Cinque Terre - Day 3

The hike to Monterosso we beautiful, but much longer than I expected. Of course it was a breeze for Ryan, but I have never enjoyed hiking. I am extremely glad we did this hike, but it was exhausting for me. The views were spectacular.

Vernazza From Hike

Vernazza From Hike

Vernazza From Hike

Vernazza From Hike

Monterosso from Hike

Monterosso is the largest of the 5 villages and the only one with a true beach. We had lunch on the beach and then began exploring. Monterosso in broken into tow sections by mountain with a tunnel connecting each side. We really loved the old town section of Monterosso and imagine that on our next trip to Cinque Terre we will spend more time here. There was one tiny little square that we fell in love with so we decided to sit and enjoy a couple of glasses of local wine. Italian music was playing in the background - it was a perfect afternoon.

We had decided earlier that day to go back to Vernazza for dinner. We went to a small restaurant near the water that had a long history as part of the village. The food was, of course, fantastic. We loved what we ordered but after seeing what the next to us ordered we wished we had done the same. The owner, and older man who always wore a crocheted hat, even in photos of him from years back hanging on the wall, brought out a pan with a long, course sea salt log. He began chipping away at the log to reveal a whole sea bass. Once the salt was removed he cleaned and filleted the cooked fish serving each person at the table from the pan. It was so much fun to watch and I really wanted to get my fork and take a bite. After dinner, Ryan went for a walk with the camera and got some great photos of Vernazza as the lights were coming on. It was a great way to end our last night in Italy.

Cinque Terre - Day 2

The next morning was rainy and chilly. We decided to take the train to visit the next town over and work our way down the coast to the three towns below Vernazza. We started our morning in Corniglia which is the smallest of the five towns. Many people bypass this one since it is so small and is perched on the hilltop, not connected to the coast. We wanted to see them all. Of course, I opted for the bus from the train station instead of the 416 stairs or the steep road walk up to the village. Even in the rain, the views were spectacular. Ryan and I like quiet little places and we really enjoyed Corniglia. We didn't mind the rain that had turned into only a heavy mist by now - it gave a different light to the village and surrounding mountains. After about an hour wandering around, taking photos, and drinking coffee, we took the bus back down to the train station and traveled on to Manarola.

We really enjoyed our time in Manarola. By the time we arrived the rain had moved out and we were able to enjoy walking on the trails surrounding the village. Although the main trails connecting the villages were closed, there are many other trails in the area and there is a high path that connects the villages. We were able to get much higher than the city and had some great views, but getting down was very tough for me. Everything was wet from the rain over the night and that morning and some of the steepest sections of the trails had makeshift stone steps that were uneven, wet, and some were very high for my short legs! But with a lot of help from Ryan we made it down without any problem! We decided to have lunch in Manarola, anchovies for Ryan, pasta with a walnut cream sauce for me - both are local specialities. After lunch the water had calmed down enough for them to open the bot shuttle to the next town, so instead of a train we got on the boat and visited the last village of the day, Riomaggiore.

Riomaggiore is the second largest village in Cinque Terre. Just like the other towns, we took our time strolling through the town and making our way to the highest point for the views. Along the way we found an older man and a young boy kicking the soccer ball. They decided to include Ryan in their game which was so much fun. When we found our way to the top of the top at the highest point there were two chairs. We sat and watched the sun begin to drop in the sky for a while before working our way back to the train station (not without stopping for a glass a wine on the way)!

Once back to Vernazza we gathered some food and decided to have a picnic in our room. We (I) were very tired and the following morning we were tackling the trail from Vernazza to Monterosso!

Cinque Terre - Day 1

Cinque Terre...very beautiful but very exhausting (except for Hubband of course!)

Cinque Terre was our primary destination in Italy. A beautiful region of the Italian coast with five small towns scattered in the hills. The original plan was to hike from town to town (as most people do) but all but one of the trails were closed. That was probably ok because that one trail may have been enough for me. I don't enjoy hiking, not even in Italy, but I am very glad we did this hike.

The weather forecast looked like we would have rain almost every day of our stay in this region which would have been disappointing. We actually only had rain the first morning and had sun for most of our stay. The temperature was much cooler than we expected, but that was okay - it helped with the hike :)

We really didn't know what to expect on this part of our trip. Cinque Terre is so small and so remote that it is difficult to find much information on the internet. It was not difficult, however, for a lot of other tourists to find the region and was a little more crowded than we expected, especially since we were traveling before high season. However, we instantly loved our little town - Ryan was very excited that the whole place smelled like anchovies - he couldn't wait to eat his weight. This is also the area that attributed with creating pesto, so we knew that there would be great food - we were right! Many of the restaurants would serve seafood that had been caught just outside of the town that day. We saw many fisherman coming in with their spears, although the water was too choppy to see many boats. The town we selected as our home base was Vernazza which was a maze of tiny streets (barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side) and a lot of stairs, but incredibly beautiful. Our room was simple, but clean and comfortable. We arrived early afternoon and spent the day wandering around and, of course, eating great food.

