August 3, 2009 After having been turned down by 5 places to sleep, and over 4 hours of hiking in 90 degrees with my pack, I can safely say: This is the most beautiful place in the world! I may even beat Bariloche. I am sooooo happy to be here! Manarola, Cinque Terre, Italy. This is my dream come true. I waited for forty minutes at the top of a hill outside of one of two hostels in all of Cinque Terra. This was just to try and see if they had an open...

August 1, 2009 I loved the city of Innsbruck, Austria. It was surrounded by glorious Alpine mountains and forests! We were staying in an adorable, brightly colored, spacious and clean hostel just above a chocolate shop in the oldest area of town. The area meant beautiful aged architecture, quaint cafes, a walk to the river and the mountains, a nearby train station, and our pick of steins, cuckoo clocks, fancy pizza, and Christmas ornaments. We hiked the Alps...