Bucket list: Road trip through the Alps

I don't think people in the U.S. appreciate how close Italy is to Austria and Germany. I also don't think people in the U.S. can find Austria or Germany on a map. (Tbh, I still can't: What kind of loser looks at a map all day lol?)

So here's a little geography (for all of us): 

As we all can see, Italy is the boot at the bottom, Austria looks like a guy rolling on the ground cuz he just got kicked in the crotch with his legs above Italy, and Germany is the big green country above that.

So now we know: Italy is very close to Germany and Austria (aka Crotchstria). In fact, if you're ever visiting Austria and you want to visit the Matterhorn (a supes cool mountain Walt Disney built), the fastest way there is to drive south into Italy, then north again.

Anyway, so northern Italy is where I first got a glimpse of the Alps. I was on a train from Milan to Verona and I could see the foothills of the Alps popping out of the ground in the otherwise flat Italian countryside. From a distance, they looked like any other mountains. After sticking around in Verona for a couple days, me and my cool Couchsurfing host decided to take a road trip to Austria.

Driving into the Alps was breathtaking. The mountains were HUGE. With gradual inclines and sheer cliffs, covered in trees and streams and snow (I'm a sucker for snow), the tops peeking into the sky and scraping clouds, I was completely blown away.

Bad pic.

Literally, no picture is good enough.

Keep in mind, I live in Utah which also has crazy cool mountains, but the Rockies look like baby mountains compared to the Alps. The further we got into Austria, the more the Alps dominated the sky.

A panoramic view I got of Walensee in Switzerland.

Eventually, I made it to Feldkirch Austria, a cool town close to the borders of Germany, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, so I got to visit all those places in a day (Wooow! ~Such travel.~) Feldkirch's a nifty little town with a castle, clear blue river, neat town square, and very Snow White-ish architecture.

Feldkirch and me. I am looking fly TO DEATH.

After my little jaunt through the Alps, I had to jump back on a plane in Milan, so I hopped on a bus and was back in Italy in just a couple of hours (cuz IT'S SO CLOSE).

So if you're headed to Italy, don't forget to check out the Alps, man!

P.S. I want to give a shoutout to Marvin Veit (pronounced "Fight!") and his family for hosting me in Austria. It was so nice to be in a real house and eat real food after hostels and hotels and restaurants!

Fight!