  There was a massive line at the station for tickets, so we decided to see if the local train ticket machine was very expensive.  It wasn’t, so we skipped the line and got a round trip to Verbania. 

            We grabbed a quick meal.  Will had gnocchi with a marinara sauce and I had tortellini with butter and sage.  We got on a train to Verbania.  Verbania was gorgeous, but kind of unaccessible.  Will and I walked 8-10 miles (about 13-16 kM) along trails.  There were tree-covered mountains, a cool quarry, and a big ol’ lake.  We sat by the lake for a bit and put our feet into it.  We had a shit-ton of gelato.  It was awesome.  We then went back to the train station and went back to Milan.  The pictures don’t really do this place justice.  It was way brighter and way greener.

            When we got back to Milan, we had an amazing meal.  It was dirt cheap and super delicious.  For 8 euro I had a big pizza and a pasta dish.  For the same price, Will had a baked potato and a pizza.  Everything was delicious, and you should be jealous.  VERY JEALOUS.

Will’s Corner

            Don’t worry about it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Joe,

            Don’t worry about it.  Let this inspire you to do great things.

Love,

Will and Andy