If I recall correctly, the last time I hiked for more than a few hours in a day was when I was 13. I had signed up for a two-day (one-night), 15-mile hike along the Appalachian Trail through the sleep-away camp in New Jersey, where I had spent a handful of Summers.
Fast forward 15 years, and I'm researching three-week treks through the Himalayas. I'm asking a lot of questions. Trekking companies in Nepal are a dime a dozen. Luckily, I learned about Karnali Excursions during the Adventure Expo I attended earlier this year.
I'm going to step out on a limb and suggest if a trekking company from Nepal can represent itself at a table for a weekend in Washington, DC, they must be doing something right (from a money/success standpoint, not necessarily that there are qualifications to be a part of the event).
After reading the informative Trekking in Nepal book and reviewing the treks on Karnali's website, I began to correspond with them via e-mail.
I obtained trek prices in Nepal's two most popular regions: the Annapurna Circuit ($1,349) and Everest Base Camp ($1,699).
Both cover 25-26 days in total, entailing 20 days of "moderate to strenuous" trekking with a guide and porter. The prices include transport to and from Kathmandu airport, accommodations, meals, and a tour of local sites when I first arrive.
The Annapurna Circuit is Nepal's most popular trek. As a result, it would have more accouterments (and by that, I'm talking filtered water at teahouses to save you some effort, not even porcelain toilets), be a little safer, and be more populated with other trekkers.
The Mt. Everest region is the second most popular area for trekking. It is more rugged, challenging, and less populated. Both would get me up to about 15,000 feet in elevation.
Given my desire to stick to a budget and lack of trekking and high-altitude experience, I intend to book a trek around the Annapurna Circuit. Still, the idea of seeing Mt. Everest in person (albeit from very far away) sits idly in the back of my mind, taunting me. *Snap out of it, Dave*
So the Karnali guys have helped put many of my concerns about fitness (or lack thereof) and altitude sickness to relative rest. For example, when I asked whether they carried a Gamow Bag, the response was that it was only for higher-altitude treks like those in Tibet. However, they would pack one at my request.
I e-mailed one of their references, Mary, who had spent several years in Nepal with Habitat for Humanity. During her time there, she arranged dozens of treks through Karnali and gave a resoundingly positive endorsement.
I still intend to check around with other companies to see what is out there. However, Karnali has set the bar high so far.
So we're on a train to 
This morning I woke everyone up to go to the Uffizi (museum). When we got there, the wait in line was about one hour. (which wasn't bad at all since it was in the shade). Outside the museum were several copies of important sculptures (as well as originals like the Neptune Fountain), the most famous being Michelangelo's "David." I didn't spend much time looking at it, probably because it was a copy, and a detailed look would be inaccurate. It was the same way with the "Gates of Paradise" on the Baptistery. Inside the museum, I recognized many of the artists, but few of the paintings from my (art history) classes. "The Madonna of the Goldfinch" by Raphael was noteworthy, as several by Leonardo da Vinci. There were also several portraits that I recognized, including that of Bia Medici. She was portrayed beautifully against a blue background. "The Venus of Urbino" was there too. The museum itself was also decorated with ceiling frescoes. The two main hallways were lined with sculptures and busts.
We reached Como after a mad dash at the train station in Milan. As it turns out, we didn't even have to leave the train we were on originally. Since we didn't know this, we got off the train at Milan, went to the Information/ticket booth, waited in line, and then found out. This resulted in us running around the train station with our packs bouncing back and forth. When we got to Como, it was a twenty minute walk to our hostel. Once there, I found out that I was the only one with a Hostel Card, thereby getting the cheaper rate (15,000 lire instead of 21,000 lire, or $2).
We arrived in Menaggio, and immediately went to the hostel that was nearby. Unfortunately, it was booked for the night. We wandered past 4 star hotels and even a cinema and mini golf place, before finding a place to stay at a campground (Campaggio Europe). All except Bill waited till a bungalow was free (30 minutes), and then we moved in for the night at 75,000 lire for four people. Bill had decided earlier to go his own way (till 6:30 PM). Meanwhile, we went swimming in the lake, and hung out at our bungalow.
Charades 
After this burden was lifted, I led the group to the Accademia which housed 15th-18th century Italian Art. The place wasn't air conditioned, like I had expected. Therefore, I continued to sweat buckets while viewing the artwork of Carpaccio, Bellini, Tintoretto, and Giorgionne, among others. Though the "Tempest" was there, it didn't seem as impressive as its legend/history. The altarpieces were amazing to see up close. The glow of the gilded paint is definitely something that can only be appreciated in person. "The Feast at the House of Levi" was there too, and it covered the entire side of a giant room. Such a giant magnitude isn't even comprehendible from a slide or book.
We reached the beach after a one hour ride. Lido's main street had pink marble sidewalks from end to end. The street was also lined with gelaterias (ice cream stores) and pizzerias. We arrived at the beach a little before noon. The sky was cloudless, the sun hot. It was at least in the mid 90's. I knew I was going to have to be extra special in protecting myself from the sun. For this reason, I wore my hat (with 360 degree rim) at all times, except when in the water, my prescription sunglasses (in the water too), and plenty of sun block. When we left around 3 AM I had managed to survive the hottest part of the day with patchy sunburns on my face and legs. Except for a painful burn on my right ankle, I felt very lucky and confident. I don't think anyone else brought sun tan lotion.
Then we got back from the beach, we showered. There was a bathtub and detachable shower head, which only reached to the chest level of one's body. I showered kneeling down, and tried to get the hang of such a method. Eric had gone in before me and had sprayed the entire bathroom with water (he tried to shower standing up). The sink had a foot peddle you used to control the water. I assume this is so you don't have people turning knobs with their recently soiled hands.
