The beautiful Austrian Alps were the setting for an afternoon of mountain biking through real mountains. We enjoyed the scenerey within the quaint village and took the ski lift up the mountain for a spectacular view. A pleasant evening was spent with more schnaps in the beer garden or at a local bar.

Hopfgarten is a popular ski destination, attracting enthusiasts from around the world. It's numerous mountain trails connect continuously with three other resorts to form one of the largest ski systems in the world. The villages in the Austrian Tyrol maintain a traditional alpine style, and residents are granted tax deductions for keeping their properties as such.

As we left Hopfgarten, we headed down the road to Innsbruck to visit the Swarovski Crystal Gallery. We then continued into Italy for a brief stay in Verona, home of Juliet's balcony, based on Shakespeare's famous play. Afterwards, we hopped on the bus again for the final stretch into storied Venice in time for dinner. Some of us ventured on our own into the city itself before turning in for an early morning start the next day.

Italy is a country well-known for its intriguing culture and incredibly rich history. Unified only in the 1860s, Italy is composed of a wealth of varying cultures, including Venetian, Tuscan, Latin, Neopolitan, and Sicilian. Italy is well-known for their fashion, food, automobiles, and music.

Our excursion to Venice began with a demonstration of Venetian glass-making, an art that has been perfected over centuries. Most of the day was free for own adventuring, and included explorations of St Mark's Square, numerous art galleries and the twising winding pedestrian streets of the city. Of course, what trip to Venice would be complete without a gondola ride?

Venice - built as a city on water - is one of the most unique cities in the world. Built upon hundreds of islands in the lagoon as protection against invaders, the city with streets of water has been a focal point for legends and tales of romance. Due to its construction, however, the city is slowly sinking and numerous attempts are being explored to prevent its loss. In today's modern age of rapid transit, however, Venice has become an extraordinarily incovenient - and expensive - city in which to live. Over the past century the population has halved, and the average age of residents is now over 50. Within fifty years, it is guessed, Venice will become nothing more than a theme park, with all residents and all industry other than tourism having moved to the mainland suburbs.

The trip to Florence on Day 9 involved a quick stop in Pisa to see the Piazza dei Miracoli and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Afterwards, we continued the drive to Florence and got a brief walking tour of this artistic city. We finished the evening with an outing to a small tavern for some drinks, dancing, and a late night.

The only major landmark of Pisa is the Leaning Tower in the Field of Miracles. Construction of the Tower began in the 12th century, and by the time the third flor was complete, it began to lean. Compensatory modifications were made to higher floors in an attempt to halt the Tower's lean, but this was, of course, unsuccessful, and it continued to gradually lean further for centuries. In 1990, the Tower was finally deemed unsafe, and a major construction project was started to halt the lean and secure the Tower in place. It finally reopened to the public in 2001.

Day 10 began with a demonstration of Florentine leather-making, followed by a tour of some of the city's landmarks, like the Duomo, Basilica of Santa Croce, and Piazza della Signoria. Our free time was used to climb the Duomo's bell tower, visit the Academia to see the original Statue of David, and visit the Piti Palace. The evening's excursion involved a Tuscan dinner complete with Chianti wine, which was undoubtedly the best meal I have ever had. We finished off the night at the Space Electronica discotheque for some partying and dancing.

Florence is the home of art as we know it. The Rennaisance, which brought Europe out of the Dark Ages and into a new age of literacy and creativity, began in this Tuscan city. Some of the world's greatest artists like Da Vinci and Michelangelo were Florentines. The city has numerous art galleries and museums, and the city's main square - Piazza della Signoria - contains an outdoor sculpture gallery including the famous Statue of David. Even today, Florence is still known for it's art, master leather-work, and heavenly gelati.

Our drive to Rome included an unscheduled pitstop in San Gimignano for a brief stay. We continued on to Rome and got a walking tour of the city including the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Piazza Navona. Our nighttime wanderings led us to the old Roman Forum and the Colosseum, lit up against the night sky.

San Gimignano is one of the few remaining truly medieval towns. It is a small mountain town that at one point boasted at least a dozen towers - all as an attempt at showing off to their neighbours. Only a few still remain today, and the Great Tower can still be climbed for a fantastic view of Tuscan landscape.