Going from a cold and wet environment in the Alps to bright and sunny Mediterranean cities was just what I needed. The train ride from Zermatt to Cinque Terre gave me some time for sleep, but not nearly enough. I arrived very groggy and exhausted from my Swiss adventures. I didn’t really know what to do or where to go, so I just defaulted to the visitors center and started walking.

Cinque Terre is comprised of 5 towns, Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Starting at Monterosso al Mare, I started hiking along the Italian Riviera. A gorgeous, yet strenuous trail that takes you to all five towns. Profuesely sweating I kept hiking up the trail, hoping that my views were worth the strenuous hike. Reaching a viewpoint for Vernazza, I was certain that my efforts had not been in vain. Continuing along the trail I came across a toll booth. The woman inside wanted five Euros for the use of the trail. I was astonished! I can understand the concept for paying to use a nicely maintained trail, but why have it nearly halfway between cities. Not having five Euros on me, she let me through but told me I couldn’t hike to the other cities without getting a pass. I assured her that I would get money out of the ATM and pay the next toll booth.

Arriving in Vernazza, exhausted and drenched with sweat from my hike, I walked around the city marveling at how different Italy was than Switzerland. The buildings were brightly colored and very close together. People had their clothes strung up in the narrow spaces between buildings, children ran around playing games, concrete steps snaked either up or down throughout the city. Flowers, flags, clothes, tourists, and umbrellas dominated the city streets, creating a vibrant energy that helped boost my own after being thoroughly drained in Zermatt.

I found an ATM machine, but unfortunately it wouldn’t work, I tried several others with no success. Guess I wouldn’t be hiking along the trail after all. I headed to the train station and realized that my Eurail pass granted me access to the trains connecting the cities, relieved that I was going to see them all, I hopped on board for one of the next cities.

I don’t remember which town it was I went to next, but I think it was the last one, Riomaggiore. I started exploring the town just like the first, it was very similar to the first and second towns, in that it was on the coast, had brightly colored buildings, and was full of life. Now that I was quite hot from baking in the sun and carrying my pack around all day as I explored the cities, I decided to go for a swim. Not having any place to change into my swimming suit, I decided that the street would do just fine. Taking my plastic bag that I had previously worn as pants in the Alps, I covered my waist and changed into my swimming suit. TA DA! Ready to swim I was.

Securing everything in my backpack, I walked barefoot along some jagged rocks along a small cliff where others were attempting to relax and sunbathe. I set down my bag, and being a little uneasy about leaving it among a crowd of people I timidly started off into the crystal clear water. Having grabbed my goggles I swam around under the water surprised at how many fish I saw. Hundreds of fish all shapes, sizes and colors swam around me and the rocks. Keeping an eye on my pack I swam around to some of the surrounding cliffs, climbed up and got my fill of cliff diving.

After my swim I grabbed my bag and headed out for the next town via train, Manarola. Arriving already in my swimming suit, I figured that I might as well swim there too. Walking down to the rocky area where others were sitting, I once again nestled my backpack and dove in the water. Beginning to trust the international public a bit more I felt a little more comfortable about leaving my bag unwatched.

The area where I was now swimming had a lot more people and was one of my most favorites. I swam around big rock formations and jumped off a few of them. I eyed a guy in orange shorts jumping off the highest rock on the site. Battling my inner self whether or not to climb the rock and leap off, after much deliberation I climbed the rock and plunged into the water below. Feeling free and relieved I swam to shore, and grabbed my bag.

I decided to jump off the top of this rock... good times

This time before going to the next town I decided to try an ATM nearby and was thrilled to once again have a few Euros. I found a reasonably priced restaurant near the water and was greeted by a friendly Italian family who no doubt ran the establishment. Once I choose a seat, the host sat me and my backpack at a table. (Yes, I had lunch with my backpack). Since I was near the sea, I decided it only be fitting to order something from the sea. I settled on Linguini with Clams. This was my first Italian meal and it was fantastic!

Next I headed for the middle town of Corniglia. When I got off the train I did not see the town. It took me a minute to realize that it was much higher than the train stop. I joined the other tourists in climbing the 382 steps up to the town. Exploring the town for a while I stated to take pictures, but before I knew it my battery was dead. I began looking around the town for a plug in. I went into small coffee shops and Gelato shops to find a plug in. I came to what was the opening of an apartment complex, I finally found an outlet hanging from the ceiling just inside the doorway. I snuck up to the building and secured my charger with its adapter to the mysterious hanging outlet. Waiting nearby I found a faucet that some people were filling their water bottles at, I joined them and drank from this water. Assuming that it was treated I hoped for the best. I hung around the area a little while longer to give my batter a chance to charge before I jetted off and out of the town, back down the 382 steps. At this point I had already swam in two of the five towns and decided that I would swim in all five of them before leaving Cinque Terre.

I didn’t really see a nice swimming area like the other places had, but I did find a rock beach that was hard to walk on. The walk to get to it was quite far and arduous. Once reaching the area, I set my bag down, ripped off my shirt and walked into the water. Swimming around for several minutes, I got out of the water, shook off like a dog and headed back  up the metal stairs toward the train station.

Getting to Vernazza, where I had already been before, I knew I still needed to swim. I walked down to the water set my bag down, and jumped off the end of a dock. I swam around to another big rock that I felt the need to climb and jump off, just like the others. Successfully cliff diving in three of the five towns thus far I felt accomplished. Grabbing my bag I headed back up to the train station.

Throughout my day wandering around Cinque Terre I had spotted an older man who was sickly skinny carrying a newspaper and had a cigar in his mouth. He was at this train station walking around with a deranged look on his face. I could tell he was certainly not well. He began shouting something in gibberish Italian at one of the people waiting for the train, then he walked over to me and started talking to me in his gibberish Italian. I just kept a straight face and he eventually walked away from me to yell at a few other people. One of the other people waiting for the train looked over at me and we exchanged a look of “yeah, that guy surely is crazy.”

I was happy when the train arrived, it meant that I only had one more town left to swim in. Unfortunately this time I got on the train, but it was going the wrong way. It took me to Corniglia. Jumping off at Corniglia, I waited for the proper train which took me back down to Monterosso al Mare.

The daylight was beginning to dwindle, I found my spot along the beach and dove into my final swimming spot of the day. Happy that I swam in all five towns I got my train information to Venice. While I was waiting for the train I decided to grab a quick bite to eat. I found an area that sold sandwiches, and I just picked one of the cheaper ones off the menu. I didn’t really care what it was, I figured whatever it was had to be edible right?

I get a nice ciabatta bread sandwich and hungry from all of my swimming and traveling of the day I bite into the sandwich. It was then and there I realized that I had ordered something, rather fishy. I looked down and saw what I had bit into, a lushious tomato and a very salty fish. The overpowering salty fish took me by surprise. One typically needs to prepare themselves before indulging in a salty fishy tasting fish with the scales on it. The sandwich wasn’t that bad actually, just not what I was in the mood for.

Heading to the train station I utilized their bathroom. I washed my hair, brushed my teeth, cleaned my feet, washed my face, changed my clothes and just got myself as freshened up as I could before my journey to Venice.

Cinque Terre é o conjunto de cinco cidades encravadas nos rochedos, em cima de um belo mar azul repleto de vida selvagem, na Ligúria.

Acordamos cedinho, nos munimos de banana e maça, e pegamos o primeiro trem para La Spezia, e de lá para Riomaggiore, a primeira cidade das cinco.

Para começar, café da manhã divino em Riomaggiore: focaccia originalíssima com capuccinio.

O cachorro da senhorinha que saiu para comprar flores veio falar comigo. Muito “gente boa” ele.

Vimos morangos LINDOS à venda, e resolvemos comprá-los. Quando experimentei, percebi como os morangos do Brasil são uma porcaria, sem gosto. Por isso que eu coloco tanto açucar. (Não é photoshop, são bonitos mesmo!)

Eram pequeninos e docinhos. Os melhores que já comi na VIDA.

Pagamos a entrada do parque nacional, 5 euros, e entramos para fazer o percurso contornando o rochedo.

O tempo lindo contribuiu para aumentar ainda mais a beleza do lugar. Em pleno outono italiano, estava calor.

Fomos até a próxima cidade, Manarola.

Descemos até a marina para ver se aquela água era de verdade. Apareceram 4 patos, (patos no mar!?), curiosos, fofos e com cara de fome, querendo pegar amizade. Me recordei de uma banana que tinha dentro da bolsa.

O Uirá falou que eles não comiam banana. Ele estava errado. Os bichos quase se mataram por causa da banana, e eu com a consciência pesada de ter gerado a discórdia entre os qué-qué. Olha a foto deles embaixo de mim esperando mais banana.

Com dor no coração, deixei os patos lá e seguimos viagem pela encosta.