After having a great pesto pizza for dinner (Pizza King idea for when we get home!!) we settled in to get some for the next day's itinerary.

Florence

Our trip didn't start exactly as planned with my flight and arrival delayed almost 12 hours, but once it got started everything went as planned and has been incredible.

The first day in Florence Ryan spent alone while I was stuck in the Amsterdam airport. He got settled into the hotel and enjoyed the afternoon exploring the city and finding a great spot for us to have dinner. From the first day great food became a huge part of our trip.

Since we lost a day together in Florence we decided to forgo the museums and spend the one remaining day walking around the city. The weather was beautiful, a little cool, but really nice and we didn't want to spend our one day inside. We spent the morning walking around the Duomo and across the Ponte Vecchio before finding our way to the hills above the city with an incredible view. We spent some time sitting and enjoying the view and the cool breeze before coming back into the city for lunch.

After lunch we continued to walk around the city finding new sights around every corner. We eventually settled on a great little terrace cafe in one of the many squares in Florence with snacks and a bottle of wine (people watching of course), before heading to our room to begin getting ready for dinner.

Ryan had found this restaurant close to our hotel the night before and had a great dinner experience there. I am very glad he found this place - the food was delicious and the wine was incredible. We had a wonderful three hour dinner (just our speed) and enjoyed every bit. While almost all of the food I have had on this trip has been great, I think my salmon ravioli with preserved lemon sauce at this restaurant has been my favorite dish.

After dinner we had another walk around the city to see the lights and of course have some gelato on the Duomo steps. While it was not exactly what we had planned for Florence, we had a great time together and really enjoyed our stay.

Now on to Cinque Terre!!!

Catching Up...

It has been a busy few weeks! I haven't had much down time to keep up on the blog, and when I did have time I was so tired. With nine days left I think I am finally beginning to feel more like myself after a very busy couple of weeks.

The highlight of this week has been catching up with Montse. Ryan and I had dinner with her and Rachid and their friend Angels last Friday. As always, it was a great night with a lot of laughter. Rachid and Ryan are quite a pair.

Since then, I have seen them several times. Monday I went with Montse to her salsa dancing class. While I only watched most of the time it was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I learned very little other than how to count to three in Spanish but maybe I will need to find a salsa class at home then come back to Montse's class sometime :)

After salsa, we went to Barcelonetta, a Barcelona neighborhood on the beach, for dinner. This area always reminds me of the movie Grease, it feels like stepping back in time. We had dinner at a hole in the wall seafood place that Montse and Rachid enjoy. Everything there is deep fried, not everything is battered, but everything is fried, even the tomatoes. Of all of the food we have had on this trip, this is the only place that I really did not enjoy - except for the company of course! Montse wanted to take me last year but we couldn't get a table. It stays packed every night with people who live in the area - it was a great experience, just not my kind of food.

Montse, Angels, and Me

Monste and Rachid

Wednesday, I met them at a place called Lolita's, another neighborhood restaurant closer to where they work. Lolita's is a tapas restaurant and the food is incredible. Tuna, tomato bread, great cheeses. Everywhere we go we order several things, usually small plates, and share. I am just now beginning to convince them to let me pay for my meals - but it is always a battle! After dinner on Wednesday we went back to Montse's apartment. We picked up Rachid's nephew from Norway on the way. He's staying with Rachid for a month before going to Morocco for a couple of months. Rachid's family is originally from Morocco and moved here when he was four. Most of his family lives here (all in the same building) but one brother lives in Norway and one is still in Morocco.

Sardine Sandwich - I did not share this small plate!

Every Thursday, Montse and two of her friends go to a "funky jazz" dance class and then have dinner after. Last night I met them for dinner. There were five of us (again with small plates and sharing) - it was a lot of fun having a girls night out :)

Today I will meet Montse and Angels for lunch in the area of Barcelona where Angels lives. This neighborhood was once an industrial area but the warehouses have been converted to lofts and shops.

We have several more things planned while I'm here - dinner at a Moroccan restaurant, a day trip to Figueres (the town where Dali lived), and a blind wine tasting and dinner at the restaurant where Ryan and I went for my birthday. This is the main reason I wanted to come back to Barcelona for a few weeks this summer - to reconnect and spend time with Montse and Rachid!

I hope to also get caught up on the blog. I will go back and start from the beginning - but it may take a while! In the meantime, I will keep posting photos on facebook.