The Cinque Terre Cont.:
Saturday March 20:

The great adventure continues!! I am not sure why I have been perpetually waking up way too early, but I have. Once again, we met for breakfast at 8 a.m.. Luckily for Kayley and me, we arrived in time to snag the last two chocolate croissants. After a full stomach, we headed back out for another day of surprises. This time we were headed to Corneglia . The train ride lasted only a few minutes and we were there. Since we had finished there the previous day, it was back to the trail we went. This trail was more rigid and less unified than the previous two. The trail between Corneglia and Vernazza was the longest of them all, measuring roughly 4 kilometers. I now know I they were trying to ease me into the stretch with the previous “walks”. This was far from the kind of “walk” I was used to. Steeper and steeper inclines, uneven stones and the best of all… the most magnificent views; what a way to take your mind off your aches and pains. I could not have imagined that that would happen. It seems to me that this was a moment for reflection. This beautiful town was dew covered, calm and simple ( or so it appeared). It had me fooled – thank fully. As we walked, with the morning fading away, it became considerably warmer and the town became more lively and awake. This leg of our journey however took the longest time but it was worth it.

Vernazza is one of the cities of the Cinque Terre. It is one that sits at sea level unlike the others that are up in the mountains of ____. Vernazza is beautiful and quaint. We watched the waves as they powerfully splashed against the rocky shoreline. Kayley kept trying to get pictures of the waves in mid-motion. All this walking (hiking) had built up our appetites so we stopped for a little gastronomic diversion. We happened upon a foccacia shop – yummm. I had the onion foccacia though I’m not sure if it was because I was starving or not, or if it was because we were in Italy, but it was DELICIOUS. After the foccacia, it seemed only right to follow it up with gelato!! A cup of stratchatella and chocolate later… then top it off with a cappuccino (the gastronomic experience seemed to never end). All this and we were still holding out for the next city to stop for lunch. After thoroughly exploring the city of Vernazza, we moved on to our next city. To our disappointment, the path to Monterosso was closed due to recent bad weather. So, like any explorer would do, we chose a different route, via the train to Monterosso. This is another lower lying city situated right on the beach. We had worked up an appetite and Kayley’s dad had made reservations at a (Michelin Guide Book eatery ) “2 Forker”. We found the restaurant with little difficulty! RISTORANTE MIKY, fine dining at its best on the sea side. We ate like kings and queens, literally. I ordered lobster scampi, getting the unexpected! When my meal arrived, there was a small bed of lettuce under a HUGE, full lobster and four fully headed prawns. I had hoped that my lunch would be slightly less complicated but it didn’t really matter much. I greatly enjoyed the food and the companionship of Kayley and her parents. How else to top off a great meal, order dessert. We ordered crème puffs with chocolate and cherry sauce. Could eating get any better? I don’t think so. I’ve always heard it is best to take a walk after eating a great meal and this was no exception. As we walked, it was not hard to really look at the city and its beauty. I’ve never thought of myself as a particularly beach-needy person before until I didn’t have it available. This beach particularly drew me in and the rocks screamed by name. Kayley laughed at me because I kept putting rocks in my pocket. Once she asked me how many I had. There were too many in my pocket to fit in one hand! Hope the Italian government doesn’t find out that I’m taking a little bit of Italy home with me. Interestingly, walking around the city, I noticed many homes with ivy meandering its way up the walls. My impression of Monterosso was one of it being a very peaceful and welcoming place. It was not overpopulated with tourists or densely populated with residents. Everything had its place.

Inviting is the word that I would describe it to be. I would love to return again.

Around 4 p.m., we hopped yet another train on our adventure and headed back to La Spezia. We were all so exhausted from the full day we decided to have a cappuccino in the hotel bar and relax. Once back in our room, Kayley and I napped and napped. We then decided to watch some TV. While I’m not sure why, I suddenly felt a burst of energy (probably the cappuccino) and could not sit still. I begged her to do something with me…anything. She refused. We watched a little more TV. An Italian show about mermaids was on. Kayley will lie but she enjoyed it. When the show ended, I was once again bored. Never leave me alone when I’m bored. I decided to be creative and use some of the hotel shampoo and fill the sink with bubbles. Quite interesting I thought. I then took a shower cap, put it on my head and made myself into a Bubble Medusa. Kayley was incredibly impressed and laughed at me for a while. I could tell she wanted to be a Bubble Medusa too but I said NO, there is only one Bubble Medusa in this twosome. So…I then cleaned up the mess and went to bed.

I had a wonderful time with Kayley and her parents. What an adventure!!