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.

So, I’ve decided on what my dream career would be. You all know it’s to be a photographer…but you know what would be REALLY awesome?? To be a vacation photographer! I’d get paid to travel around the world with families, groups, etc. and just document their vacation for them. And I thought Samantha Brown had the best job on earth! Ok maybe it’s a little out there, but everyone has to have a stretch goal right?

In the meantime, I guess I’ll just pay to go on vacation myself and get some practice. J Here are some more photos from my trip to France & Italy with Heather and Michele. This trip was awesome for so many reasons – we had hardly any agenda, didn’t spend tons of money, got to see beautiful places – but what really made the trip fantastic was the company. We have known each other for almost 3 decades (yikes!) yet after spending just a little over a week together, we’ve grown closer than ever.  Though I did take tons of pictures (and I even had the girls turn the camera around on me as you’ll see!), I tried to put the camera down every once in a while and soak in the atmosphere, the food, just the feeling of being there…the most expensive camera on earth can’t replicate that.

Some technical info…most of these photos were shot with my Nikon D300 with a regular run-of-the-mill 18-55mm lens or my favorite 50mm 1.4, BUT when I didn’t feel like lugging around my equipment I used my super-cool Canon SD780. This thing is teeny tiny, and takes not only amazing photos, but HD video! (Very useful when Heather decided to jump off a cliff)  I have to be honest, when looking through all of the photos together, there were times when I couldn’t tell apart the photos taken with my pro camera and my little Canon. Also, it’s red, which brings up the cool factor exponentially.

One last thing before we get to the pics…how lucky am I to have such gorgeous, photogenic friends? To see the Animoto video with some more fun shots, click here. Enjoy!

The story of Cinque Terre is a long one, so I’ve broken it up chronologically for you. You’re welcome!

Day 1: After we calmed down and had a shower, we went out to take a walk (fare un giro) around Corniglia, taking in the stunning views from our super high (300+ feet) vantage point. Then, certo, we went looking for dinner; we ended up at a crazy, overwhelming, kind of expensive mom and pop place with delicious frutti di mare (made Guy eat most of it) and crema cotta al cioccolato. Once we’d eaten we were pretty much ready for bed.

(Guy attempts a spin cycle on the terrace)

Day 2: We got up early, got some washing done. (see above pic), then threw our hiking clothes on and headed off to Manarola and Rio Maggiore. Our lunch in Rio Maggiore was fab (delish spaghetti alle vongole), and just what we needed after a tough emotional bump in the road on the way. Super full, we headed back to Manarola for swimming, which led to another massive bump (but we did meet a nice American couple from Michigan), but was also beautiful and fun at times.

We managed to pull ourselves together for a post-swim gelato (anything for gelato), but then things fell apart again when we missed the train back to Corniglia and had to wait an hour at a touristy bar… Suffice it to say that things were rocky on the relationship front for the first time in the trip, and it lasted too long for my liking.

Eventually, though, Guy managed to come out of his funk and work at getting me out of mine (a direct result of his) with the dark chocolate gelato I’d been eyeing for days and a moonlit outpouring of love from the highest viewpoint in town (for a minute I thought I was going to be proposed to- there’s something in the water these days-
but thank god he’d only bent down so he could pick me up!). Plus, he made me pesto pasta alla Genovese for dinner and we ate on the terrace, which made me feel better, and I passed out at 10:30, which is always nice. It was a loooong day, though.

Day 3: After a quick and expensive email check, we began the hike to Vernazza, only to stop halfway there to go down to a nude beach for a swim. We thought the trail would be steep (we figured we had to descend then ascend about 500 feet) but not too tough (after all, not all nudists are in shape!), so we were surprised to find ourselves clambering down a very steep, at times vertical and unstable trail for 45 minutes, with massive spiders in chair-sized funnel webs surrounding us. We had a lovely swim, though, and a great ogle (I did go topless to even the score- eep!), and then it was back up for an hour along a different, much narrower, just as steep, much more dangerous and crumbly and open (fall-to-your-death-y) cliffside trail.

After our unexpected adventure, we abandoned our plans to do Vernazza and Monterosso by foot, and instead we came home, grabbing gelato and some veggies on the way, where we showered, made more pennette with pesto and zucchini and heirloom tomatoes, and then relaxed for a minute before heading back out.

We walked (slowly, so I could at least try to avoid sweating off my freshly applied sunscreen in the blazing heat) to the train station and hopped a train to Monterosso.

(Sidebar tidbit: when we got to Monterosso, there was a guy with a really cute puppy, and when it was distracted by something he called out “andiamo!”, which means “let’s go” in Italian, but the American woman behind him thought it was the puppy’s name and she cooed “Andiamoooo, woohoooooo” in a girly voice to try to get it to come over! Then she turned to her friend and said “it must not understand my accent,” while the guy gave her such a mean look because he thought she was making fun of him. I almost peed myself. The puppy’s name was Maya)

Anyway, we grabbed a coffee at a little bar overlooking the beach, missed our train (again, but this time without the dire consequences), and spent an hour in the train station people watching before catching the next train to Vernazza.

We grabbed dinner in Vernazza at a restaurant on the top of the castello; the food was good if not amazing and the view was beautiful, so it evened out to a lovely evening (and cool!). When we’d eaten our fill, despite not having gelato, we headed home to pass out again (angry sidebar: the stupid bus stopped running half an hour before we got to the station, so we had to walk up the 377 steps to town. Boooooooo). It was an exhausting but really lovely way to spend our last day.

(brekkie on the terrace)

Day 4: We managed one last breakfast on the terrace before packing like mad in order to be out by 10, as requested (ridic). Once out, we had a leisurely and cold caffe shakerato at our fave spot in Corniglia, cafe Matteo, then hopped the bus to the train station.

