Out of the internet black hole!

Hello all, I know & have heard that you are all waiting for an update!
I am writing this in preparation of soon finding some FREE internet in Florence(Firenze). Dad & I are on the train from Venezia (Venice) to Firenze as I write!

Let's back up a bit to inform you of the latest in my travels.

Since we last spoke in Bochum, Germany...
We arrived in Munich, Germany at around 5PM and checked into our hotel. Got situated and went straight to the Hofbrau House for liters of beer and GIANT pretzels! We sat at a table close to the TV's where the Euro Cup was getting underway. At this table were 3 Germans by the names of Florian, Fabian & Didi. We made quick friends with them & bought them a few rounds until the entire restaurant was singing American songs with us! Of course, we sang some Deutschland fighting songs as well.
Our table was one of the last ones to be kicked out of the place at closing time and all I can remember was stumbling around outside looking for Florian.
Then, as I look down a rainy, dark alley, I see a white Deustcher Fussball Bund shirt walking towards me with something big, smuggled under it...
Wouldn't you know, it was Florian and he stole an HB Liter Glass for me!

What a great welcome to a wonderful city...
The next day we woke up early and took "Mike's Bike Tour" throughout Munich.
It was a long and hard journey of 4 miles in 4 HOURS! Although it doesn't seem like a hike... After a night with the locals, it was pretty damn rough!
As soon as I started to feel recovered from the night before, we biked to the 2nd largest beer garden in the world for lunch... AHHHH!
Bought a couple more Liters and then finished the bike tour.
If you ever go to Munich, TAKE THIS TOUR!

After the tour we went back to the beer garden (Chinese Tower) to meet up with our new friends to watch the Deustchland vs. Poland game. We made about 3,000 more friends here and all got back into singing and drinking together!
The match ended with Deustchland on top 2-0 and we said goodbye to Florian & Fabian and headed to the train depot for a night train & much needed rest...

Well... we definitely got the rest we needed and after 20 hours on trains, we arrived in Venezia!*

*We took a sleeper car to Vienna, Austria which allowed us to sleep for cheap in a real bed! Woke up in Vienna, spent 5 TERRIBLE hours there and then caught the first possible train to Innsbruck. From Innsbruck we took a train through the Alps, which was incredible to see, changed trains in Verona, Italy and finally arrived in Venezia (Mestre)...

...breath....

caught a regional train to Venezia (St. Lucia) & then across the Grand Canal to our hotel in the Rialto Bridge area.

Venice is amazing, I don't think I really need to describe it in detail, you just have to come see it for yourself... OR watch my travel-film that will be completed in August!

We stayed 2 nights in Venice and ate wonderful pizza (I am eating it AT LEAST once a day until we leave) & gelato (Christa, you were right... It's fantastic here!)

STRACIATELLA FOREVER!

See you in Florence!

-Michel


PS- There is a drumstick-like ice cream here called the King Cone... If you know where they sell it in the states I will pay you a finder's fee!!!