I can't believe this is my life!!!

Sometimes I feel like I must have stepped into someone else's life! Oh my good heavens, I am so stinkin in love with Italy, it is just unbelievable! Where do I begin?? I haven't been able to use the internet because it's extremely hard to come by and it does not come cheap!! So I'm sorry if you've been waiting to hear how things are! I absolutely LOVE traveling alone! It's so great because you meet new people everywhere you go and if you want to be alone you can, but if you don't want to, you usually don't have to. Today is actually the first day I have been alone...so I've been wandering around aimlessly and loving every minute of it. Let me just say that life is pretty good when the most stressful moment of your day is trying to decide what flavor gelato you want :-) So...what have I been doing? Let's see...day one I arrived in Genoa and met some Brits from Cambridge on the bus up to the hostel, so we hung out that day with another American girl who had been living abroad in Paris for the past year. We walked around the beautiful old town center and ate some amazing focaccia while sitting down on some steps in a piazza and listening to a man play the accordian. How nice. Liguria is the region where focaccia is from, so it's pretty tasty and cheap! Tuesday I headed to Cinque Terre and arrived at my hostel during closing hours, so wandered around the very small village of Biassa. It was precious and I really enjoyed it. It was just outside of the Cinque Terre, so much quieter and very tranquil. After checking in, I immediately met a Candian girl called Emily and we headed to the beach at Monterosso. We had a really nice time and then went to Vernazza (Rick Steve's favorite of the five villages...) for dinner. A friend had recommended La Torre (the tower) to me, so we decided to find it. What an adventure! It was up at the very top of a whole heck of a lot of stairs...we would come to a restaurant or house or just see someone and ask "Dove La Torre?" And they would just point up...so we carried on climbing until we arrived to this tiny ristorante with the most incredible view. Oh my word, it was truly breathtaking. We dined al fresco of course and were seated next to some really friendly honeymooners from Montana. Had the best bruschetta I've ever tasted and then some amaznig pesto lasagne. Wow. Pesto actually originated in Vernazza, so you can imagine how fabulous it is there! The next day Em and I hiked from Biassa (our small village) through the Cinque Terre towns. We had quite an adventure the night before (long story!!) and were really tired, but we made it to Vernazza. Had some fantastic pizza there after we spent an hour kayaking. We had the best day ever and I think we'll be friends for life. We make great travel companions. The next day I came up to Lake Como-to Menaggio. I almost didn't because it was quite a trek up, but decided to anyway and AM SO GLAD I DID!! I was riding the bus up to Menaggio from the train station at the bottom of Como and as soon as I saw the lake surrounded by the majestic mountains, I seriously almost cried. I don't think I've ever had such a reaction to a place...I just can't even begin to describe how gorgeous it is. You'll just have to see my pictures. There are plenty! Yesterday I thought I'd probably go hiking and these 2 California boys (Santa Barbara) invited me along with them to do a hike...and it was quite a hike. We ascended 600m in 1hr 20 mins. That's pretty hefty. I got freaked out about the heights and turned back close to the end, but I ended up finishing after lots of encouragement from my new friends, Gurie and Nate. It was great and we had the most incredible views throughout the hike. Today I've been wandering around aimlessly through Bellagio and Varenna on Como. Tomorrow I'll head to Bologna for a night, just one because I decided to stay an extra night up here. I have so much more to say and so many stories to share already...but I know this has already gotten quite long and my time is about up anyway. The best 3 words that could sum up my thoughts and feelings through this adventure thus far would probably be opportunity, possibility, and liberation. That's what I feel and what I see ahead. I hope you are each doing well and enjoying your sunshine and friends! Email me or leave comments please because I miss you!