All was fine and dandy until the train arrived. As we got on, I noticed that one of the two pubescent Italian girls who’d been waiting on the platform with us was strangely close to me. I put it down to classic european lack of personal space, but when I turned I saw her sneaky little hand trying to reach into my purse! Shocked, I shouted “excuse you! Why is your hand inside my bag?”, and then, in response to her faux innocence face, the first thing that came to mind in Italian: “parlo Italiano, non va bene. Vai!” Not my most articulate moment, but it got the point across. She and her friend got off the train (I suspect that was their plan anyway once they had my wallet) and then proceeded to throw things at the closed window and flip me off as I went by. I barely noticed that, though, because I was still shaking from the confrontation; in all the times I’ve traveled, and lived, in Italy, I’ve never been pickpocketed. Granted, I’m very careful of my things (for example, I was wearing my new leather bag, which zips at the top, of course!), but still. I felt extremely violated. It still makes my heart race to think about it.

But anyway, the good news was we had a fairly uneventful journey back to Bologna, and were even lucky enough to get a really nice regional train to Parma, where we changed over (we thought about staying for some prosciutto and parmesan, but we decided it would be too much of a aim with the bags) to a crappy one.

In all Cinque Terre was gorgeous, but tough on the muscles! I marveled the whole time at how little warning there is about the trails; they’re not too tough for someone active, but for a fairly sedentary person they’d be a real trial! They certainly made my body hurt (although most of that is probably the result of the unexpected scaling of a 400 foot mountain for a dip in the ocean and a few naked penises). So I say go, because it’s stunning, but do as the Germans do and bring your hiking boots- thank god I had my new white (now brown) sneakers!

More when I get back to the rainy land of pubs and sarnies.

Ciao for now!

Sent from my fancypants iPhone

Allora, da dove cominciare…dal fatto che quest’anno ho passato le vacanze estive in una regione d’Italia che ben poco conoscevo: la Liguria, una zona d’Italia ricca di fascino e di risorse, che cercherò, con questo piccolo excursus di viaggio, di raccontare.

Lerici: arrivando da sopra la collina si scorge lo splendido golfo di Lerici con il suo porticciolo luccicante e il castello che sovrasta le case colorate. Si tratta di uno dei paesi che insieme a San Terenzo, Tellaro ed altri, fa parte dell’ affascinante Golfo dei Poeti, così chiamato in onore degli artisti che amarono ed onorarono questo posto quali David Herbert Lawrence, George Sand, Lord Byron e lo scrittore Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Quindi trascorrere le vacanze in questo borghetto significa godersi il saliscendi dalle ripide salite sulla collina per cercare spiaggette e calette paradisiache in cui godersi il caldo sole dell’estate, passeggiare sul lungomare e ritemprarsi con un bagno serale al molo rinfrescandosi agli ultimi raggi della sera prima che il sole tramonti dietro la Palmaria e Portovenere a poche km da lì.

 Isola Palmaria: proseguendo la visita di questi litorali non si può non fare tappa su quell’isola che sta proprio di fronte al porticciolo lericino, un angolo di macchia mediterranea pressocché intonsa con caprette selvatiche che fanno scorpacciate di foglie di fico, agavi, rovi di more e fitta vegetazione marittima.

Vale la pena arrivarci da Portovenere prendendo un barchino che fa scalo a Punta secca, dove l’acqua è spettacolare per un bagnetto pre-salita, e da qui iniziare la passeggiata-faticata belli freschi di mare per attraversare la irta collina fino all’altro capo dell’isola.

Lo ammetto, la scampagnata non è delle più comode, ma ripaga dalla stanchezza la vista delle rocce a picco sul mare e la tranquillità che offrono i pini marittimi con i loro odori di resina calda di sole e di rosmarino selvatco.

Accompagnati solo dal rumore delle cicale e dal gracidare dei gabbiani che ci hanno accompagnato per tutta la salita si incontrano poche persone e ci ritempra dal caos cittadino, facendo una capatina anche al Forte Cavour, una antica fortezza ora sotto controllo dell’esercito.

Si ridiscende dunque verso una pineta e una sassosa spiaggia incantata nei pressi di una vecchia cava da cui si estraeva la pietra tipica del luogo, un marmo nero dalle venature dorate, tipico di queste zone.

Tino e Tinetto: Prima di ritornare, la barca ci fa fare il tour delle altre due isolette di cui la prima è ad esclusivo uso dell’esercito e la seconda è poco più che uno scoglio.

Sull’isola del Tino c’è però una particolarità da raccontare; il faro che vi si trova sulla sommità riprende la storia di San Venerio, protettore dei fari, che per primo si installò in eremitaggio sull’isola per far segno ai naviganti dei pericoli del mare.

Portovenere: come non sostare dunque in quel meraviglioso angolo di casette strette e colorate e perdersi sul far della sera sulla collina che ospita antichi mulini per il grano e le olive, il Castello dei Doria e la chiesa di San Lorenzo e quella di Santo Stefano, a picco sul mare, proprio dietro la Grotta Byron…

E’ perciò indispensabile intrufolarsi tra le antiche e strette viuzze di Portovenere assaporando gli odori della sera, quando il sole è di un tepore squisito e l’aria ricca di profumi salmastri; così com’è d’obbligo assaggiare una delle specialità culinarie del posto: la Farinata (detta cecina in Toscana), fatta sul momento e servita calda calda con una spolverata di pepe abbondante.

My trip  took me through France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Monaco, and Italy.  I stayed in mostly hostels and some hotels.  I saw grandeur, experienced other cultures and met wonderful people; I had great times and some problems along the way and I wrote about it all.