Tutti muito impressionante.

Minha vontade era a de me tacar lá de cima no mar, nadar, nadar e depois boiar.

Andamos, andamos, subimos, descemos, e a próxima cidade não chegava. Quando olhamos, estava no alto da colina. Subimos uma escadaria gigante, e chegamos lá em cima com fome, sede e vontade de fazer xixi. A cidade era Corniglia.

Entramos no primeiro restaurante que vimos.

Resolvemos comer. Achei que tinha perguntado se tinha peixe fresco. Também achei que o senhor, dono do restaurante, tinha dito que sim. Ele apontou pro cardápio e fez sinal de que estava uma dilícia. Eu falei: io voglio questo (eu quero este!)!, achando que era peixe.

Eis o que me aparece:

Me assustei. Crente que ia vir um filézinho de peixe frito com batata.

Era lula recheada com um troço que parecia carne de siri, tava gostosão, comi tudinho! No final, percebi que a lula estava fresquinha, era daqui, e que eu não podia ter feito escolha melhor.

Reparem o nome do restaurante:

Resolvemos parar nossa caminhada em Corniglia e voltar para Florença, pois o sol já estava quase se pondo. Fica a promessa de um dia poder voltar para tomar banho de mar e conhecer as duas outras cidades.

Is all that we see or seem

but a dream within a dream?

Photos taken by: Joanna Etshokin

Text: Edgar Allan Poe (1849: A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM)

There is no shortage of Italian restaurants in America. They range from Olive Garden (never been there, thank God), the McDonald’s of Italian food, to the star-adorned restaurants of culinary masters who spend years studying the art of Italian cooking, such as Mario Batali’s Babbo in New York City. These types of restaurants sit on opposite ends of the culinary spectrum. The ultimate find would be an Italian  restaurant that has the culinary prowess of Babbo with the accessibility of Olive Garden. Enter Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terre, located at 36 Wharf St. in Portland, takes its name from a rugged portion of the Italian Rivera coastline found in the Liguria region of Italy. The “Five Lands” is made up of five distinct costal towns: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.  After hearing the restaurant’s name, I was expecting food that resembled the culinary culture of the real Cinque Terre region. Although I didn’t find any, what I did find was a pleasant surprise.

My party was seated promptly at a table for two located by the open kitchen. It was incredible to watch the chefs at work; however, the noise and bustle may have repelled some. Regardless, our waiter announced the specials with skill. One special he named was an adaptation of a regular menu item, the difference being that, for a slight price increase the braised short rib could be replaced by a porterhouse steak. As soon as he said “porterhouse,” I was hooked.

We started off with a grilled pizzetta. Tomato sauce was replaced by pureed squash and topped with mozzarella. The pizza could not have been more perfectly grilled, and the slightly-charred sections of dough were a flavorful compliment to the sweet squash. The combination of crunchy crust and melt-in-your-mouth mozzarella gave the pizzetta an amazing texture.

The salad we chose to accompany the pizzetta was equally delicious. Salty, fresh goat cheese was mixed with spinach, black currants and strawberries, and topped with strawberry vinaigrette.  The combination made me love every bite. Needless to say, the appetizers didn’t last on the plates very long.

As we eagerly anticipated our entrees, I watched the action in the kitchen. Unfortunately, the wait was long. I felt like I was waiting for our entrees to be cooked in Italy and shipped over to us. When they finally arrived, I saw my glorious porterhouse sitting on a bed of mashed potatoes, pearl onions and watercress argodolche. The steak had clearly rested on the plate, because the Yukon gold mashed potatoes were drowning in juices. I’m not complaining, but I wonder if this was the chef’s intention. Despite this presentation, every bit of the meal was absolutely delicious. The mashed potatoes were easily the best I have ever had. My only issue was that the steak was a little south of the medium rare I requested.

The other one member of my dining party ordered gnocchi bathed in an butter- herb sauce. The strong flavors of the sauce complimented the  perfectly-cooked gnocchi beautifully and the dish was perfect, not too heavy, but not too light. After eating the entrees, we were completely stuffed, but considering the quality of the meal thus far, it would have been a crime not to order dessert.

We ordered the Cioccolata, which, despite the complicated menu description, was basically chocolate mousse encased in a dark chocolate shell, all atop a bittersweet chocolate tart. I would go back to Cinque Terre solely for this dessert.

There were no major problems with the food at Cinque Terre. I imagine the restaurant wouldn’t be that far behind the most well-known, one-star Michelin restaurants of more major cities. In fact, the executive chef, Lee Skawinski, is slowly gaining recognition for his talent in the kitchen and for his dedication to farm-to-plate freshness. The service was, however, a bit slow considering the dining room was not full.  One final note: be ready to spend some money. The prices at Cinque Terre reflect the quality of the food. But, unless you are willing to spend money on a plane ticket to Liguria, the prices at Cinque Terre are well worth it.

Cinque Terre

36 Wharf Street

Portland, ME 04101

4 out of 5

Risulta quasi scontato sottolineare quanto questi due  elementi siano estremamente legati fra loro all’interno di un comprensorio fortemente antropizzato come quello delle 5 terre, appare evidente come sia di fondamentale importanza centralizzare il ruolo dell’agricoltura, non solo per l’aspetto economico, ma anche per come quest’ultima con il conseguente mantenimento dei muretti a secco,vere e proprie opere d’arte, possa limitare un processo morfologico involutivo altrimenti irreversibile. Le piogge invernali, provocano piccoli ma continui fenomeni franosi, in varie aree del nostro territorio, mentre con una maggiore coltivazione delle terre incolte verrebbero limitati,se inseriamo questi piccoli fenomeni in un contesto di monitoraggio più ampio possiamo renderci conto come le nostre terre siano appese ad un filo. Pensare che le politiche di gestione del territorio siano fatte solo in chiave turistica, prosegue Denevi, è assolutamente sbagliato e proprio per questi motivi si rischia di considerare l’agricoltura meno importante del turismo. Non credo che il turista accorto e sensibile all’ambiente provi piacere nel vedere più viti e uliveti nelle cartoline o nei siti internet che riguardano le 5 terre piuttosto di quante ce ne siano nella realtà. Le Amministrazioni e gli Enti che operano sul territorio dovrebbero assolutamente avviare progetti importanti che riguardano il mantenimento e lo sviluppo dell’agricoltura, tenendo conto altresì del ruolo che può rivestire nell’occupazione locale e di conseguenza del ripopolamento dei nostri paesi.Il numero dei residenti in costante diminuzione, soprattutto i giovani, che molto spesso cercano lavoro nelle vicine città, rischiando di perdere tradizioni e amore verso la terra d’origine. (Diego Denevi  consigliere com di vernazza idv.)

Not long after my trip to Italy & France with Heather and Michele, my mom told me that I should submit a story about our experience to the travel section of the Philadelphia Inquirer. So like a good little daughter I followed her advice…and they published it! YAY! See, mom is always right. Check it out here!

And because I can’t post without at least one photo, here’s my favorite of me and the girls, taken in Cinque Terre.

Non e’ mai stata tradizione della mia famiglia quella di allestire il presepe, da noi si “faceva l’albero”!
Pero’, chissà da dove, un anno, comparvero delle statuine, cosi’ a caso, e mio padre torno’ dalla valle orgoglioso di un pugno di muschio.
Ve le adagiammo sopra, ma non eravamo soddisfatti cosicché  ritagliammo tanti pezzi di cartone colorato in cui aprimmo file di finestre.
Li sistemammo alle spalle del bambinello, al posto di mettere la capanna; del resto mancavano pure il bue e l’asinello.
Ci mettemmo comunque un pezzo di cartone che spiccava su tutti, lo facemmo terminare a punta e quello fu il campanile.
Avevamo qualche pecora ma nessun pastore, decidemmo di rinchiuderle in un recinto di sottili stecchi di nocciolo sfilati dalle fascine.
Il recinto sorse all’ingresso del paese e appena dietro, quasi a strapiombo della piccola collina,  aveva preso forma il grande stagno, perche’ di muschio ce n’era  proprio poco.
Un’ immensa distesa di stagnola coronata da un rosario di sassolini ad emergere come scogli; ancor ora mi chiedo con quale pretesa si volesse far assomigliare l’argenteo  riflesso anche pure alla più bizzarra tonalità d’azzurro che acqua ci ricordi.
Ma non importava, anzi, avevamo ancora qualche ritaglio di cartone che mettemmo oltre lo stagno in un piccolo promontorio in cui, nel complesso, qualche abitazione ci pareva star bene.
Il tocco finale, direbbe l’artista! Quello che ho pensato e rivissuto stasera guardando questa foto.

foto@Dona
Corniglia  (Cinque Terre)

I woke up at 6 AM, but dozed off till 6:30 AM.  A funny thing happened on the way to the bathroom, someone was asleep in it!  I don’t drink till I am obliviously drunk, but this was really irritatingly annoying!

