Lake Clark Wilderness Area

Although the Lake Clark Wilderness area is only an hour from Anchorage it is one of the least visited areas in Alaska. This breathtaking wilderness area offers ample opportunity for solitude and exploration of uncharted terrain. This summer Luna, Dad and I took 9 days to explore this exquisite land. From Anchorage we took a small plane to Lake Clark. From Lake Clark we took a float plane, which are now my favorite planes, to Turquoise Lake. This is where our adventure began.

We spent our first few days exploring this remote area of the world. We hiked to a few glaciers and relaxed by the strikingly beautiful, deep turquoise colored lake. After a few days we hiked to the other side of the lake. Since we were in such a remote, uncharted area, I decided to skinny dipping in the lake. I quickly discovered that I did not have as much solitude as I thought. As I was drying off, enjoying my alone time and taking in the beauty around me, I heard a plane. I looked up and saw a float plane coming over the mountains. As I was franticly trying to put my clothes back on it landed on the lake right in front of me. I suppose the lesson here is that even in remote areas of the world you can always find other people.

After a few days of exploring Turquoise Lake we started our trek down to Twin Lakes. We were in a secluded area with uncharted terrain, so obviously there was no trail down to Twin Lakes. We didn't know what was in store for us, but we started heading south. The trek wasn't too strenuous, but it was a little cold. One morning we awake to a little flurry of snow. The only wildlife we saw along the way was a large herd of sheep. We reached Twin Lakes and found a pleasant place, on a hill overlooking the lake, to set up camp. This camp spot was one of my favorites. Every evening a brightly colored rainbow would stretch across the mountains and land in the turquoise lake. We took a few days to explore this area before heading to the other end of the lake where we were to be picked up. This was a nice relaxing backpacking trip, which was a nice change from the very strenuous backpacking trips we usually take. If you are looking for a stunningly beautiful, isolated place to get away I would highly recommend the Lake Clark Wilderness Area.

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg ("Salt Castle") is a quaint city in Austria. It's alpine setting and historical sites make it a spectacular city to visit. It was the birthplace of Mozart and the setting for many scenes in the musical The Sound of Music. Becky and I spent a leisurely 4 days in Salzburg. The first day was spent visiting the many sites. The second day we ventured to the ice caves - these were neat, but we couldn't take any pictures while inside the caves. The third day we went to some of The Sound of Music sites. The last day we just walk around and enjoyed the city.

 We couldn't find a hostel the first night, so we got a hotel room with our new friend from Australia. 

The largest chess set I have ever seen. I wanted to play, but it was being used. 

The best pretzels ever!

Our hike to the ice cave.

The Sound of Music

Our enthusiastic waiter at a Greek restaurant near our hostel (It was the only restaurant that was open on both Sunday and Monday.)

Most mornings were spent drinking coffee and people watching.

My sexy new outfit. 

One of the best meals we had (Wiener Schnitzel and Spinach Dumplings)  

Things we learned in Salzburg
1. Yummy morning dessert is called custard squishiness
2. Make hostel reservations before going to larger cities
3. You get free beer when you speak English
4. Austrian men giggle while reading Lonely Planet, Austria
5. When a drunk man can't remember your real name, change your name to Paige and Georgia
6. Becky and Megan + lots of beer also = giggle factory
7. Milka hazelnut chocolate tastes best when drunk
8. Becky and Megan crave sweets when drunk
9. If you stay in one place more than 2 nights it becomes home
10. While watching a soccer game,  20 year old kids will hit on you but engineers will go to girls that should be hit with a taser gun
11. Preztels are the best in Salzburg
12. Megan cannot focus when she has ingested too much Austrian beer

Venice

Venice is renown for its beautiful setting, architecture and artwork - it is truly a remarkable city! It is one of Europe's most romantic cities. It is know by many names "City of Water", "City of Masks", "City of Bridges", "The Floating City", and "City of Canals". I am delighted that I had the opportunity to see this extraordinary city. It is a very romantic area that would be a magnificent place to see with a significant other - I will just have to return someday when I have a significant other to go with. Venice is a fun place to go with a friend, especially after 3 bottles of exceptional wine.

After out long week of hiking in the Alps, Becky and I decided to head down to Venice for a couple of days. We made our way to Mayrahofen, where to our good luck, we found a train that was leaving for Venice in a few minutes. Unfortunately, that meant we did not have time to find a place to take a shower. We had been backpacking, had jumped into a glacier lake and had not taken a shower in 6 days, so we tried not to sit close to anyone on the train. The train ride through Italy was beautiful. When we arrived in Venice we found a reasonable hotel and took a shower. The next morning we made out way into the city and promptly found a gondola ride. After our breathtaking gondola ride through the stunning canals we were very hot, so we decided to find a nice restaurant along one of the canals for an early dinner. We ended up drinking 3 bottles of delicious wine and staying there for several hours. Our waiter was very entertaining and the more wine we had the funnier he became. On our way back to the hotel we decided to get some sweets, but we were laughing so much that they closed the store and refused to serve us. The next day we made our way back to Austria, with a small stop in Verona. All I have to say about Verona is that Juliet's Wall is not like it is in the movie Letters to Juliet.

 Our third bottle of wine :)!

I am so glad we decided to take a quick trip down to the "City of Water" - it is a uniquely beautiful area that I hope to visit again some day.

Things we learned in Italy

1. Venice is very hot and humid
2. The city of Venice is the second train stop not the first
3. Even though you have a reservation on the train your seat may be taken
4. You can't order just bread at a restaurant
5. Swimming in the canals is probably a bad idea
6. A gondola ride would be perfect with a significant other, although it is fun with a friend
7. Ambulance and police patrol on boats in Venice
8. In Venice, you can see 700 hundred year old building as well as modern bridges and buildings
9. Venice is actually a very small city
10. If you get on the train without a ticket, you may get a free ride
11. When using public restrooms, plan your bathroom breaks together to avoid paying more
12. Hotel prices may change depending on who is at the front desk
13. It is appropriate for a male to carry a man bag and wear capris and be straight
14. It is fashionable to wear pants that make you look like you are a flying squirrel
15. Look for restaurants with air conditioning
16. While your friend is in the bathroom don't take the room/light key
17. You know you've had too much wine when your contacts no longer keep things clear
18. Becky and Megan + 2 bottles of wine = giggle factory
19. Making a what we've learned list means we are in the FBI
20. When Megan is high maintenance good things happen...awesome restaurant service
21. Putting two tables together is preparing the bed.
22. Always keep lips moist just in case you need to cat whistle at hot Italian men
23. Crying after a bad phone call will get you a free class of wine from a nice server
24. After rolling off bed go back to task as if nothing happened
25. When you go into a sweet shop drunk and giggling they might close