Hard copy is $55 + 4.95 for shipping; PDF file is $18. If you would like to have a copy, just click the donate button to the right and make a donation from your paypal account or your credit card, of at least $18 for the pdf file or $59.95 or more for the hard copy book. Please be sure to include your email address and your mailing address and I will send the book to you right away.

Let’s see what going on with Backpack Europe!

The Westcoast Blogger

To the Parents of Trip #50,

Why hello there, it’s us again giving a little update about our backpacking trip!

We’ve been having a blast and particularly enjoyed our first stop in Italy where we stayed in La Spezia but visited all five villages of Cinque Terra. If you’ve talked to your son/daughter, you probably know when we say “visited” we mean we literally hiked along a beautiful trail along the coast between all five, stopping in each! This was definitely a highlight for the group – to feel the accomplishment of 12 miles of walking, Whitney and Devyn in particular mentioned how great it felt to finish it. The mountains jutting down into the blue ocean was enough to blow you away, but to travel on the trail made it all the more meaningful.

One of the days we also went to the Cinque Terra village of Monterosso, the best beach village. A lot of us grabbed our first piece of Italian pizza while at the beach catching rays (yum!). Sarah, Emily, and Bethany took relaxation to a whole other level by purchasing a massage from a local woman and Brandon, Sam, Alex, Whitney, Gary and Jamie caught their rays even closer to the water by choosing beach chairs without umbrellas to have a more sun-fun experience. Judah and Daniel successfully played Frisbee along the shore not once loosing the Frisbee among the crashing waves.  Many of us took the opportunity to do some of that coveted summer beach reading.

Although the beach is a highlight of any vacationer, Vernazza is the village that probably left the greatest impression. A fishing village that we took the train to one evening became the ‘dinner of the trip’ for Devyn, Benny, Abby F., Dan R., Judah, Polly and Bethany. In Devyn’s words, they got a soup filled with a smorgashboard of seafood and it was insane with 3 giant shrimp (which everyone got a particular amusement of Bethany’s reaction to the full-bodied shrimp, having to ask the waiter how to eat those large almost lobster-like in their presentation, shrimp). She also had the best pesto ever in her life. Her group even met and enjoyed conversation with their chef – and all of this was at a restaurant on the rocks overlooking the ocean. Even Sam who ate with her usual group of friends said this evening included a particularly “romantic” sunset dinner as the restaurant her group chose was along the shore and they could watch the sun setting over the water as they ate.

Well enough on our stay in La Spezia, we also had a great stay in Florence as well — visiting museums (saw the David!!), getting a walking tour of some of the city, peering down into the river, cooking our own Italian food (your son/daughter will be getting the recipes so this is a good opportunity for you to ask them to cook an authentic Italian meal for you when they return home). Shopping in the leather markets is clearly standout enjoyment for everyone as well, but just ask Abby H., Sam, Michelle, or a few of the boys about their deals/finds and you’ll understand even further what makes finding that perfect jacket, jewelry, t-shirt, or boxer shorts a highlight.

If you’re cruising through the pictures from Florence and wondering why there’s a picture with Jamie, Annica, Michelle, Abby F., Bethany, and Polly in things that look like blue sheets this is because to visit the Duomo your shoulders, etc. must be covered as respect for the church (so accidentally wearing a tank top on this day provided a fun photo-opp). Another fun thing to look for in the pictures is Michael’s classic peace-sign that he gives in many shots.

It has been amazing to see the great friendships that were made in only two weeks! We can’t wait to see what new ones will bud in our remaining days to come!!

We’ll be in touch soon, but for now we’re going to start enjoying the region of Umbria.

Ciao (Goodbye in Italian),

 Trip Backpack Europe Crew

Vernazza

On Monday, we shook off our Barcelona hangover and headed into Northern Italy.  As travel days go, it was a long one, starting at about 4:30 am.  We headed out to the airport at about 6:00 and it was already hot. Under my pack, I was dripping sweat.  I was very glad we picked this day to leave Barcelona.  But we made it through Lufthansa’s ridiculously inefficient check-in process and got to our flight to Milan.

Getting to the Cinque Terre from Milan is a bit complex. First, there is an hour-long bus ride from the airport to the main train station, the Statzione Centrale.  From there, you take an Intercity train to the coast through Genoa.  Although the scenery was beautiful, I didn’t see much of it because I could barely keep my eyes open.  In the small town of Sestri Levante, we changed to a regional train — a very old, non-air-conditioned, slow train — that stopped in each of the Cinque Terre villages on the way to La Spezia.  Door-to-door, our trip from Barcelona took about 11 hours.

We decided to settle in Vernazza, which is the second of the five villages going from west to east.  Vernazza is very much on the tourist map, especially since Rick Steves wrote that Vernazza was his favorite of the five villages.  So, as you might imagine, there are lots of tourists plying the streets of Vernazza with Rick Steves guides.  That said, I think Rick was on to something.  Vernazza is very cool.  All the villages are small, but Vernazza’s center is compact, as it’s arranged in a horseshoe bowl formed by the surrounding hills that slopes down into a natural harbor at the shore line.  The town has a small jetty that protects a smaller inner harbor for rowboats and dinghies, and also has a tiny beach and swimming area.  On most days — as long as there’s no red flag — you can swim just about on all sides of the jetty, with the outside part obviously for more confident swimmers.  Even on calm days, it’s not without risk.  Kara jumped off the end of the jetty and had a great time in the water until she ran afoul of one of the local jellyfish.