I went straight to the train station after I went to the lobby bathroom to brush and piss.  The local train will take a while to get to the first town, Riomaggiore.  So about 7:35 am I arrived and looked for my train.  They really do not write or label train numbers anywhere, so finding the train was a pain in the ass.  Thankfully I stumbled upon it at station 6 when the train just arrived and the switch board labeled it for La Spazia.

I also found other travelers heading to La Spazia, which was neat.

Taking about 2 and a half hours to get to Cinque Terre, I took a quick snooze until I woke up to discover that I had to quickly change trains!

I finally arrived at Riomaggiore.  It started out like an easy platform hike, which saddened me a little.  Which I will soon regret saying.  I quickly looked for off the beaten trails, which I eventually found for that part of the region, but I found myself back on the original trail.  That trail led me towards Manarola.  The trails quickly became dirt, gravel, hilly, and a ton of steps!

Yours, Truly!

Today did not have titillating blue skies, instead it was dreary grey overcast.  Still what a day to hike and take photographs. 

Man I love these views!

I was walking and this couple replied when i looked at this hat, courtesy of the Americans. What?

Regardless of the weather outlook, the entire trail and locale was absolutely gorgeous!  It would have been even greater if it had that awesome blue sky, but the hike and sights were breathtaking!

I continued to hike and take photographs with intermittent breaks to eat some trail mix, fruit, and quench my thirst with water.

By 2 pm, I felt my legs and lower back cramping up.  Still I kept on going, even when I got the next town.  The reason I had to burn through Cinque Terre, sadly, was because the only train back to Florence was at 5:41 pm so I had to finish by 4 pm.  If I had my gear with me and stayed at a nearby hostel, then I could have taken my time.

By 3 PM I entered Vernazza, the trails to and from Vernazza were probably the harshest of all the trails.  Not just because they were slippery from the light rain fall, but because they were tight with steep inclines and declines.  So by the time I got to Monteressa, I was so tired that I thought I was already at the end!

I went around Vernazza to look for a toilet, I had to go.  Like real bad!  I finally found a small deli/snack bar to buy a coca cola (not the best drink to drink when hiking, but it was the only thing they had) so I could use the bathroom.  Geez, the person inside was severely constipated.  At least that was what if felt like waiting.

It was finally my turn and it felt good to relieve myself.  Washed my hands and went back out to pick up the trail again to get to Monteressa.  And the trails seemed tighter and steeper than Vernazza.  By the time I got to the middle of the hike, my knees were not functioning right.  They wanted to cave in and I formed these huge blisters on my feet.  Every decline, the pressure stabbed its painful daggers into my knees.  But I had to press on because of time.

By 4 pm, I made it to Monteressa!  Seeing people in the beach I joined in!  Only deep enough to my knees.  The people inside the water were from New Zealand and were staying relatively close by whereas I had to return back to Florence.  2 hour train ride while being wet wasn’t something I wanted to experience.

And off I went to book my ticket to La Spazia and to Florence.

One of the things that I dislike about Italy is the smoking and the disorganized train system!  When I booked, there were no markings for what train I had to take and the monitors did not give accurate details either.  Asking around, I eventually found the train I had to go on and met a nice couple from Seattle.  Telling me the best time to see Seattle was from July to September.  Definitely not November, I know what Seattle looks like in November haha!  And I met another traveler from Perth telling us that was where true Australians are from.

An hour passed and then a bunch of friggin smokers kept jumping in and out at the stop which eventually damaged one of the doors.  The door malfunctioned so much that we were delayed by forty to fifty minutes because of those retards trying to get their fix!  Then what is worse, one of the guys went to the rear intersection to smoke!  GAHHHH!!  I stood up, banged on the door and yelled at the guy to put his freaking cigarette out.  Too bad I couldn’t curse in Italian..

The couple from Seattle and myself were seriously pissed because of the delays and this crappy smoker in the back.

When we finally started we got to Florence at about 7:55 pm.  And we stopped in front of the Firenze SMN sign.  Which was about a mile away from the station.

Grrrrrr!!!

When we finally arrived to Firenze SMN it was 8:06 PM.  Said my byes and went back to my hostel to find some dinner.

I ordered some pasta and then headed up to the terrace to see if Marco (that’s his name!), Steve, and Lizzie were there.  They weren’t and I went back to my room to shower.

That shower felt seriously good!  Especially after that long and sweaty hike.  Feeling refreshed, I went back up to the terrace to chill out and write in the journal.  Marco and Steve was talking to this lame Argentinian dude.  I joined only to chat with Marco and Steve, but they left me with the dude from Argentina.  Bastards!  Thinking of departure words, I just said I gotta go and went back to the bar.

There were these two girls who were getting their drinks with red bull.  In physiological terms, mixing red bull (and other caffeine stimulant goods) with alcohol is not a good thing to do.  Yeah.  I don’t really care much about those two, but they left and took a glance with a ciao and see you in a little bit.  Ok.  Don’t get me wrong, I love women, but they just seemed … loose.

Back to bed it was for me.

Uno scorcio di Corniglia.

Marknaden i Levanto

CL upptäcker marknaden i Levanto.

I den lilla staden Levanto invid Cinque Terre i Ligurien, är det marknad varje onsdag. Marknaden öppnar  strax efter gryningen och pågår fram till ca 12. Här rör sig massor av folk, både stadens befolkning och från byarna runt om i de Liguriska vinbergen. Kunder kommer även från Monterosso al Mare, strax sydost om Levanto,  en av byarna i området Cinque Terre.

Bar Levanto

På marknaden kan man köpa allt från jordbruksredskap till underkläder. Plånböcker, levande höns, färsk fisk, apelsiner, sallader av olika slag, byxor, färskt bröd, grillade kycklingar, fantastiska ostar och barnkläder.  Ja, det mesta finns där. Marknaden är populär och det är mycket bra priser på varorna. Njutbart att kunna köpa fräscha råvaror till middagen.

Svärdfisk!

För yngste sonen, CL, är fiskmarknaden en upplevelse. Här finns allt från svärdfisk till bläckfisk, allt mycket väl uppdukat. Intill ligger frukt- & gröntmarknaden med bara så otroliga frukter, bönor och mängder av annat grönt från närområdet. Allt mycket fräscht. Här behöver man inte klämma eller syna frukten, allt är av prima kvalité.

Det är ett rent nöje och en upplevelse att strosa runt bland stånden och trängas med alla besökare och kunder. Självfallet är det allra mesta närproducerat vad gäller frukt, grönsaker och”frukterna” från havet.

Avsluta gärna med ett glas vitt vin,  producerat av druvor från bergen ovanför den lilla Liguriska staden Levanto, på någon bar på Via Garibaldi.

Vackra hus längs strandpromenaden i Levanto

Så lite italiensk musik, för att hitta rätt stämning. Videon med Sergio Munic är inspelad på den vackra stranden i just Levanto!

Salute

Håkan Carlberg

Monterosso al Mare. Vid kyrkan St John the Babtist i Gothic-Ligurian stil,  byggd under 1200-talet.

Vi besökte Monterosso som ligger fem minuter med tåg från Levanto en dag i augusti. Syftet var att träffa några goda vänner där. Vänner som jag haft sedan mitt första besök i M-rosso sommaren 1968 tillsammans med ett stort antal konstnärer, bl a min far.

Monterosso är liksom de övriga små städerna i Cinque Terre väl värd ett besök.

Produkter från Monterosso.

Här är lätt att hitta närproducerade produkter. Vin, det söta vita vinet Sciacchetrà, grappa, citroner, likörer och ansjovis är några exempel. En mängd restauranger gör det lätt att prova på alla smaker och upplevelser!

Salute

Håkan Carlberg

Today, I’m visiting my happy place.  Would you like to come along?

Welcome to the Cinque Terre. It’s a special world, set apart from the regular world, where time slows down, the people are friendly, the sun always shines, and cars don’t exist.

The Cinque Terre is composed of 5 towns, each with its own character, all sitting next to the Mediterranean.  Their other similarities include their car-free living, hilly terraces, pesto, wine, fruit de mare (seafood caught in the morning and served that night).

Let’s visit the first town, our home base.  It’s called Riomaggiore.

Riomaggiore is the southernmost town.  It’s steeply vertical orientation makes it a challenge to walk, but it’s well worth the splendid vistas at every turn.

The harbor is a wild and sometimes fierce place, when the wind blows in, and daredevil rock jumpers swim in the deep waters.

Around 5:00 p.m., the locals all come out to walk the streets, sit on benches, and chat with each other.  The children gather at the church to play football.

