My latest trip was to the lovely towns that comprise Cinque Terre. I was lucky enough to get to meet up with the people I met in Munich and spend a few days there. If you are unfamiliar with Cinque Terre, it is 5 towns on the coast of Italy that are now a national park. The towns are all connected by a set of trails, so it's possible to hike from one end to the other.
It was nice and different to be traveling with other people again. I'm so use to doing exactly what I want to do when I want to do it. Not that I probably would have done anything that much differently if I had gone by myself. Though there are some pros to traveling alone, it was really nice to be able to have people to talk to consistently and laugh with.
The first day, much to our disappointment, we found out that most of the trails were closed because they've been having landslides. We did not get to go on the famous Via dell'Amore or several of the other trails that connect the towns.
That did not, however, stop us from going to the beach! It was warm that day. Not exactly the kind of hot weather you want for the beach, but it was warm enough for us to don our suits and jump in (briefly--the water was COLD). The boys, Zac and Dusty, went all the way under, while I opted to keep my hair dry.
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| Sweet Victory. |
The next day we ended up going for two hikes and the views were BEAUTIFUL! I didn't really appreciate the beauty of the area until I was above the towns. The towns themselves are only okay.
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| View of Vernazza on the hike! |
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| The trails were very tame, but the walk was steep! |
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| Our first glimpse of the destination, Corniglia! |
That night, we ended up having to take another unplanned hike. We wanted to visit some friends that they had made in Rome and found out when we got to the other town that the normal path was closed. This meant we had to hike up to a monastery in the dark and back down the other side. Thanks to cell-phone flashlights and a bright moon we had more than enough light to see.
The views of the town lit up was beautiful. Emily really accurately described them: "They all look like candles."
Unfortunately, I left the house without my phone and camera, so I didn't get any pictures. Instead, I stole one from the internet. It's not exactly the view we got--ours was better--but you'll get a sense of it.
I'm not exactly recommending walking around the trails at night per se, but it was a very cool thing to see. If you are ever in Italy, Cinque Terre MUST be one of your stops.
I have complied another section of "Things I've Learned"
- I am not very sensitive to cold weather. Comparatively. As the weather has warmed, I have started shedding layers (and not just because I lost my winter coat). Most days I am comfortable in my jacket. Everyone else remains firmly bundled in their winter wear. For example: Easter was beautiful: sunny, windless and over 60 degrees. I sat outside for several hours reading and writing. I started in sweats but eventually shed layers down to a t-shirt and shorts because it was really warm in the sun. Everyone looked at me like I was actually out of my mind. When we went to church, I saw people still wearing their winter gear as if it was below freezing. Never in my life have I felt so well adjusted to cold weather.
- Seat belts are a "silly American habit" when riding in the backseat. Apparently. I still firmly wear mine.
- Americans have big cars for a reason. Namely, when your entire family wants to go somewhere, you can all fit comfortably instead of being packed in for several hours.
- Chocolate-Pear cakes is pretty great (meaning the chocolate cake actually has slices of pears in it). I am not as big of a fan of chocolate and orange that get paired together a lot here.
- Italians don't dye eggs nor do they do Easter Egg Hunts which is sad. This was the greatest lamentation of my Easter. NO Easter candy, no nothing (although my mom allegedly sent me some). We did have a very nice lunch, but it wasn't the same. And, of course, Easter isn't about the candy or eggs. I just missed them.
- Italians have developed the ability to drink freakishly hot things. Whenever we make tea, they always finish their scalding drink before I can even sip mine! And often times I still burn my tongue. I have to imagine they have seared off all their tastebuds.
- I found where I'm having my wedding reception. It's the dancing hall in the Northern Italian version of Versailles. You can host an event there for the small sum of 20,000€. So dad, start saving.
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| 20,000 Euro? That's it? I'll send my servants over in the morning the begin the preparations. |
- I said this in Versailles (and though I was laughed at, I hold firm that it is an excellent idea). Palaces should have actors dressed up as characters who use to live in the castle. For example: You could see Marie Antoinette in Versailles. Or the Sun King or whomever in whatever royal dwelling you visit.
- Spring has not sprung yet in Italy. Sure, the weather is mild and it rains all the time but nothing is blooming yet. There aren't even little buds on trees. It still looks like winter outside even if it doesn't feel like it. It's very depressing. And despite all the rain, there are no thunderstorms. I miss the storms, just like I knew I would.
The last thing I've learned is a little longer and maybe more important, so I have given it its own section:
My Italian family does a great job of spending quality time together. They have dinner together every single night, and dinner tends to last at least half an hour, usually about 45 minutes. And on the weekends we have a sit down lunch and dinner together. It took me a while to realize what a big deal this is because my real family was able to eat several meals a week together but never that consistently or for so long.
It's not like they're not busy: both David and Vanda work full time and Nico and Elisa are both on sports teams, but this nightly dinner still happens easily. They're just not as busy as most Americans seem to be. Each of the kids is in one or two extracurricular activities, not five or 10.
Now I am not criticizing anyone. I thoroughly enjoyed being really busy in high school and college, packing almost my entire day with productive activities and homework. And I know that to be competitive in scholarships, college and jobs you have to be involved in a million things, but it's been really great to see what a family can be like, how close they can be, if they do something like this every day. I really think it does help them stay close and connected.
The next major trip I have planned isn't until the end of April when MY DAD IS COMING!! Yay! We're going to Florence. I am going to try to sneak in a small trip or two in the mean time. Until then,
Ciao Bella!
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