Monterosso

Although the train now connects the villages — and small roads have come in to connect the towns with the highways — they were once accessible only by foot.  The trails that the villagers once used to come and go are now primarily thoroughfares for tourists.  For a fee, the trail that connects each of the five villages is open for hiking.  On our first full day in the Cinque Terre, we thought we’d take it easy and just do the trail from Vernazza to Monterosso, the first village from the west and the largest of the five.  The trail is pretty tough, though, and at noon, it is extremely hot.  Until you get to the top of the ridge, there is very little shade.  The first 30 minutes of hiking out of Vernazza is totally uphill up several series of stone steps of varing quality.  The hike out of Monterosso toward Vernazza has a similar long series of steps to the top.  But once at the top, you are rewarded with sweeping views of the Mediterranean, with views of the other towns in the distance, and up close views of functioning terraced farms built up the hillside.

The character of Monterosso is a bit different from Vernazza.  Monterosso is a larger village, and has a long stretch of broad beach, so it generally has more of a resort feel.  There are definitely more people out and about.  While you almost never see a car in Vernazza, there are a few streets in Monterosso open to traffic and you do encounter some traffic.  It seems like a nice place, but it does not offer the secluded, sleepy town feel that you are supposed to expect when you come to visit here.  Vernazza is better.

Corniglia

The following day, we left early in the morning to hike in the opposite direction to the other three villages.  The first segment toward Corniglia — the center village — was even more challenging than the previous day’s hike because the trail climbs to an even higher elevation out of Vernazza.  Corniglia itself is situated on a high bluff about 90 meters above the sea.  Thus, unlike the other four towns, Corniglia has neither a harbor nor a beach.  It seems that this fact makes it less attractive to visitors, but it shouldn’t.  After Vernazza, Corniglia was probably my favorite of the villages.  Almost as soon as we got to town, we found a great little cafe serving breakfast that had some of the best lemon cake I have ever tasted.  The town was full of similar little cafes, gelaterias and interesting shops.

Manarola

Once you climb down what seems an interminable number of steps from Corniglia to the train station below, the hike to the remaining two villages becomes more like a gentle afternoon stroll.  Manarola — the fourth town — is about another four kilometers from Corniglia.  Sprawling over a cliff, Manarola is a striking image as you approach.  It was particularly striking on the day we visited because the sea was extremely choppy and massive waves were crashing into the rocks surrounding Manarola’s natural harbor.  We stopped in Manarola for pizza and looked around a bit, although it seemed less interesting than Vernazza and Corniglia.

Riomaggiore

Manarola is only a kilometer from Riomaggiore, the fifth village.  The footpath to Riomaggiore highly improved — more of a sidewalk than a trail — so it is probably the one part of the trail that is easy for people with mobility issues or travelling with strollers and small children.  It also seemed that there was less to do in Riomaggiore than in Vernazza or Corniglia, so we did not stay long.  We did find delicious gelato that was made in the shop, and we watched huge waves crashing into the jetty that was barely protecting the town’s harbor.

On our last day in Cinque Terre, we actually went outside the park to a neighboring town called Levanto.  Our guide book said that Levanto had the best beach for miles.  I don’t know that I quite agree with this — Monterosso’s beach seemed just as nice — but it was a fine day at the beach all things considered.  The sea was still very rough and we couldn’t go in the water much past our waists.  But, we got back in the water when we got back to Vernazza.

Our few days in Cinque Terre were great, although it didn’t feel quite enough.  The friendly woman in the internet cafe told us that most people only come into town for a day or two.  That’s just not enough time.  There’s so much natural beauty and so many wonderful outdoor activities that you should give yourself at least three days if coming to Cinque Terre (although I could see boredom setting in at about a week).  Don’t rush through this wonderful part of Italy.

I think that the hardest and most beautiful part of our hike was from Corniglia to Vernazza. You start out from Corniglia by going through the old town and behind houses on what they call “mulattiere,” mule ways. The old farmers used to use them for bringing crops and supplies to their fields on the backs of mules and donkeys.

Once you come out from behind the houses you see this incredible view that just takes your breath away. Vineyards upon vineyards interspersed with olive groves right down to the sea. Absolutely amazing! You then continue for the rest of the hike up and down and down and up paths cut through the woods and the olive groves. There are some parts that are easy and some that are a bit dangerous, where only one person at a time can pass by and you have to hold onto chains nailed into the rocks. But it gives a hint of excitement so it’s worth it

After a bit we stopped by a picnic area and were surrounded by a cat colony which had smartly establised itself in the area. So of course we had to stop and feed them (two of us hikers are cat lovers) the leftovers from our lunch. They were extremely friendly and ate straight from our hands.

Right after we left people just seemed to magically appear. Seriously. At first there was no one on the path and then all of a sudden there were lines waiting to get through a rough patch!

After what seemed like forever, we saw it -  a jewel jutting out into the sea – Vernazza! Everyone seemed to get a second wind as pictures were taken and we began our descent towards the sea. The path comes down just as it started, through houses and orchards, until you finally find yourself in the middle of the town full of people looking at shops and enjoying gelato. Here two of our friends left us on the train, and after much debate we decided to take the boat over to the next town – Monterosso. While we were waiting for the boat we wandered around the town and bought a nice bottle of white wine, all while watching people jump into the crystal clear water and enjoy themselves. Jealous, we too stripped down and tanned just a bit while waiting for the boat, eagerly planning our swim along the sandy beaches of Monterosso.

Paradiso, originally uploaded by e.ruben.

There are more than 3000 registered Italian grape varieties and many say there are as many as 15,000 varieties. Whatever the exact number is, I have begun a grape variety series on indigenous Italian varietals. I am learning and relearning many wonderful things as I work my way through the alphabet and
remember wonderful trips I have taken around Italy. One of my all time favorite restaurants is in Monterosso, Ciak. While it looks very touristy, they have the best fish ravioli I have ever eaten in over 15 years living in Italy and 20 years going there on a regular basis. Needless to say, try them at the very least.

The most recent piece I wrote is about, Albarola, one of the local grape varieties from Cinque Terre, the area of Liguria famous for its beauty.

