Cinque Terre-ific

When Katie and I travelled before heading to Rome, we used a Eurail pass to get around. Because of the type of pass we bought, we had 6 travel days to use within 2 months. During our pre-school travelling, we only ended up using 4 days so we had 2 left to use. Since time is winding down now in our 2 month limit, we figured it'd be best to use them. Thus, we decided on making two day trips-- one to Cinque Terre and one to Florence next weekend.

Cinque Terre stands for 5 towns and is located along the coast more north than Rome. It's attraction to tourists is the ability to hike between the 5 little towns. They offer different trails with some being more rigorous than others. We opted to take the scenic trail along the coast line.

The hike between the first town and the second was a quick and painless one. It merely lasted 20 minutes and had a paved sidewalk throughout. I was anticipating on this "hike" being a little more authentic than just walking along a paved sidewalk. So at this point I was a little bummed. I was also bummed that the second to third town hike was currently closed off due to a possibility of a landslide. Bummer. So this part of the hike turned into a crammed train ride and within being at Cinque Terre for 45 minutes, we were already at the third town.

Lucky for me, the hike between the third and fourth town was more authentic. There were steep inclines, narrow paths, crossing over little streams, branches in the way, etc. I loved every minute of it. I got to see spectacular views, reflect the situations I've been encountering, and get a great workout. (My legs are still sore 2 days later.) At the fourth town, Katie and I took a break for lunch. I opted to get a pesto lasagna since Cinque Terre is known for their pesto. It was decent; I think the restaurant was more of a tourist trap with overpriced items for what they distributed. Oh well... you win some and you lose some.

At this point Katie wanted to be done with hiking, but I wanted to continue since it was what we came here to do. Plus, I really wanted to make it to the last town for the thought of accomplishment. We decided to part ways, and I would continue to hike, turn around half way and meet her back in the fourth town. This part of the hike ended up giving me the best view yet on the trail so I'm glad I went! When I neared the time of when I'd have to turn around and make my way back, I really wanted to keep going and make it to the last town. I had already gotten about half way there. I would have cut it close with time though, and I didn't want to worry Katie, so I made my way back knowing that the fifth town will have to wait until another time.

While in Cinque Terre, I did notice one odd thing. I heard more American English in Cinque Terre than I've heard during the rest of my time here. Had I not known better, I would have thought I was in city in the United States with tourists from other countries coming there. It was a bit bothersome to hear so much; it made my head hurt. Cinque Terre is definitely an American tourist attraction.

I do recommend going. We saw people of all ages and sizes there! Therefore, anyone can complete it! Quite a few women were complaining to their husbands though about the trek and had to make frequent stops. Rather comical. MANY MANY uneven stairs, but the views and workout make it all worth it in the end.

This coming Saturday we're going to head to Florence for the day. On Sunday there are 6 people being canonized (becoming saints) in the Catholic church so I'm going to go scope out the Vatican City and hope to view the ceremony for that.