I figured this time I would try a little bit of a different format for my blog, and tell some picture stories. I took this photo from the top of the Rialto bridge in Venice. After Garmisch, I took a four day break from skiing and toured around a few cities in Italy: Verona, Venice, and Brescia. It was a wonderful break, and a great opportunity to take my time and take some pictures.

A really neat door and random mailbox i found somewhere in the alleyways of Verona. I spent only one night in Verona, and jaunted around the city for a few hours in the morning before heading off to Venice. Though I was unsure of where to go and what to look at, I discovered some interesting history, beautiful castles, and unique architecture (not to mention some very old and beautiful doors and mail drops) while wandering aimlessly through the streets of Verona.

standing in the column walkway atop of the Castle Vecchio. photograph taken by Jeffrey Gomber (hi)

smarter-than-garbage cars.

Looking out through a peephole ("loophole") through a column in the elevated walkway. These were used in battle to shoot enemies through while remaining protected by the castle walls. pretty cool.

we took a boat from our hotel in Venice to Murano island--the glass-blowing island--to check out the art and the process in which they create glass sculptures, vases, chandeliers, wine glasses, little candies (my favorite) and more crazy, elaborate, detailed works of glassart.

I saw a Dali exhibit in Venice. I must say, the man was likely slightly mental, but he sure was creative and had an intriguing outlook on life. I liked this quote from him. There was another one that went something like, "I don't do drugs, because I am drugs," which was one that I was really tickled by. 

one of my favorite things about Venice is the ease that comes in getting lost, and the eagerness I have to accept the fact that i have absolutely no idea where I am or where I'm going. I feel like it's reasonable to leave timelines and plans behind when you're in venice because they're probably going to get all fudged up anyhow when you inevitably get lost trying to get where you were going. The alleyways are often too small to see anything but the two buildings on either side of you, the grid system is non-existent, you end up running into water and bridges every which way you go, there are no visible points of reference to rely on--these and the fact that I have an awful sense of direction all contribute to my loss of geographical knowledge when I step foot inside the labyrinth of Venice. And I love it.

a common sight in Venice--masquerade vendors

a bird's eye view...??

driving through a tunnel somewhere in italy

Back to ski photos... This is from the top of the lift in St. Moritz. the Warm up GS course is on the left and a trampoline bubble layer of clouds in the valley made for a pretty morning from the top of the Downhill course. 

the Streets of Garmisch at night

a dh race pannel...or was it super g?

une Moustache Française on a cold, downhill day

the view from the top lodge at garmisch...purrty

the finished project of my helmet :) Thanks mt. Bachelor
So dats it for now. I am in Granada, Spain as I type this--visiting my sister and taking some time away from skiing before heading back to Schladming, Austria for the world cup finals. I will be exploring this area for a week. I plan on checking out the Alhambra, walking through the city streets and taking pictures, relaxing, blogging, and will hopefully head to the countryside to do some climbing and hiking. I certainly plan on taking some pictures.
So check in soon for more. yayayayaya