Liguria is a long and thin region which borders on France in the West and runs to Tuscany in the East. Renowned for its extremely picturesque landscapes and closely huddled mountain towns, Liguria also produces a number of DOC wines. The wines from the Cinque Terre or five towns have been famous for centuries. They were mentioned by both Petrarch and Boccaccio. The five towns, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore are all connected by intricate walking paths and are a favorite with Italian and international tourists. Viticulture in this area is done by hand without the use of tractors. The vines tend to grow on terraces on small plots of land. While they are beautiful to the eye, it makes for very difficult planting and harvesting.

Among the wines are a dry white named Cinque Terre DOC and the dessert version of this wine called Sciacchetra’. Albarola is one of the local grape varieties which is part of the blend that produces these two wines. The other two varieties in the blend are Bosco and Vermentino. Albarola is a small grape which is light bodied and somewhat neutral in flavor when it is young. There are more than 20 synonyms for this grape variety including Calcalella, Temosci, and Madea. As the wines made with this grape mature, they take on honey, floral and perfume aromas. In order to read the rest of this story, check out the Altacucina website.

Monterosso has a market every Thursday morning and Jim decided to act locals and go.  We purchased some fresh fruit for breakfasts and a fresh ball of buffalo mozzarella.  Jim was quite scared at first of the ball of cheese floating in liquid, but it turned out he liked it.  Cinque is known for their focaccia, so we ate that along with the cheese, delizioso!

 Today we set to hike the trails through all 5 towns on the Cinque Terre. The hike was amazing.  We were basically hiking through the mountain side vineyards hanging over the sea.  It was a very difficult hike, but well worth the views and pictures.  Throughout the hike we saw vineyards, lemon trees, all sorts of wildflowers, and little lizards.  Absolutely breath-taking and indescribable experience.  Jim’s Badger hat drew in a couple friends along the way too! 

We were lucky enough to meet by happenstance in Vernazza with Anna and Matt again, and had an enjoyable pesto pizza lunch. A hilarious story, but one that needs to be told in person.

Dinner recap: Trofie (local handmade pasta) with pesto and shrimp in cognac sauce (with head and feet still attached), and of course ended with gelato (adding an exciting new flavor to the list, licorice).

It is striking how much we all can affect one another by our words, body language and attitude. There are people who can suck the energy out of a room like the low pressure variant of a Cat 5 Tornado. My late father referred to such people as downers. In diametric opposition are those people who have a positive spirit that brings good energy to those around them.

Most cultures have colloquialisms that encourage a positive spirit-words that can help get a person through the tough times. Sayings like Pick your issues, things could always be worse, tomorrow is another day, count your blessings-well my favorite  one is from Italy.

During dinner with one of our sons who was studying abroad in Sienna, we learned of the phrase, La Mama Ha Fatto Il Gnocci (the mother has made gnocci). While it is not totally clear to me, I understand that it is an understated way of saying things could be a lot worse, because if Mom has made gnocci it is a great day by any standard.

Several days later, we were hiking in Cinque Terre between Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza overlooking the Mediterranean really having quite a time. I scientifically selected my hiking clothes so I would look Continental and not American- Perhaps German or Dutch. I think I was really taken for an Aussie. No matter; we climbed the steep rocky formations, burrowed through some very lush forested sections and seemed to walk miles through vineyards up and down the stepps carved out of the hillsides.  We crossed stone bridges and creeks and ascended a stairway of stones gently placed by hand in-between the vineyards on either side. The stairs seemed to go on forever and I stopped several times to wheeze and catch some air.

As we reached the apex of the hike, a short distance above the Vernazza, we came into a clearing inhabited by a three generation family of Italians sitting at a picnic table. To the right was a portal framed by laural trees highlighting the breathtaking view of Vernazza (see photo inset). It took only a few seconds from the family to notice me, I noticed them in return and we stared at each other for a nanosecond.

They were thinking…Oh boy, this guy looks like an American, wonder if he will try to talk to us assuming that we speak English and we don’t. They always try to talk to us. A little presumptuous, don’t you think Luigi?

I was thinking… what a cute family of Italian people, I wish I could talk to them, I wonder if they speak English, or I could speak to them in Spanish, they would probably understand that, wouldn’t they?

I glanced down at Vernazza, and turned back to them with my arms extended out like the Pope on Sunday mornings, and like an entity onto itself, the phrase jumped from my mouth La Mama ha fatto il gnocci . I  braced for the impact. They came alive, from the grandpa, to the grandma, to the father, mother and the little figlia di figlio. They were all jumping up and down with hands clasped shouting bravo, prego, grazie. I was pretty happy with the interaction and briefly bowed with my head and waived goodby.

So now when I am punky or irritable, I think of my friends from Vernazza. I wonder if La Mama ha fatto il gnocci and just smile…

Quiero hablaros de un lugar donde estuve este pasado agosto, no muy conocido aquí en España pero muy popular entre ingleses y italianos. Es la región a la que llaman Cinque Terre, en la provincia de La Spezia en Italia. Su nombre se debe a que los pueblos principales son cinco: Monterosso (clik aquí para ver foto), Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola y Riomaggiore. Todos ellos unidos por un sendero para recorer a pie al borde del mar llamado Via dell’amore (clik aquí para ver foto). 

Son cinco pueblos literalmente incrustados en verdes montañas y acantilados al borde mar, con casas multicolores, sencillas iglesias de estilo renacentista, geniales trattorias y ropa tendida de punta a punta de las estrechas calles. Una de las cosas que más se agradece y llama la atención es como la zona se ha resistido a la explotación masiva del turismo (que no es poco), ya que aquí no encontraréis gigantescos hoteles o mastodónticos edificios de apartamentos, aquí los hoteles se confunden con las coloridas casas.

