woke up to the wild sounds of bird calls we had never heard before. it was really loud and strange music. and out our little
attic window there was this wall of forest, and looked out just in time to see the the beige/pink glow of the sunrise
on mont blanc... amazing.

walked around the town trying to decide what french breakfast to eat. rough life yes i agree.
got totally roasted by the sun on the patio while eating.
got some great directions from the tourist office for a little local hike (we had wanted to take the tram,
but it was WAY too expensive... next trip... maybe..)
went home and packed up, brought guitar and chocolate for the hike, and not enough water.
so we had to stop for beer on the way back :) the hike was nice, a good grind and some great views.
found a pond/lake to sing some songs by too, the misty mountains in the background.
took too long of a nap, but needed it cuz we were jet lagged still.
woke up and practiced the set list. then went out for dinner and a stroll around the enchanting town (which is a lot bigger
we thought)
got back to "home" and planned our next day of travel. serious plans to make it deep into italy, and coordinate getting out
of these deep mountain woods.
but, even though we woke at 6-ish, we still got it wrong. we took the train that had no connection. basically it went from
chamonix to vallorcine. and just stopped. and no train for another hour an a half. this was a serious stick-in-spokes to
all our planning the night before. so we figured we should hitch hike to get furthur along the road. we got a ride with a
nice dad in a volvo on his way to work at the hydro station. luckily we got to the next town at 8:27 and a half, and our train
left there at 8:30. and luckily there was no customs between swiss and france alps. and luckily the conductor was taking
a smoking break, because by the time we jiggled and bounced cross town with our packs on our backs, it was 8:31. but
the timing was great!
out of breath we caught the train.
down the valley into martigny, the train hugs the cliff side and there are huge peaks and valleys everywhere you look.
there are locals that commute on the train, from these tiny little towns on the cliffs. the teens get on to got to school,
and i have never heard the word "poutain" so many times in 45 minutes!
in martigny we caught the IC, nice first class seats as befits our eurail passes. the valley bottom between there and brig
is crazy fertile and has all these terasses that seem to make so much more of the land than seems possible. the peaks
jut out huge behind all this; as if you didnt have enough eye-candy with the valley scene already, you look up, way up,
and there these jutting, craggy, snowy rocky peaks just revelling in their awesomeness in the sunlight....

in brig we switched to a train to domodolossa. the tunnel goes direct beneath the alps and arrives in the lush italian
valleys, the alps there already have a different flavour. we had an hour and a half between connections, so we strolled
or lolled down the street with packs and sat at a sidewalk cafe bar. we ordered a big and small beer. and we got some great
appetizers, all for 7 euros!! happy to be out of paris prices...
the next train to milano went by the impressive laggo maggiore, epic castles and houses along the lake.
the train filled up, but not too much. milano station was packed, so many humans! all trying to go somewhere, and all
very important.
we got on our train, a little cabin with a mom and 2 kids and a sleepy old guy. we barely fit in with all our packs and instruments
but they were nice and squeezed us in. it was a loud crowded ride. and we were worried about where to get off, but we made ok
to genova.
but... there we had written the wrong time for our next train, and so we went through hot and sticky confusion trying
to figure out what train we needed, and ended up waiting an hour and a bit. at least we cooled down.
we sat on the top of the double decker train, heading south to la spezia, and saw the mediterranean glistening beside us. i
coulnt believe some of the houses we saw!  castles with pools on cliffs and steps down to the sea. can someone buy me one
please? or just buy a bunch of our cds and i will buy it myself and invite you over...
we had randomly found this hotel in moneglia online, and it turned out great and beautiful. the walk over was hot, but soon
we settled in and got all dressed up and went for a stroll by the sea, kissing in the sunset looking over the beach
and cliffs.
we found "the ristorante tender" and had some amazing service and even more amazing food. tortellini and pestos and ligurian
wine. and tiramisu and limoncello. and fried veggies and cookies, on the house...
and then we strolled back here to our cozy hotel along a small little street in the cool breezy sea air....
gnight...