May 15
We are starting to adjust to the time change and were
actually able to get up before lunch time today. In fact we were up early
enough for a quick workout before catching the train to Cinque Terre. It was my
turn to program a workout and I fear what Marcus will come up with tomorrow… I
think he’s seeking revenge for the 200 squats from today. It was approximately a 4 hour train ride to Monterosso,
with stops in Florence and Pisa. Unfortunately they were “running stops”
meaning there was no time in between to explore either city. However Marcus
said he did get to see the leaning tower of Pisa through the window of the train
as we were pulling away; I suppose that will do until our next trip J
We arrived in Monterosso around 2pm and were greeted by a
sunny blue sky and stunning sparkling water. The feeling was immediately different
from that of Venice. As soon as we stepped away from the train station the pace
immediately decelerated. We strolled through the tunnel from the “New Village” to
the “Old Village,” stopping every few yards to take in our surroundings and
snap a few keepsakes. The tunnel itself is pretty interesting with mosaic tiles
forming large waves along its entire length. The town of Monterosso and its
siblings are UNESCO world heritage sites, preserved to maintain their original
charm and charisma. Despite floods that nearly wrecked Monterosso and left it
buried under 5 feet of water and mud last October the town is every bit as
charming as I had hoped for. The town is completely cleaned up and every shop,
restaurant, and Gelatteria is up and running again. However the scar left by
the flood is evident and impossible to ignore. While not obvious when you first
approach the town, as soon as you duck into her side streets or walk into a
church you’re reminded of the havoc that ensued just a few short months ago.
There are signs on the side of buildings showing before and after photos,
asking visitors to please be patient while they rebuild. We stepped into one
church whose walls were still stained a murky yellow from the flood; Marcus
stood next to the wall and the line reached all the way to his chest. It’s pretty remarkable how well this little
town has rebuilt itself in such a short period of time. Despite those tell-tell
signs of recent history the streets and buildings are clean and inviting, just
begging you to get lost in their charm.
We perused the town for a bit and eventually settled into a
beach front bar. We spent the rest of
the afternoon there soaking up sunrays and sipping on local concoctions. Like a
couple of noobs the first drink we ordered was a Limoncino, which we now know
is the how the Northern regions refer to Limoncello. It is a thick, sweet,
lemon infused after dinner drink.
After dinner? We haven’t even had lunch yet! Well we didn’t want to mess up the
order of the universe so we just had to order another drink and put that one
aside for now. We had a couple glasses of a local white wine and were served
complimentary hors d'oeuvres to munch on.
This little town and its 4 close siblings are the renowned birth place
of Focaccia and Pesto. The lovely beach bar graciously served up bite sized
variations of these delicious local celebrities and we delightfully relaxed the
afternoon away. We met an entertaining couple from Arizona and had a wonderful
time chatting with them and sharing notes on our recent Italian excursions.
As the sun set we said Ciao to our new friends and headed
over to the new side of the village for dinner and La Cantina Miky. We grabbed
a gelato on our way over to the restaurant and as I type this I’m not sure how
we haven’t gained 10 lbs yet. Truly our entire day was spent in complete
relaxation, with short walks between meals. It’s been wonderful. Tomorrow we
will do the infamous hike between the 5 villages and I suppose that’s where we
will make up for today’s indulges… or just make room for some new ones!
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