En mi caso llegamos en coche desde Barcelona (que son unas 8 horas de viaje), lo que valió la pena ya que aprovechamos para visitar Niza y Mónaco (a los que yo no dedicaría más de 2 horas a cada uno) y después Pisa y Florencia que solo se encuentran a hora y media. En el caso de los cinco pueblos, la mejor opción es dejar el coche allí donde lo tengáis aparcado y recorrerlos o bien a pie, por la Via dell’Amore, o en la genial linea de tren que recorre las cinco poblaciones en menos de 20 minutos, ya que están muy cerca las unas de las otras. También podéis ir coche sin mucho problema, pero os encontraréis que es misión imposible aparcar y cuando lo hagáis tendreis que dejar el coche a 1 kilómetro del pueblo y encima pagando (ya que allí TODO es zona azul).  

A la hora de comer tendréis serios problemas para decidiros, ya que hay de todo y a todos los precios. En este caso nos centraremos en la cocina italiana y el genial marisco que tienen en esta zona. Os recomiendo seriamente que probéis los mejillones de la zona… están buenísimos!! También está muy buena la pasta tipo linguini con almejas y vino blanco o las frituras de pescado. En cuanto a la pizza ya sabéis… de las mejores que he probado (os recomiendo la de quesos, sin tomate).

Las playas de la zona no son como las que tenemos aquí, son mas bien pequeñitas y situadas donde el pueblo termina, con el agua salpicada de barquitas multicolores. No os recomiendo la playa de Monterrosso, ya que la mayor parte es privada (llena de hamacas de pago) y la reducida zona de libre acceso está llena de guijarros!! La que si os pido que vistéis es la playa “secreta” de Guvano (clik aquí para ver foto), ya que el simple hecho de llegar es toda una aventura. Lo primero que tenéis que hacer es coger el tren y bajaros en la estación de Corniglia, una vez allí preguntad en la tiendecita de la estación por el túnel que lleva a la playa (si si, túnel) y de paso aprovechad para comprar unos paninis y bebidas, ya que en la playa no hay nada. Una vez allí preparad 5 euros, ya que el acceso es privado (pero vale la pena). Os encontrarés delante de un antiguo túnel de tren abandonado, donde un hombre mayor os cobrará la entrada, y entonces tendréis que andar durante unos 10 minutos a través del oscuro y fresco túnel lleno de estalactitas. Una vez salgáis os encontraréis una playa poco concurrida de arena gris y una agua cristalina de color verde botella, un contraste bastante impactante. También podéis ir a tumbaros a las playas de Lerici, más extensas y de arena fina, o a la pequeña playa de Vernazza, enfrente de la placita principal del pueblo, ideal para no perder detalle.

Para termiar, os dejo el enlace de la página de turismo de la zona de la Cinque Terre, donde encontrarés información bastante útil. ¡Que lo disfrutéis!

www.cinqueterre.it

Queda uno pasmado ¡somos el no va más! esta nuestra España está llena de listos. Dicen de ellos que entienden las cosas con facilidad y rapidez. Aunque pienso, que las más de la veces se pasan de listos y suelen dar el cante y aliento a cloaca. Viene a cuento el lamento, a propósito del ínclito gobernador del Banco de España -un tal Ordóñez- y sus propuestas antisociales. No tuvo suficiente con disparar la alarma, sino que reincide en la necesidad -a vida o muerte- de adoptar reformas, de las pensiones públicas, que casualmente -como es su obligación- benefician a la banca privada, para que así –como el que nun quier la cosa- vayas corriendo al banco, a suscribir, un plan de pensiones. Me producen grima estos listorros ceporros, o ceporros listorros, que se creen semidioses, dotados de un desparpajo y rostro de cemento armado, digno de mejores causas y proporcional a la posibilidad cierta, de ser unos perfectos hijos de perra ¡nun dan puntada sin filo! Se aprovechan de su posición, para llevar a todas horas, el agua a su molino, sin miramientos, importándoles un pimiento el desasosiego, la sensación de ahogo, inducidos a nuestros mayores, a esas buenas y simples gentes. Esto si es terrorismo peligroso y si tuviésemos un gobierno digno de tal nombre, debería ser enviado ¡ipso facto! al paro, sin prestación de desempleo. Lo simpático es que en tocante a su trabajo, dar no dio una en el clavo, ni por equivocación. No vio la crisis -o disimuló de maravilla- Ni cuando estaba en pleno desarrollo, ni cuando nos faltaba  un palmo para estrellarnos.

Tenemos un camicace gobernando el Banco de España y nosotros sin enterarnos. Algo habrá que hacer, ¡digo yo! No se pueden dejar las perras y el caxón en manos del enemigo, de una persona tan poco de fiar. No cesa de lanzar granadas a la siniestra. Hace unos días defendía el despido libre. Casualidades de la vida, YO TAMBIÉN SOY PARTIDARIO DEL DESPIDO LIBRE (Y no me he vuelto loco) pero el de Dinamarca, que me garantiza el 90% del sueldo actual, 4 años en el paro. Seguro que más de un empresario pondría el grito en el cielo ante este despido libre ¡Amiguinos hay que estar a las duras y a las maduras! Es muy bonito pretender el despido libre, con una protección de miseria como la española. Ahora propone que se alargue la edad de jubilación hasta los 67 años, que se aumente el número de años de cotización para el cálculo de la base reguladora, como han hecho Francia y Austria, o que se reforme “cuanto antes” el sistema de pensiones para que sea “menos traumático”. Pero lo es para mear y no echar gota, es que mister pitoniso ¡no en vano pretende que nos creamos, que ve crecer la hierba! es capaz de atisbar que para el 2025 quebrará la Seguridad Social. ¡Hay que joderse con el listo de los cojones! Sus gafas de madera no lo capacitan para ver más allá de sus cortas entendederas, pero se queda tan ancho, pronosticando a quince años vista. ¿Esa certeza, será acaso por inspiración divina, como suelen hacer sus hermanos los curas, impenitentes eruptadores de consignas retrógradas, los domingos, desde el púlpito de sus iglesias?

