At the Castle: My Odyssey from Verona to Merano

Hello all! Natalie and I made it to the castle today at around 5 - it is GORGEOUS here! But I am getting ahead of myself. First, for our tour of Verona.

We spent the afternoon Saturday walking around Fair Verona - one of Shakespeare's favorite settings. We saw Juliet's Balcony, the Roman Arena and various and sundry churches, piazzas, restaurants and walkways. The bridge in Verona is a particularly beautiful place to watch the sunset. We were tired of Italian cuisine (shocking I know!) so decided to have the age old American classic McDonald's for dinner (two cheeseburgers and one large fry later I was one happy Texan).

Juliet's Balcony

This morning we started out on our epic journey from the heart of Verona to the hills of Merano. One very long bus ride (we got a little lost...ok more than a little, a ten minute bus ride turned into an hour), two trains, one short bus ride and a steep hill later we arrived at Castle Brunnenburg, high up in the South of Tirol. On the way my suitcase handle broke...that was fun. But we made it safely! We were welcomed by the other students, most of whom arrived before us, and rushed off to dinner with Dr. Redman.

The food here is amazing! We had a cold dinner prepared by Brigitta, the lady who works the farm, full of organic vegetables grown onsite and cheese, freshly baked bread, olives and more. We were also allowed to sample the wine that they bottle here at the castle made from grapes grown in their vineyards. It was exquisite.

The castle runs solely on solar power and since it was rainy today I had a FREEZING shower! But the weather is perfect. Right now I sit typing in the wide open window, enjoying the cool mountain breeze. I will post pictures of the dorms tomorrow. Until then - goodnight from Castle Brunnenburg!