Walk down the main street, and you’ll see the several restaurants, all advertising the catch of the day, two grocery stores, jewelry and beach gear vendors, and the local fruit stand.

At the bottom of the main street, take a right, and walk the long tunnel to the train station.  But we’re not taking a train.  We’re walking the Via dell’Amore.

This famous walk is called lovers lane for a reason.  You don’t find views like this just anywhere.  For years, lovers have come here to place a padlock all along the route, a symbol of the strength of their love.

In about 20 minutes, you’re at the second town, Manarola.

Little Manarola boasts the best deep water swimming around, with easy access ladders in the harbor, and little boat traffic to get in the way.

At this point, you have a choice, continue the hike from the Via dell’Amore or take the train.  I advise the train because the hike from here is pretty rough going.

Arrive at Corniglia, the town on the hill, far above the water.

To get to the town, take a small, highly packed bus that leaves the train station about every 30 minutes, or walk up the steep stairs, which will take you what seems like forever, to get an incredible view of the land below.  Corniglia has a rocky beach below the train station for swimmers equipped with footwear.

Hop back on the train, and see Rick Steves’ favorite town, Vernazza (you can hear him gush about it here).  It has a lot to offer, for sure.  The only town with a natural harbor, there is a modest sandy beach with easy access and shallow swimming areas.

Climb to the top of the castle and look out over the ocean, or eat at the restaurant, which has you perched overlooking the most beautiful stretch of coastline in Italy.

And your final stop on this daydream will be Monterosso del Mare, the town with the incredible sandy beaches.  Leave the train station and walk the strip along the water, taking a break at a gelato stand if you get tired.  And keep walking until you pass through a large tunnel.  On the other side, find the quieter beaches, filled with more locals and less tourists.

Keep an eye out for the “coco” vendors, selling fresh pieces of coconut to chew on while you’re basking in the sun.

And this ends our journey to the Italian Rivera.  Thanks for being my travel companion.

On Monday morning, we set out for Cinque Terre, but decided to stop in Assisi along the way.

However, the trip to Assisi was not what I had expected due to some poor planning on our part.  To get to Assisi was supposedly only a 1hr train ride, but it wound up being closer to 2hr.  Additionally, we found out that to get to Cinque Terre we had to go back through Florence and change 3 times on the way.  That trip wound up taking us over 6hrs in travel time.  When it came down to it, we were only in Assisi for about 1.5hrs, but I still got to see the Basilica Papale di San Francesco d’Assisi or St. Francis’ Church.  The church is broken into the upper and lower church, and we had the chance to see the lower church which holds the tomb of St. Francis.

After the day of long traveling, we finally arrived in Cinque Terre. We stayed in the most amazing Bed and Breakfast, Bellavista, run by the nicest couple.  They raised their three daughters in the rooms we stayed in so everything was very homey and friendly.  They spoke little English, but it was fun trying to converse with them in a combination of languages.  They also helped to make sure we got to train stations and found us restaurants to eat at.  The first night we were there, they called and had a restaurant stay open for us and we ate amazing Italian food.  We were so hungry after the long day of traveling that the 5 of us went through 3 baskets of bread and the Italian waitress kept laughing at us as she brought more.

The next day, Tuesday, we woke up early so we could hike between “The Five Lands.”  The towns we hiked between are Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.  Each one was so unique that it was exciting to get to a new place.  We enjoyed that they all lined the cost because we were able to walk on pebbled beaches during the hike.

It seemed that every town was connected by an uphill hike, but nevertheless it was very enjoyable. There were some very ambitious people running on the trails, which I thought was very impressive.   I also had not gotten the memo that we would be hiking and was not wearing tennis shoes so perhaps my perception of the hike was slightly different than that of others.

At one of the towns we stopped in the three boys chose to climb a rope down to a free beach and jump into the water.  The water was actually about 70 degrees or about 15 degrees warmer than the air.  Mimi and I however opted out of the swimming excursion and had homemade pasta at a small restaurant overlooking the bay.

Another thing that I found interesting about Cinque Terre, or Italy in general, was that placing a lock somewhere is a sign of love.  All along the trails, there were locks that people had placed in random areas.  It was so cool to see them because some people would have engraved them while others you did not know who they belonged to. A few places in particular were marked as official places to leave your lock.

Cinque Terre was a very beautiful place, and I highly recommend a visit.  The nice part is that if you aren’t up for the hike, trains take you between the towns as well.  It was a very authentic Italian town and lacked anything resembling a Wal Mart or McDonald’s which was very refreshing.

The night of our hike, we again had an amazing Italian dinner and hung out in the B&B before going to sleep.  The next day we were flying to Prague and needed to be well rested for a day of travel.

Não, não estamos falando de Couchsurfing. Estamos falando de uma coisa parecida: a facilidade de falar com gente de qualquer lugar do mundo, instantaneamente e sem sair da cadeira. Coisa velha pra quem nasceu depois dos anos 1980 mas ainda esquisita pra quem não nasceu na era da internet e viu isso acontecer e tomar conta do mundo. Tem trecos que a gente viu em Star Trek e já existem hoje! Ainda paramos pra pensar e achamos meio esquisito… caipirice.

Pra quem gosta de fotografia é muito útil guardá-las na internet. Temos um perfil num site de hospedagem de imagens, 90% fotos de viagens, nada muito profissional. Nele, a gente guarda – e mostra – nossas imagens e também vê muitas que nos fazem sonhar com viagens incríveis! Pelo menos parecem incríveis por fotos.

Nestas a gente conhece gente muito interessante e no meio de centenas de comentários estilo “Nice shot” ou “Una bella inquadratura” surgem amizades virtuais e comentários mais pessoais que nos surpreendem e até emocionam.

Olha este sobre uma imagem de Veneza:

"Your photographs are beautiful in every way. I enjoy them even more while listening to Venice Classic Radio on streaming audio on my computer, all day long. Here in Vermont, USA! "

Cara! O sujeito está em Vermont nos states, ouvindo música do Veneto e sonhando com fotos de brasileiros que foram pra Itália. Isso que eu chamo de mundo globalizado!

E este sobre uma de Cinque Terre, também na Itália. Poeta este.

"Una nocche en la cual charlan dos personas pensando en algun lugar que comer, pèro teniendo tan tremeno paisaje de frente...no pueden contemplar otra cosa mas que alimentar la mirada de postales dibujadas de pensamientos"

Outro poeta, falando de uma imagem que nem é grande coisa!

"Sentire" i luoghi è per pochi!"

E teve também uma boa de um cara que disse que “daria um dente” (hã?) por uma tomada daquelas. Era mesmo uma boa tomada mas… esquisito.

Sempre foi assim, não é? Os sonhos de viagens nascem no boca a boca, nos livros, filmes, matérias de revistas e agora nos blogs e sites.

B & D

Sites de hospedagens de imagens:

Escolhemos dois, mais populares.

O Flickr (do Yahoo) pode ser utilizado gratuitamente, com 100 Mb de fotos armazenadas por mês, renovados sempre no primeiro dia do mês. Ou a versão paga, US$ 25 por ano, com armazenamento ilimitado.

O Picasa (do Google) deve ser instalado e você usa o próprio programa para mandar as fotos para a internet. Elas ficam abrigadas no Picasaweb, um site que faz parte dos serviços do Google. O Picasaweb oferece 1 Gb de espaço gratuito, bem mais do que os 100 mega mensais do Flickr. Acima disso é preciso pagar, US$20/ano para 10 Gb, US$75/ano para 40 Gb, US$250/ano para 150 Gb, US$500/ano para 400Gb

Qualquer que seja a escolha, este é uma ótima maneira de se ter um backup confiável, além é claro dos inevitáveis CD`s, DVD`s.

Cinque Terre. The most relaxing weekend so far if you don’t count jumping off of 20 foot cliffs and hiking for 5 hours along the coast. Cinque Terre is a cluster of 5 towns on the Italian Rivera that are connected by a foot path called the Via dell’Amore. We stared off very early on Saturday morning, around 2 am, getting on a bus for a 5 hour ride to LaSpezia, where we were going to take the train into Riomaggiore, the town on the southern end of Cinque Terre. Now, we all had to sign an agreement beforehand that we would not eat or drink on the bus or, above all, show up drunk. If we did show up drunk, were told, we would not be allowed to board and we would not be refunded our money. Well sure enough, some kids just can’t go a night without hitting up the local bars. It wouldn’t have bothered everyone so much if the motion of the bus had not caused one of them to spew all over himself an hour and a half into the ride.

The next course of action was to convey to the bus driver (who spoke absolutely NO english) that we had to pull over and clean up the back of the bus. First he pulled over onto the side of the highway, which was a big help (not), and then I think he got the message (with the aid of descriptive hand gestures) and pulled over at the next rest stop. By then the rest of us were suffocating from the stink and cursing barf boy up and down. One of the RI’s cleaned up the mess and we made him change his shirt (he thought he was ok the way he was but NOOOO he wasn’t), and we all got some fresh air before the remaining 3 1/2 hours of the trip.