Excuso decir que me revientan estos vendidos meapilas.

El libro es de Juan Gelman “Debí decir te amo”

Las fotos pertenecen a puertos del mundo.

Barcelona

Madeira

Bonifacio

Porto Cervo

Bahía Marigot

Vernazza

Niza

Myconos

Gudhjem

Costa Azul

Sidney

Mónaco

Kyrenia

Coppenhage

Pigeon Point

Gustavia

Lerici

Hong Kong

Kikoto

St Julians  Malta

Victoria Brit

Belice

Tenby  Gales

“The view was like a vision described in novels; a tiny town that hovered on jagged cliffs and sparkling blue water, and by no means did the “visions” stop through out the day…” – Mary Paige Timberlake

I know you are all going to get sick of me saying this about everywhere I stop in Italy…but I LOVE Vernazza!! Vernazza is one of the middle towns in the Cinque Terre (the one pictured in my blog heading is Cinque Terre. Manarola though not Vernazza) and is one of the favorites of most people. Off the train you are dumped onto a main market street. There are pesto, wine, retail, and grappa shops all over. Vernazza consists of a pile of picturesque, pastel houses stacked up a cliff over looking the sea. All of the Cinque Terre towns are like this, but Vernazza is the shining gem. Laundry hangs from windows and secret sides streets tempt me constantly. I want to explore them all just to see what I discover.

Vernazza

We enjoyed a delicious dinner on the edge of the water. I had the best pesto pasta I’ve ever had. Pesto originated here I learn. It was magical sitting enjoying the amazing view I’ve seen a million times on postcards and pictures. I am having a hard time believing I’m actually sitting here rather than still gazing at a picture on my computer.

Prior to our delicious pasta we had bruschetta. The tomatoes are SO fresh and bright red. The icing on the cake was the tasty local wine. After enjoying a perfect dinner in a perfect setting we took a million and two photos on the rocks by the water of the sea, the town, and each other. It was so peaceful on the seaside rocks. The sun was now set so all the lights in town were twinkling. I just closed my eyes and heard the calm sea behind me and the cheerful noises of small crowds enjoying beer and wine at the tiny bar ahead.

Following a quick drink with the crowd mentioned above we stopped in a tiny little wine and pesto shop to prepare for the picnic we were planning the following day. Arlene and I each grabbed a bottle. Vino rosso for me, vino bianco for her. (At restaurants we do paper rock scissors to decide if we order white or red… Ryan is the beer drinkerg so he doesn’t get a vote. I do occasionally use his admission of a preference for red to my advantage. Heehee…)

Along with the wine, we grabbed a jar of that delicious pesto and then some limoncello grappa. I saw the lime green/yellow bottle and immediately thought of Marcello in the movie Under the Tuscan Sun. I had to try!

Limoncello & Cinque Terre's local pesto

We were early for the local train taking us back to Levanto, so we wandered into another little bar named Blue Marlin. The bartender was a cutie. I told him he looked like Ashton Kutcher and he said its the third time he’s heard that today. He had the floppy medium long hairstyle I’ve noticed many younger Itailan guys rock with. He told me he would make me a drink and minutes later I am enjoying a tasty vodka drink with fresh chopped strawberries and bananas.

Back in Levanto at about 11pm, we joined a crowd in a local wine bar for a bit, then wandered the streets some more. It is nice to be out of the big cities for a moment.

Night in Cinque Terre

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

Happy 5 yr Wedding Anniversary . I LOVE YOU BEAU!!!
Vernazza, Italy

Amazingly enough, eventually you will want to leave Vernazza and travel to Monterosso. One of the longest legs of this journey, this trip is graced by more gorgeous views, hikes through deeply forested areas, and this pretty, ice cold stream that offered me welcome refreshment about halfway through the hike.

Stream on Path to Monterosso

Finally arriving, after thousands of stairs and about 5 hours of hiking, you will see beaches an your 5th lovely town.

First view of Monterosso

Don’t be fooled, as I was, the town actually stretches all the way around the hill that you see onto the other side of the bay. The train station is on this other side, down a long boardwalk that is often filled with people shopping, going to the beach and having drinks or gelato. Spend some time wandering around Monterosso, especially in the spring or summer, because it is a really beautiful place with a lot of interesting architecture, shopping and an almost tropical mediterranean environment.

When it was finally time to leave, I waited for close to 2 hours for a very late train. Luckily I was surrounded by friendly tourists and enjoyed these gorgeous flowers. I hope you do too!

We left Barcelona early in the morning on September 6th and spent the entire day on trains.  The first train took us from Barcelona to Montpellier, where I found an internet café and was able to get us a room in Nice and touch base with the families for the first time.  On the train from Montpellier to Nice I somehow ended up sitting in the backwards seat and I hate that (okay…I lost rock, paper, scissors), but either way you face, the scenery along the way is breathtaking.

Once we got to Nice and checked in to our hotel, we ate dinner at L’Ybane.  We started with a big salad Nicoise that probably could have been enough — but we ordered more.  I had spaghetti with shrimp and Chris ordered a variety of mezes.  The restaurant seemed quite trendy but the food really was just average.  It was nice sitting outside though…and getting to hear a little French on this trip.  We strolled around after dinner, down to the water, then up to a place called Pinnochio for ice cream.  The next day, after a café au lait and pain d’ chocolate we boarded our first train of the day.  We stopped for a bit in Genoa and boarded a different train to La Spezia.  In La Spezia, we got on our last train of the day — the Regionale train that would take us to Vernazza.  

