cinque terre.

GIORNO VENTI

Today was a Cinque Terre kind of day!  Christina, Erika, and I woke up early and headed to the Santa Novella train station with Cole!  We took a bus from the station and two hours later we emerged onto the vast Mediterranean Sea.  After weeks of landlocked cities, seeing the sea was a perfect weekend getaway!  It was beautiful!  Although the sun wasn't out and it was a bit overcast, the water was a deep blue and the cities along the coast were so colorful and perfect.

The first city we visited was Riomaggiore, we didn't stay there long because apparently there isn't anything to do there, so we rolled outta there and headed by train to Manarola.  We had so much to do and so little time to do it, but there was a beautiful rock in the water that overlooked the city.  I love the colors of all the buildings... they complimented each other so well on the rocky coast, just like Christina and I do... we PI CHIS know how to stick together when the going gets going.

A few years ago, a mudslide ravaged some of the cities, leaving them in a sort of disarray and with a few of the hiking trails closed from city to city.  Therefore, we also took the train to the third city, Corniglia.  There we had about two hours to find lunch in this small city.  We didn't walk long because we smelled the pesto through the door and it called us in.  Christina and I ate together to let the Benefields enjoy their lunch together.  We both ordered a bowl of pesto gnochi and a little pear and ricotta cheese tort for dessert.  One annoying thing about money in Italy is that ALL they want are COINS!  Every place you go to wants, not only for you to pay in cash, but for it to be in coins.  We split a twenty-eight euro lunch and the man couldn't break a fifty!  The problem is, vendors always want coins, so I use coins, so I don't have them for the next vendor... it is truly a vicious cycle.

Corniglia

After lunch, Christina and I walked around the town and into the church at the top of the hill.  It is cool to see the way other people live.  Old ladies casually do laundry on their porches in front of one of the most gorgeous views I have ever seen... just folding laundry as if it were a normal day here.  No big deal.  The sad thing about the Cinque Terre is the decline in population.  The majority of the people that remain are elderly individuals who have lived there their entire lives, who farm on the terraced land above the cities.  They still remain on the Mediterranean diet and are in great shape, while their children move off to an easier lifestyle.  The towns will one day be a ghost town...           

From Corniglia to Vernazza, we hiked the 1.5 km trail right on the cliff.  It was a beautiful hike, that I have apparently trekked before, but my memory has failed me once again!  It was more difficult than I expected it to be, but in a good way, if that makes sense!  I was pleased at the level of challenge and enjoyed talking with everyone as if back at Adventure Treks, hiking along a mountainous trail.  The weather was perfect for a quick, but gradient hike.  It was rocky and I liked it a lot!  Besides the waiting around for the group at certain points in the day, the trip had been a really awesome experience!  It took about an hour and a half to hike along from the one city to the next, but by the time we got to Vernazza, I was a sweaty mess!  It wasn't even that far of a hike, but the warm(ish) temperature and the up and down of the trail made me sweat for the FIRST time since I have been in Italy since it has been abnormally cold here!  This is a good sign I hope?  

The Benefields holding up the cave

Corniglia from the hiking path

Anyway, at Vernazza, we treated ourselves to some gelato (duh) before walking underneath some cool cave-tunnel to the water!  It was the first time I had had the chance to touch the water so far and I was so excited!  We didn't have enough time to swim until the next city, but I was already getting pumped!  The water was cold, but nothing I couldn't handle... if I did it at seven, I could do it at twenty!  We headed back to the meeting area to take the ferry to the last city, Monterosso al Mare, where we could actually SWIM!!  We waited by the dock until our boat arrived to take us to the next city... when we go onto the boat we immediately went to the back so we could take pictures of Vernazza from the water.  Good decision!  Next to us was the most adorable sleeping dog ever.  The lady was just holding him like a baby and he was sleeping with a huge smile on his little scrunched up face.  It didn't even look real it was so cute!

Vernazza from the water!

When the boat docked in our final city, I was so excited because it was the beach... well not the beaches I am used to in Florida with the soft sand and warm water, but you know what I mean.  The beach was a pile of colorful, hard rocks with a deep greenish aqua tone.  I don't know what type of landscape I prefer, but it was gorgeous! 

The girls decided they wanted to nom at a bar by the sea, but my child within drew me to the water and I immediately jumped in by myself!  I skipped some rocks on the surf and collected lots of pretty rocks that I will probably regret lugging with me... oh well, I like them!  The others all watched me from the restaurant above, probably thinking I was crazy... it was, you guessed, WORTH IT!  It was definitely one of my happiest moments on the trip and I don't regret it even though I lost my breath for a minute or two in the cold water.  I adapted to it really quick though and luckily right after I got out, the sun started shining, keeping me warm!  It was a good day and I smiled a lot!  Don't miss out on the water, it is perfect! :)

The bus ride home was slightly chilly because my hair was still wet, but at least Tarah is nice enough to do the sleeping shoulder thing that Daniel and Scott never let me do!!  Brothers...

Ciao-Ciao