The bus dropped us off about 1/4 of a mile from the train station with all our gear (there were about 50 of us) and we took the train into the first town. It is now around 7:30, but we can’t check into the hostel until 10. So, backpacks and all, students went down to the marina to go swimming at the beach or climbing on the rocks. I personally was content taking pictures of the scenery. I can see why everyone likes this place so much.After finally checking into the hostel, we hike up to the top of the town to get passes for the Via dell’Amore. Took our time walking throught the first city, and climbed out onto a rock by the seashore to take pictures and chill.In the second town, Manarola, we found some more CIMBA students already swimming in the marina around this huge rock, and jumping off the rock into the pool. Jess, Danyelle, and I quickly joined them (Kate and Denise didn’t want to get wet). The water was so nice, and so salty that it was easy to just float on your back. Then, with some egging on from the other students, a few of us climbed up to the very top of the rock, about 20-25 feet up, and jumped down into the water. I landed on my butt and smacked my legs into the water. I think I took off a good two layers of skin, and the backs of my legs were red and stinging. Did this stop me from trying again? Nope. I climbed up to the top again, aiming to land feet first this time, but I ended up doing the same thing again: butt first. I had some pretty nasty bruises for about a week after this trip, but it was so worth it . After this, unfortunately, I got a charlie horse while swimming which made my leg sore and between this and my knee that I twisted climbing down from Mt. Grappa it was rather difficult to walk. Lucky for me, to get to the next town (Corniglia) we had to climb 386 stairs! The only way I was going to make it to the top was either one stair at a time or to pick my knees all the way up before taking a step. It took me forever, but we finally made it to Corniglia.By now it was getting late and we wanted to get back and shower before dinner because we were still salty from swimming in the sea. We had two options for getting back to Riomaggiore: 1) walk, but I didn’t think I would make it; or 2) take the train that runs through all 5 towns. We walked back down all 382 stairs to the train station just as a train bound for Riomaggiore was leaving. Not really thinking anything of it, we got tickets for the next train. The time was 4:15. The next train wasn’t leaving until 5:41. We waited in the train station for a good hour and a half, napping on the benches (and for some people on the platform) until they changed the track at the last minute and we had to run through the underground passage to get on the train before the hundred other people who had showed up over the hour and a half we were waiting.

Dinner that night was fantastic, we went to a little restaurant on the water. The food was excellent. The wine steward, this little old Italian man, stopped by our table a few times to talk to us in Italian. He was too funny. He right away picked me out as Italian, and tried to guess where my friends were from (he guessed Swedish for my friends Jess and Denise because of their light hair and blue eyes, and Italian again for my roommate Kate, who is mostly Spanish)

After Dinner we walked around the town a bit, some of the locals were putting on some kind of concert in a piazza which inspired Jess and Danyelle to dance.The next morning we checked out and stowed our luggage before taking the ferry to town #4, Vernazza. The ferry ride was so beautiful, we got to see the towns from a different perspective than the previous day. The ferry was full of cruise ship passengers on guided tours, and their tour guide was speaking over the loudspeaker. When she asked “can you hear me?” over the intercom, the six of us LIFEers shouted back “YES!” without thinking, causing everyone on the top deck to turn around and laugh.

"Why am I always in the back?"-- Denise

Walked around for a bit in Vernazza, then took the train back again to Riomaggiore to pick up our stuff so we could catch the train back to La Spezia. Got back a little early, so we sat in a little piazza that had a checkerboard pattern in the middle to wait for the bus. Took a seat on one of the benches, then couldn’t figure out why Jess asked me if I felt lopsided. Heres why:

The bench is quite clearly higher at one end than the other

Got back to campus without incident. Fantastic weekend!

Coming soon: Munich and Oktoberfest!

Last weekend I went with Alayna, Christine, and Lenora to Cinque Terre.  Cinque Terre is a group of 5 towns (from east to west, Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare) on the Italian Riviera.  Each city is connected by hiking/walking trails.  The trip was very last minute, but somehow it came together and we had a blast.

The first day we trained from Florence to Riomaggiore, a three hour ride for only 10 euros roundtrip.  The train stops in a tunnel, but as soon as you get off and walk out of the tunnel there is a beautiful view of the ocean.  It had been so long since I’d seen it!

View from the Riomaggiore train station

We then walked from Riomaggiore to Corniglia, about a 1 and a half hour trip (plus time for taking pictures).  The first leg of this journey is called the Via dell’Amore and is covered with grafiti and other decorations in the theme of love.  We stopped in the small, sweet town of Corniglia for some refreshment, very necessary after climbing up the 365 stairs it takes to get from the path to the town.  I got a granita ai limoni freschi (fresh lemon smoothy) – it was so good!  We then started hiking from Corniglia towards Vernazza, when we kept seeing signs for a beach.  We decided to follow them, which eventually led us off the main path and along a more treacherous one down a cliff.  It was quite the adventure making our way down!  Once we arrived at the beach we learned that it was clothing-optional.  That wouldn’t have been such a big deal if it weren’t for a certain guy we came to know as Claudio…

First of all, when we arrived at the beach we decided to separate ourselves a bit for the rest of the swimmers for some privacy.  As we were getting ready to swim (stripping down to nothing for some, changing into a bathing suit for others) a man walked by us and sat down a bit too close.  He took off his clothes as well, and after a moment came over to us.  He approached Lenora (note: both are sans clothes at this point), who was sitting on a rock, and sat down next to her.   It was WAY too close for comfort.  To make things worse, I was sitting behind Lenora on a lower rock at this time, so when Claudio sat down next to her his butt was literally in my face.  I made my escape to another rock and almost couldn’t hold in my laughter.  Claudio then proceeded to introduce himself to Lenora and ask her her name and where she was from.  (Remember: they were both NAKED!)  After this awkward exchange, Lenora wisely left to go swimming and Claudio soon returned to his lounging spot.  He stayed there the entire time we were there and didn’t start packing up to leave until just after we left.

Photo by Lenora - we laughed about this the whole rest of the trip!

After this incident we left the beach and were led back to Corniglia via a much less difficult route by a kind Italian man, given the name Headband by Christine because he was wearing a large one.  This guy was really sweet and on the opposite end of the creepiness scale with respect to Claudio.  We abbiamo attaccato bottone with him in Italian, where attaccare bottone is a cute phrase that literally means “to sew on buttons” but is used to mean “to chat casually with a stranger” (like you and Bop, Mom!).

When we arrived at Monterosso al Mare we stumbled upon a wine festival, complete with music and dancing.  We checked in our hotel with Beppe (and his very strange haircut) and settled into our room (the most beautiful one in the hotel according to Beppe, terrace included!) before returning to town for a nice dinner.  Since we were exhausted from the day we went to bed fairly early.

The next day we awoke to a beautiful view of the town right from our terrace.  The weather was even better than the first day – not a cloud in the sky.  We hiked from Monterosso al Mare to Vernazza, which was a difficult hike relative to the others we had done – so many stairs!  But all the climbing was worth it because we got some incredible views.  When we arrived at Vernazza we swam again (this time at a normal beach!).

View of Vernazza from the path between Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza

Then, Christine and I took the train to Corniglia to get lunch.  I ate gnocchi al pesto (INCREDIBLE!) while looking at an amazing view of the ocean and then had a glass of Sciacchetrà at a nearby wine bar, a desert wine for which Cinque Terre is famous.

All in all, a great first weekend trip in Italy.

posted by SHELLEY BRUCAR

More photos from Italy – these are from Cinque Terre, a steep and rugged portion of the Italian Riviera comprised of five villages, Monterossa, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomagiorre.  The coastline here is absolutely gorgeous, and you can take the train from one village to the next or you can hike the trails.  We love hiking so there was no question about our mode of transport.  We had read that the hike from Monterossa to Vernazza can be strenuous, and it was – maybe more strenuous than the hiking we did last year at Zion and Bryce Canyon, Utah.  After being revived by lunch in Vernazza, we decided to do the hike from Vernazza to Corniglia.  This was supposed to be less strenuous and it was, but not by much!  All the hiking  was of course worth the effort because we were rewarded with such stunning views.  Photographs can’t really capture the true grandeur, but here are a few anyway…

view from the trail between Monterossa and Vernazza, photo by Wayne

view from the trail between Monterossa and Vernazza, photo by Wayne

a small fraction of the steps we climbed, photo by Shelley Brucar.  Italy is quite hilly, and although I know we must have been going downhill sometimes, it seemed like we were always going UPHILL!  As a result, I am in better shape that I was before the trip.  I have almost doubled my time on the stairmaster - in spite of all the pasta, wine and gelato – which are too wonderful for words!  