We finally make it to Vernazza– and it is simply wonderful.  When we arrived, we walked around the Piazza Marconi and located each of the places I had checked off in my guidebook as good lodging options, but they were all booked.  However, one of the people who had no rooms hooked me up with someone else who did have a room and, after checking it out, we agreed to take it.  It was perfect — Catarina Rooms.  The room is just off the square, through a passageway, up many steps. 

When you open the door you walk immediately up a bunch of steps and there was a bed, a sofa, a table and chairs, a bathroom, and a window looking out into the carruggioor alley between the buildings.  No TV,  no AC, and I wouldn’t have it any other way — both of those would be completely unnecessary here. 

After setting our stuff down we put on our swimsuits and headed out to the water.  Even though there’s no real beach — just big rocks going down to the water — it’s full of people.  There are kids and adults alike lounging in the sun and playing in the cold water.

The first night we ate at Ristorante al Castello.  First, this is the most amazing view I’ve ever enjoyed at dinner, surrounded by the sea, on a cliff…the floor was even sloping a bit.  I took this shot from the table (made Chris get out of the way).

This is looking out to my right.

Here is a view of the restaurant from the piazza — the red and green at the top.

We had delicious DELICIOUS anchovies marinated in lemon juice to start and a fantastic Vino de la Cinque Terre (white).  Already at this point I know that life is good.  For my main course I devoured a plate of pesto spaghetti and Chris had spaghetti “on the rocks” (shrimp, mussels, clams).  For dessert we shared a tiramisu-like cake — not really sure what it was, but the waiter told us we’d love it and we did.

On our first full day in the Cinque Terre, we woke up and enjoyed a pastry and cappuccino on the Piazza Marconi then took the boat over to Monterosso.  We had read this town was great for lounging on the beach and it did not disappoint. 

I took this photo from the boat as we were leaving Vernazza.

Getting further away from Vernazza…the hillsides are terraced and covered with grapes, tomatoes, lemons…

I took this photo in the direction of the other three Cinque Terre towns.

And now we are approaching Monterosso…

We rented two chairs and umbrellas and planted ourselves on the beach for the day, getting up occasionally to take a dip in the cold water — so invigorating — or to walk into town for nourishment.  For lunch we got a few slices of pizza from Il Fronteio.  Simple, and absolutely fantastic. 

We hiked back to Vernazza along the trail that connects all of the towns.  The hike was long, hot, and a little strenuous (lots of steps!!) but absolutely beautiful.  I know I keep saying that, but seriously, it is breathtaking here.  Here are some shots from the hike.

And here we have almost made it back to Vernazza…

We had dinner that night at Ristorante del Capitano on the square, and not to sound like a broken record, it was fantastic.  I don’t know if environment can make food taste better, or whether spending the day on the beach and then getting in a good hike can do the same, but it was fabulous.  Our waiter must have been in his 80s – he was this adorable old guy who started us off with a carafe of white wine which, he told us, ”I make-a myself.”  We started out with a fruti dimare plate — mussels, anchovies in lemon (I love what they do to anchovies here), stuffed anchovies, fried octopus, and seafood salad.  For the first time I realize I actually love octopus.  I have never liked it much before despite trying it many times — it has always been chewy.  Not this.  Not at all.  For my main course I had big raviolis filled with spinach and ricotta in a walnut sauce.  Chris had octopus with potatoes, olives, and butter and olive oil.  SO GOOD!  For dessert, we both had a sciacchetra, a local dessert wine (I must figure out how to get this here, oh my) and shared a panne cotta with strawberries and gelato with almonds and chocolate sauce (as the waiter said, “we make-a 2 times a day”).  Then the waiter, who would stop by every so often and say something like “You good?  You stay as long as you like” brought us two limoncinos — he said we had to try this as well because it was not so fancy and expensive as sciacchetra.  I like the sweet lemon too.    What a great dinner, and a great dining experience.  As we were winding down, we were lucky enough to catch a performance on the square — looked like all of the little girls in the town doing songs and dances for their families, including a song from the Little Mermaid in Italian.  It was great!  After dinner, we dragged ourselves up the many steps to our room and crashed, full and happy.

The next day started out exactly the same as the first day…after cappuccinos and pastries we took the boat to Monterosso, lounged in the sun, swam in the cold water, and ate pizza for lunch.  This time, however, we took the boat back to Vernazza.  After gelatos and a nap, we headed to Gambero Rosso for dinner, eager to see if our streak of amazing meals will continue.  Gambero Rossowas not quite as good as the other two dinners we’d had here, but in many ways I wonder how it could be.  The bar had been set really high.  We started out with a mixed seafood appetizer — five separate plates (anchovies with lemon, stuffed mussels, fried anchovies, and two others I forgot to write down).  For my entree I had five different fried fish.  As I write that down now I wonder how that could have been true — but, it’s what I wrote down!  I also wrote down that it was really only so-so.  Chris had a short pasta with pesto.  Also so-so.  We enjoyed sciacchetras after dinner and Chris had a cake soaked in sciacchetra and lemon ice cream with chocolate sauce.  I got a gelato from one of the many gelaterias off the square for my dessert and enjoyed it while strolling about.  Tonight is our last night in Vernazza.  I must figure out how to spend about three months a year here.  I feel as if I have arrived at a level of relaxation I have never before known.

One last thing I love about Vernazza– the cats.  Of course I took photos of them!  If you look closely in this first one, you’ll notice a sly cat who thinks we can’t see him sitting on the other side of the door.

I just noticed…is this the same one?

Even the cats are relaxed here.

The Cinque Terre — you relax, swim, sun, eat, drink, stroll, nap, there are no cars, no loud noises…can life get any better?