Cinque Terre

If there is one place I am going to tell anyone thinking about traveling to Italy that they must see it is Cinque Terre.  I knew from the photos that it was going to be a beautiful place, but the photos do not do it justice.  The water was a crystal clear sapphire blue that reminds me of the Caribbean surrounded by plush green mountains connected by hiking trails.  Each trail ends in a new waterfront city with boutique shops and quaint restaurants.  For the adventurous type, you could spend every minute of your day discovering new trails that will lead you to scenic views, each a little more majestic then the last.  For the beach lovers, you could sit under an umbrella not moving for days while being waited on hand and foot.  And for those looking for an escape, you could get away with doing nothing but getting lost in a book enjoying the cool sea breeze listening to the waves crash and the birds chirp. 

We did a little of it all.  We spent a full day traveling to get to Cinque Terre even though it should have only taken a few hours.  We got caught up in another train strike that altered our plans quite a bit.  We ended up getting rerouted on any train we could jump on that wasn’t on strike and ended up in La Spezia.  There we were stuck.  We had no way of getting to the coastal town of Monterosso, which is where our room was.  Luckily we met a pleasant couple from Australia who was trying to reach the same destination and we ended up sharing an expensive cab ride.  It was worth it when we were able to put our stressful travel day behind us and unwind with new friends over a beer.  We chatted for a few hours and exchanged information.  We now have a home to stay in when we make our journey down under.  (Another trip Logan and I discussed doing prior to starting a family.)

The next morning we woke up before the sun to hit the trails while it was cool and less crowded.  Fortunately for me, the best trail is the one that connects our town with the neighboring city of Vernazzo.  It was a 2.5 hour hike through the mountains all along the coast so we always had views of water.  This was noted as the most difficult and longest of the various hikes to chose from which Logan was less then thrilled about.  Even though the morning’s excursion proved to both of us how out of shape we are, the views were worth it.

We arrived in Vernazzo before 9 a.m. as the town was just waking up.  We enjoyed cappuccino and croissants and were pleased that we had an entire day ahead of us with no agenda.  We took advantage of our lazy day by spending the afternoon reading on our private terrace, napping to the quite sounds of the water and taking a long leisurely lunch watching the people enjoying the beach.  In the evening we shared a bottle of wine on the terrace while staring up at the black sky glittering with more stars then I’ve ever seen.  We talked about everything and nothing.  It was the perfect break we needed in the middle of our trip, especially after the two hectic crowded cities we just left.