Vernazza from above, photo by Shelley Brucar

Vernazza from above, photo by Shelley Brucar

I really love Cinque Terre and  definitely want to go back there to do more hiking.  We also had planned to do a boat trip in PortoVenere, but it got cancelled due to rain, and we were leaving for Sorrento the next day.  So we must return to do that as well.

We stayed in Levanto, which I think is a good base for exploring this area.  It is the town just north of Monterossa, easy to get to by train, very cute and charming, and lots of good food.  One recommendation for dinner is Ristorante Da Rino, wonderful food and very nice owner who welcomed us back the second time we ate there with smiles and after-dinner linomcello, a tasty discovery.

The topic of dinner brings me to one of my observations about Italy that actually relates to stress management.  Meals in Italy are obviously meant to be SAVORED, not rushed through as is often the case in the US.  You choose as many courses as you want from several options: antipasto, zuppe (soup), primi piatti (pasta), secondi piatti (entree), insalata (salad), dolce (dessert), and of course finishing with cappaccino.  And vino – really good vino – accompanies every meal.  The expectation is that, once seated for dinner,  you will be there all night, no pressure to turn over tables as we are used to in America.  Servers take your order, deliver the food (one slow course at a time), then leave you alone to enjoy your meal and your company.  You don’t get your bill until you ask for it (il conto, per favore).  Of course Italian food deserves savoring! And that’s true of much American food as well.

Try eating your next meal, whether out or at home, more slowly.  Really taste what you’re eating and enjoy every bite – time to give up the fast-food-in-the-car habit!

After seeing countless lists of places to visit before you die/before you reach 30/if you can log off the net and actually get out there, I thought I’d add my tuppence-worth with some slightly different places I want to visit.

If anyone reads this then feel free to comment and offer up other places. If I don’t know enough about your favourite place and I haven’t included it then give me reasons for it to be added, though I may already have been there or just not want to…

AFRICA:

1. Church of St. George – Lalibela – Ethiopia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St._George,_Lalibela

A normal-sized church hewn from solid rock, rock from the ground. This is a statement of devotion I just have to see. Built in the early thirteenth century it’s still a major pilgrimage destination. Amazing.

2. Namib desert – Namibia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namib_desert

A tustle rages on between this and the Atacama for the title of world’s oldest desert but this one seems to pip it. It’s achingly beautiful with petrified sand dunes and red dust – this one is well worth a visit to the Wiki page just to see the image below full size.

3. Great Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Zimbabwe

This site lent it’s name to the country of Zimbabwe so it’s been somewhat hijacked politically but that ’s because it puts to rest the insulting and downright racist view that a lot of people have about African architecture. The conical tower is the pinnacle of construction here and a marvel in masonry. Constructed from round 1100AD the site is one of the oldest in Southern Africa and evidence has been uncovered of a trade netweork stretching as far as Arabia and China.

4. Nile Cruise from Cairo to Aswan – Egypt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Nile

One that really should be on everyone’s list. The Pyramids, Karnak (which I’ve wanted to see ever since The Spy Who Loved Me), Abu Simbel, some of the most important historical sites in the world, all linked by the one famous river. A cruise down stream would be a great way to see them all and I will try to get here in the next year or so.

5. The Dogon People – Mali

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_of_Bandiagara

I’d never even heard of Dogon villages until I was forced to mortar and machine gun them in Farcry 2. The digital version was so striking I looked into it and discovered what they were based on. This culture has a lot of specific, sexual and gender-based architecture. Fertility cults and the division between men and women is encapsulated in these strange structures, the granaries in particular. It seems more than a travesty to blow these up doesn’t it:

6. The East African Rift Valley – Kenya

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_African_Rift

Apparently the birthplace of Homo Sapiens, anyone want to find out where you came from? Yes please! Really this is something of a journey of imagination because the region must look almost nothing like it did all those millennia ago when we moved onto two legs and started turning tools to our advantage, beginning the rapid road to where we are now. To see the area is an ambition of mine that shouldn’t be too difficult with so much of the Valley accessible from Kenya.

EUROPE:

1. Portofino – Italy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portofino

Part of the rugged Cinque Terre (‘five lands’ referring to five picturesque villages) section of the Italian Riveria, Portofino is a destination very well frequented by cruise ships for good reason – it’s a small and extremely beautiful cove filled with houses painted in every pastel shade. Probably not great for much more than a day trip but well worth seeing from the sea, from where you can take it all in in one go. I first heard about this place from someone I used to work with, he holidayed along that part of the Italian coast and showed me his snaps. From then on I’ve longed to visit.

2. Delphi – Greece

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphi

Referring particularly to the archaeological site rather than the modern city I wanted to visit here when I was in Athens but there just wasn’t time. With an ancient amphitheatre perched on the side of a mountain what’s not to love? I’ll get here on a future trip to the country.

3. Florence – Italy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence

The home of some of Michelangelo’s greatest works and the world’s first art gallery, the Uffizi, Firenze absolutely has to be on any art lover’s list of places to visit!

4. Venice – Italy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice

Goes without saying really doesn’t it? Legendary.

5. The State Hermitage – St. Petersburg – Russia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermitage_Museum

Another of the world’s greatest art repositories and palaces, and another building which is a work of art in itself! The Hermitage was founded by Catherine The Great and has grown from its inception to include several buildings used by the Tsars until the Revolution of 1917 when it was requisitioned into a state property and national treasure.

6. The Alhambra – Granada – Spain

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra

Ok, this one’s an annoyance. It’s obviously so amazing that when I tried to go there in 2003 I couldn’t get a ticket because it was sold out, even in the local banks which is apparently where it’s best to get on-the-day tickets. I was on a small trip around Andalusia and tried to visit, to no avail. Book in advance!

Even from the outside this fourteenth century palace and fortress of the Moorish rulers of the Emirate of Granada is an astonishing place. Famous for its gardens and elaborate architectural details this has drawn masses of visitors since it fell to the Reconquista in 1492. From the hillside opposite it’s just beautiful and in part can claim to be one of the reasons I love islamic and moorish buildings, the majority of the sites I want to visit it seems.

7. Cordoba – Spain

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%B3rdoba,_Spain

Ta-da! Told you so, here’s another Moor-inspired choice and it’s a goodun. The Catholic cathedral was originally a mosque:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Mosque_of_C%C3%B3rdoba

The whole of the old centre of the city seems astonishingly pretty too though so I reckon there are at least a few days visit in this choice.

8. Segovia – Spain

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segovia

Another stunning Spanish choice with Roman and Castillian architecture. The aqueduct is justly renowned because it’s bloody massive and the topography of the area makes the cathedral seem even more massive than it already is.

9. Carcassonne – France

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcassonne

The fortified town of Carcassonne is, to me, the epitome of what a medieval walled city should look like. Dominating the area like a French Camelot it’s enormous pointy-turreted walls tick every box in picture-perfect fairy tale world.

10. Auschwitz-Birkenau – Poland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp

Yes, like Hiroshima but far more harrowing. This really is something to make you think about what you are and what you’re capable of because I’m sure that every person on this planet is capable of deeds like this, given the right conditions. If we get to know what can happen then perhaps there is a way to avert crimes like this. Events like the Holocaust have not ended with the fall of the Nazi regime so there’s every chance or, realistically, near certainty that scenes like this will come again.

11. Westminster Abbey – London – UK

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_abbey

Right, I’ve lived in London my whole life and still haven’t been inside this historic site. It’s where all our monarchs are coronated and the stone is saturated with history. Founded 400 years before the Normans invaded the British Isles it finally got its stone form during the 1040s in the reign of the last Saxon king – Edward The Confessor. I’m sure it’s brilliant, must have a look!

12. La Tomatina – Bunol – Spain

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Tomatina

http://www.reasonpad.com/2009/05/la-tomatina-festival-of-spain/

This is one of those things you read about all over the internet. In honour of St. Louis Bertrand but with unknown origins this food fight looks like great fun so I must go along one year and join in chucking tomatoes absolutely everywhere. Bunol, where it’s held, looks quite nice too but is almost an afterthought on this one I’m afraid.

