My favorite meal was in Florence, Italy, where I had a classic Fettucini Alfredo with chicken and grilled mushrooms. Super creamy and flavorful! Especially good when followed up with some chocolate gelato for dessert.
As a fan of rock and alternative music, I spend a lot of time listening to bands like the Foo Fighters, Rise Against, and Nirvana while I am out and about exploring. A nice break from that listening habit occurred while I was walking through Interlaken, Switzerland, and I stumbled upon a group of people playing traditional Swiss alphorns! The pitch of the sound produced by the horn is related to the length of the horn, with the longer horns producing deeper sounds.
I really enjoyed seeing the Vatican City, which is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. Even though this "city" is only 0.17 square miles and is located in the very middle of Rome, the Vatican is its own country! I was lucky enough to explore St. Peter's Basilica, and I also briefly saw Pope Francis speak from his window in the Apostolic Palace. He was speaking Italian, so I did not understand, but it was awesome to see him and listen to him speak, in person!
As I am trying to practice my Spanish even while outside of Spain, I spent some time most evenings reading the novel La chica del tren, a translation of the recent British best-seller The Girl on the Train. I would give it an 8.5/10: very suspenseful and a fun and interesting read.
