Cinque Terre, or otherwise known as “Five Lands”, was probably the best way to end our summer. Of course, it is fall here but the weather could have fooled us. It is still hot, humid and musty. As a part of our program, we had the opportunity to go to Cinque Terre last weekend. It’s unlike Jacki and me to refuse a free trip, so we packed our bags and kept an open mind. We have learned that we cannot have any expectations when we do things here, because things don’t always turn out how we want them to.
We arrived in a cute little hotel in Levanto on Saturday and immediately hopped on the ferry to Manarola. The beauty of Cinque Terre is that it consists of five cliff side towns which are only accessible by train or ferry. Manarola is probably the most beautiful. I could be biased though, since it is the only one we visited. When we stepped off the ferry, we turned the corner only to see a swarm of kids jumping off rocks into the water. It was like paradise for a person my age. Everyone made their way to the water, stripping as they went (sorry Dad, I was one of them). We swam, drank and took pictures to show the world what a great time we were having. Even I was guilty of snapping a few selfies (I’m not proud of it). The wind dried us off as we sat on the ferry, watching the sunset. That night we splurged on a seafood dinner. Cinque Terre is known for pesto and their seafood. There were times on the walk home from the restaurant where I almost slipped into a food coma.
The next day, we woke up to the sound of church bells in Levanto. Actually....they rang ALL NIGHT LONG. We had a tough time figuring out what to do in such a small town. All conversations led to one outcome: hiking. Since I am not particularly keen on making my way up a mountain in sandals, I opted for an easier route. I followed Jacki into town, where we stumbled upon a long stretch of tunnels that ran parallel to the ocean. If we couldn’t hike up the mountain, we might as well go through it. The tunnels were breezy and dark. They served as our relief from the many tourists.
To sum up the trip, it was gorgeous and relaxing. If you go, go with a great group of friends because it does make a difference. No matter what the weather is like, find the time to hike and swim. Lastly, take a ton of pictures. You don’t see places like Cinque Terre every day. Trust me, you will want to remember what it looks like.
We arrived in a cute little hotel in Levanto on Saturday and immediately hopped on the ferry to Manarola. The beauty of Cinque Terre is that it consists of five cliff side towns which are only accessible by train or ferry. Manarola is probably the most beautiful. I could be biased though, since it is the only one we visited. When we stepped off the ferry, we turned the corner only to see a swarm of kids jumping off rocks into the water. It was like paradise for a person my age. Everyone made their way to the water, stripping as they went (sorry Dad, I was one of them). We swam, drank and took pictures to show the world what a great time we were having. Even I was guilty of snapping a few selfies (I’m not proud of it). The wind dried us off as we sat on the ferry, watching the sunset. That night we splurged on a seafood dinner. Cinque Terre is known for pesto and their seafood. There were times on the walk home from the restaurant where I almost slipped into a food coma.
The next day, we woke up to the sound of church bells in Levanto. Actually....they rang ALL NIGHT LONG. We had a tough time figuring out what to do in such a small town. All conversations led to one outcome: hiking. Since I am not particularly keen on making my way up a mountain in sandals, I opted for an easier route. I followed Jacki into town, where we stumbled upon a long stretch of tunnels that ran parallel to the ocean. If we couldn’t hike up the mountain, we might as well go through it. The tunnels were breezy and dark. They served as our relief from the many tourists.
To sum up the trip, it was gorgeous and relaxing. If you go, go with a great group of friends because it does make a difference. No matter what the weather is like, find the time to hike and swim. Lastly, take a ton of pictures. You don’t see places like Cinque Terre every day. Trust me, you will want to remember what it looks like.