13. Oktoberfest – Munich – Germany

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oktoberfest

Mmmmmmmm, beer. This beerfest started in 1810 to honour a royal marriage and since then has grown to the epic proportions seen today. Oktoberfest is ‘the biggest party in the world’ though rather commercialised and rising in cost, but what the heck, it’s only for a day or two. Unless I don’t like my liver any more and fancy killing it off by going for the whole sixteen days? No, no thanks, even all the pretty German girls in traditional dirndl dress couldn’t convince me on that one…

14. Extremadura – Spain

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremadura

Yes, yet more Spain! On the aforementioned trip to Andalusia we took a bus from Granada to Lisbon. We crested a hill and the scene that opened up before me was breathtaking. Ever since then I’ve wanted to re-visit the plains of Extremadura. We only skirted the southern rim but at that time of year it was an endless, glorious patchwork of purples, reds, browns, greens, oranges and yellows. I’ll need to learn how to drive for this one methinks. Minus the myriad colours this is very much how I remember my first view of the birth region of the conquistadores:

15. Ostia Antica – Italy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostia_Antica

Ostia is 30km southwest of Rome and operated as the Imperial capital’s port from around 300BC. The ruins are vast and severely under-visited so if you want respite from the throngs of Rome itself then come here to wander in peace (apparently). It’s the quality of the remains that gets Ostia onto this list. You can visit the public latrines, shop fronts, warehouses, and baths – all of which are remarkably well preserved. You get a real taste of what living in a Roman city was like. I reckon this would be a better visit than Pompei because of its crowds and the relative difficulty of getting there. Coming from Rome Ostia is a short rail journey, but an epoch away from somtimes overwhelming Roma. Or so I’ve read…

MIDDLE EAST:

1. Palmyra – Syria

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmyra

This is a massive and extremely important archaeological site partly dating from well before the Greek Empire. I’m not sure when this first came to my attention but I know I’ve wanted to visit for a long time.

2. Istanbul – Turkey

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul

Istanbul is rapidly becoming a must-see city for people avoiding the cost of the Euro in tough economic times. Now the largest city in Turkey, but not its capital (that task belongs to Ankara), Istanbul developed from a Greek colony called Byzantium to become Constantinople and the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire under Constantine. Later Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 and became the Imperial capital for 450 years. The influence of this place cannot be underestimated yet to many people it’s an unknown and mysterious place mythologised in films like Midnight Express which certainly coloured my youthful impression of it! This is a city I reckon I’d better get to quite quickly or risk seeing it fully Europeanised when it does inevitably enter the EU in the near future. Trust me, this will happen, and we’ll all be richer and happier for it once the inevitable racial backlash calms.

3. Krak des Chevaliers – Syria

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krak_des_Chevaliers

With many ingenious design solutions to the question of how to repel invaders except for I believe, providing a well, this is a case-study in how to build a castle properly. It may not be the prettiest but it was damned effective during the Crusades!

4. Cappadocia – Turkey

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cappadocia

I first saw this mysterious word being used as a restaurant name in Norbury, South London. For ages I meant to look up what it meant, when I did I was blown away. What an alien landscape, and fascinating culture this region possesses. One that apparently is best seen in winter and by hot air balloon… Churches and undergound cities carved into the rocks and phallic stone ‘fairy chimneys’ dominate the sights to see here.

5. Petra – Jordan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. That’s what I always think of when I see Petra. It was used as the resting place of the Holy Grail in that film and I can see why as an otherworldly city carved from rock. Just look at it! It’s not just this one building either, this is the most iconic of them though. The Nabataeans were a ‘lost’ civilisation until a Swiss explorer reported it widely to Europeans. Of course it had been known of since Pliny the Elder wrote about it but us Europeans like to forget things every now and then.

6. The Great Mosque of Samarra – Iraq

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_Minaret

I built this. Many times. In Civilisation 4. That game and Dan Cruikshank’s ‘Around The World In 80 Treasures’ inspired me to visit a lot of places on this list. The Spiral Minaret, AKA the Great Mosque of Samarra was once the largest mosque in the world. Sadly, it being in Iraq I imagine this will be a site I don’t see for many years. If at all. Sadly indeed.

7. Naqsh-e Jahan Square – Isfahan – Iran

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naghsh-i_Jahan_Square

Constructed in Shah Abbas’ reign the Sheikh Lotf Allah mosque on this square is a stunning example of Islamic art. Something I’ve already established that I love. The Square is immense and a good setting for this building. Thank you Dan Cruikshank for this one too.

AMERICAS:

1. Great Blue Hole – Belize

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Blue_Hole

This is one for that long-held desire to learn to SCUBA. The Great Blue Hole is the opening on the roof of a huge underwater cave. Just imagine the wonders in there…

2.  Kilauea – Hawaii

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilauea

Volcanoes have always amazed me so to visit the one that has been spewing lava and extending Hawaii since the year I was born would be perfect.

3. Alaska – USA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(astronomy)

Wolves, bears, eagles, glaciers, whales, aurora borealis. Some of the best things nature has to offer. Hopefully I’ll get to see it before it all either a) melts or b) turns into an oil refinery. Luckily with Bush gone from the White House and Palin resigning from the governorship there may be some sanity on that front.

4. Teotihuacan – Mexico

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teotihuacan

One of the big sites of Pre-Columbian America but majorly and unfairly overlooked. It was the centre of an empire pre-dating the Aztec’s and its influence stretched all the way to Guatemala. These ‘ruins’ are some of the most spectacular in Mexico, as the picture below demonstrates.

5. Machu Picchu – Peru

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_Picchu

Probably on every list I’ve seen so it’s no surprise it’s on mine too… A four day trek culminating in a dawn view over the ruins sounds like a little earthly slice of heaven. Apart from the fact it’s often shared with a thronging crowd of tourists. I first got word of this incredible place when I was about 4 years old. The Mysterious Cities Of Gold cartoon was an inspiration that I’ve never lost. Who says cartoons, films and computer games do nothing for the youth of today eh? (do I still count as youth at 26? Bloody hope so but I doubt it…)

6. The Grand Canyon – USA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_canyon

Another well-regarded and often mentioned attraction makes it onto mine too. I need not say any more.

7. Nazca Lines – Peru

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazca_Lines

How on earth were these surveyed? Nobody has a satisfactory answer but however it was done these are a work of artistic genius dating from anywhere from 200BC to 700AD. Beautiful geometric and animal shapes scraped into the desert floor. Gotta get up in an aeroplane or, perhaps absurdly as the makers did, in a balloon to see these.

8. Yellowstone National Park – USA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone

This jewel of a national park consists of a supervolcano caldera and could explode at any moment, I should get over there as soon as possible before that happens because when it does it’ll destroy the whole park and cripple most of North America. It’s swelling already and some think it’s only a matter of time before an explosion occurs powerful enough to change the way we all live our lives forever.

9. Antigua – Guatemala

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigua_Guatemala

I’d never heard of this place until I saw images like this. That’s all that was needed.

10. Monte Alban – Mexico

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Alban

Another Pre-Columbian and Pre-Aztec site. Situated in a dramatic and dominant position on a hill overlooking a valley, it used to be a fortress town. I read a bit about it whilst doing an Archaeology course, worth a visit by all accounts.

11. Iguazu Falls – Argentina

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iguazu_Falls

The longest set of waterfalls in the world, Iguazu falls must be a breathtaking sight.

12. Altiplano – Bolivia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altiplano

This region includes the famous Lake Titicaca and is one of the highest and most barren places in South America. High altitude living should make this a fascinating destination.

13. Las Vegas – USA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_vegas

Yet another regular appearance on this kind of list but just to see the legend would be worth it. The kingdom of tat and sleaze, sounds like fun! I especially fancy visiting the Double Down Saloon ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’ as it sounds quite far removed from the Strip and from their website, my kind of place. http://www.doubledownsaloon.com/

ASIA AND PACIFIC (except for Hawaii):

1. Samarkand – Uzbekistan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samarkand

Another Cruikshank classic, this time from the Silk Road. It looks like another winner to me judging from this picture.

2. Angkor Wat – Cambodia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_wat

Angkor is one of those places most people have heard of but aren’t quite sure where it is. They know it from films like Tomb Raider but everything I’ve heard is that it’s better than anyone’s imagination. When you can find a corner to yourself it’s supposed to be magical. Construction at Angkor started in the early twelth century and partially abandoned in the sixteenth it retains its place as one of the most impressive Hindu/Buddhist temple complexes I know of.

3. Himeji Castle – Japan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himeji-jo

An ingeniously designed castle with so many ways to harrass and kill invading soldiers that it was never attacked! This was a prototype for many of the other castles in Japan.

4. Bukhara – Uzbekistan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukhara

More Silk Road action which makes me think I really should just do the whole route. A nice trip from London to Xi’an wouldn’t be too much hassle really. Pop to Baku and start from there I reckon. This looks like an absolute must see on that kind of journey.

5. Bora Bora – French Polynesia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bora_bora

Not. Enough. Superlatives. Expensive but stunning. If I ever have the money, I’ll visit here.

6. Mount Kinabalu – Malaysia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kinabalu

A real biodiversity melting pot, Mount Kinabalu doesn’t require mountaineering knowledge to climb it. A good guide would be a must to get the most out of the wonders you’re looking at. Everything from orchids to rodent-eating plants abound here.

7. Varanasi – India

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varanasi

The Western take on death is wholly different to the Hindu one, as epitomised at Varanasi’s pyres on the Ganges. To see this kind of thing for real would make a lot of people re-think their outlook on life and recognise its transience. The full on nature of this city makes it somewhere I really have to visit on my own pilgrimage of sorts.

8. Guilin – China

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin

Beautiful karst formations surround the city of Guilin in China’s Guangxi province and it’s one of the sites I didn’t get to visit when I was in China. This is something I want to rectify.

9. Hiroshima – Japan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima

A continuation on the theme set by Auschwitz, in order to see the worst things that people can do to each other you have to visit places like this. And then you have to see the recovery you can make. I suspect that visiting this city’s museums and monuments would be extremely moving.

10. Durga Puja – Kolkata – India

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga_Puja

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolkata

One of the most extravagant Hindu festivals which celebrates all deities at the same time, including characters from other faiths like Mary and the Christian saints. The city bursts into colour as the oversized models of these gods and idols are paraded to the Ganges and then dunked in. The effort and excitement surrounding this festival make it something I want to be part of, if only as a voyeur.

11. Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival – Harbin – China

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbin_International_Ice_and_Snow_Sculpture_Festival

Every year incredible scenes from around the world are recreated in ice. The structures and sculptures are lit from within and externally to create a magical city of ice. It seems that every year it gets bigger and more ambitious too.

Antarctica

A vast continent, rapidly losing it’s icy cover. As a unique habitat this is something we should be trying far harder to save but I fear it’s already too late.

The Arctic Circle

Because, like Antarctic ice, it won’t be around much longer.

None of the pictures in this blog are my own, they have all been sourced from the Wikipedia pages noted.

Sunrise in Monterosso del Mare

How beautiful! Just returned home to Rome, wishing this weekend was longer. Caitlin, Bobby and I took a trip up to the Cinque Terre (Italian for Five Lands) for a weekend of hiking, swimming and fresh air along the northern Italian coast. The Cinque Terre, five quaint towns, are linked by a series of hiking trails. We took an overnight train Friday evening where we made some friends from Napoli to arrive in Monterosso del Mare at about five in the morning. Watching the sunrise over the cliffs was incredible. We hiked for roughly twelve hours straight, taking breaks in each town to nap on the beach, eat our packed lunches, swim and jump off of some cliffs. (Mom, Bobby said the one I jumped off of was more like a large rock…) The five towns, in order of our hike, are Monterosso del Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. This was the hard-to-easy hiking path, and I’m glad we chose to do it this way. The hike was more strenuous than I had imagined it! Vernazza was my favorite of the cinque, with its quiet harbor and friendly locals. I noticed less English-speaking visitors in Vernazza than the other towns. The local children of Corniglia were notably friendly as well though, as they let me in on their soccer game.

"Posso giocare?" Playing calcio con i ragazzi di Corniglia- Giancarlo, Christi, e Angelica

The hike we chose took us along a higher altitude, making for some unbelievable vistas. The hikes in between the first two towns were the toughest, and often times we found ourselves on a very narrow path with cliff face right at our feet. We trudged along through vineyards and through small alleys and streets of the towns. The Cinque Terre are noted for their pesto, so I had to try it. Myself not the biggest pesto fan, it didn’t blow me away. The muscoli (mussels) however, were wonderful. The pictures don’t do this region justice.

Looking down at Vernazza from the trail

Some say you can do the Cinque Terre in one day, and while that’s true, I don’t know why you would want to. Two full days was enough, but I’d gladly take some more! What a great break from the hustle and bustle of big-city Rome.

Not a motorino or monumental building in sight!

Back to the drawing board, literally! Ciao Ciao!

Väl framme i Levanto och Cinque Terre är det dags att vandra. Detta är är en av många upplevelser i området. Här finns flera vandringsleder. Vackra, hisnade utsikt, olivlundar, vinodlingar och ett Liguriskt hav. Vandringarna går enkelt att dela upp i mindre etapper och är inte så krävande. Dock är det att rekommendera stadiga skor. Jag har mött damer med stilettklackar och det är inte bra kan jag lugnt påstå, inte ens snygg i kombination med vandringsstigens grus ömsom berg.

CL o Manarola,  vandring Corniglia – Riomaggiore 2009

Du börjar på havsnivå och vandrar sedan på upp till 3-400 m, topparna ligger på 6-700 meter. Lederna som följer kusten har jag mest erfarenhet av. Det går även att ta sig inåt landet. Vill man hellre upptäcka de små städerna i området på cykel går det utmärkt. Här är det dock betydligt mer krävande. Antingen går det brant uppför eller hisnande brant nedför! Hur som helst så är det en mäktig upplevelse! Självfallet går det lika bra med en hyrd Vespa!

På väg från Corniglia till Manarola

Vandringarna är ett “måste” då du besöker området. Här kan du gå året om. Sedan några år kostar det en mindre summa att vandra. Det är lätt att förstå då underhållet på branterna måste vara kostsamt samt att lederna är i utmärkt skick. Det går att köpa ett  kombinerade kort där det ingår både tåg/vandring. Fråga efter Cinque Terre Card/ Treno., gäller även för vissa museer mm. Ett sätt är att t ex en dag vandra från Levanto till Monterosso al Mare, ca 3-4 timmar för att sedan ta tåget tillbaka ca 5 minuter genom berget. Nästa dag tåget till Monterosso al Mare och vandring till t ex Corniglia etc.

Liguria

Glöm inte att också titta närmare på de små städerna, njut av det lokala vinet, prova olivoljan och den underbara maten!

Havet/kusten i området är en marin nationalpark, Area Marina Protetta delle Cinque Terre.

Läs mer: www.parconazionale5terre.it

Salute

Håkan Carlberg

Några vandringar i området:

• Levanto – Porto Venere 12h- 24,6 km
• Monterosso al Mare – Riomaggiore 5h – 9 km
• Monterosso al Mare – Vernazza 2h – 3 km
• Vernazza – Corneglia 1h 30 m – 4 km
• Corniglia -  Manarola 1h 10 m – 1 km
• Manarola – Riomaggiore 20 m – 1 km

This was not the pesto meal, it was soup for lunch. But the sky looks exactly like today.

I woke up this morning to an overcast, chilly day… and it got me thinking about my time spent in Cinque Terre, Italy around this time of year almost four years ago. It was my honeymoon, and Cinque Terre was only one of the stops among many in Italy and France, but it was certainly most memorable for me.

What an amazing place. I won’t describe to you all of the wonderful things about this collection of five tiny villages along the coast, but just know, aside from its delectable food, it has so many more celebrated attributes. I WILL tell you about the food, though, and one exceptional meal in particular.

My husband and I stayed in Monterosso, the village with the most ‘nightlife’… and when I say nightlife, I mean a few folks enjoying their DOC wine al fresco. One evening, after hiking between all five villages and returning to Monterosso, we felt very deserving of a delicious pasta meal. (We would have felt deserving even if we hadn’t hiked, but…) We snuggled onto a charming restaurant patio overlooking the sea, and ordered up a carafe of the dry, white wine that so perfectly complements the fresh seafood and pesto the area is known for. You see, pesto and focaccia originated in the Ligurian region, and being steps away from the water, seafood is a staple in the cuisine. This is a sublime place for me because I could honestly live on those three food items alone.

So we ordered fettuccine with pesto, sat back and breathed in the misty, sea air. When our meal arrived, we were immediately overwhelmed with the aroma of garlic, toasted pine nuts and basil. The pasta was swirled into this beautiful, glistening nest — each noodle coated from end to end with bright, green flecks of basil and Parmesan cheese, gorgeous clumps of olive-oily, nutty, cheesy, noodley goodness… oh my, I could hardly wait to take a bite! And I did. I prefer using the spoon and fork method when eating long noodley pasta so I swirled a big gob of fettuccine onto my fork, big enough to fill your entire mouth, and took a bite of the best pesto and fresh, handmade pasta I’ve ever eaten. A sip of wine finished the moment and I sat there, smiling, sucking it all in so I could always remember. I’m glad I did because I swear when I close my eyes even now, I can still taste that first bite, so much so that it makes me want to go make some pesto right now. Maybe I will…

We ate our meal and chatted and had a wonderful, film-like evening. With the moon rising above the water, I soon noticed we had a guest at our table. This little kitty cat came up and sat down beside me, patiently waiting for a scrap of food. Apparently, the area is littered with wild cats which became very obvious during the remaining days we had in CT. Anyway, I felt so sorry for the little guy, that I tossed him a bite of our pasta and wondered if it tasted as good to him as it did to us. Suddenly the spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp came to mind, and I finished my wine to the sound of that pudgy Italian man singing Bella Notte. It truly was.

Meow