Italy Day Three

March 8

Got up and had breakfast at the hotel. I had chocolate again. Uber-wonderful. Ann and I met Hayley and her friend, Kelly, at the train station and headed to Cinque Terra, about a three hour train ride northeast. It is a chain of five fishing villages on the coast. They are connected via trains, boats and hiking trails. Many people from around the globe come here to hike the rocky, yet beautiful terrain. This is said to be some of the most beautiful coastline in Italy and we were not disappointed.


The views were absolutely amazing. The way the villagers have literally carved their homes and lives out of the sea-side cliffs is awe-inspiring. So much of nature's beauty is left undisturbed and pristine. I have never seen anything like it. I found myself trying to imagine what it would be like to live and work in this dichotomy of paradise and hardship.


I had not slept well the previous night and was extremely tired. I was afraid that I was dragging the group down, but I did my best. We stopped for lunch in one of the villages and dined outdoors. The owner was the cutest little Italian man, who was quite taken with our blond Kelly and her mastery of the italian language. Lunch was relaxing and fun. Then we headed for the next village.

We ended up seeing four of the five villages. Hayley had to get back for a mandatory viewing of the "Vagina Monologues" for one of her classes, so we were a bit pressed for time. We took off for Florence around 4 or so. The train was packed and Hayley, Kelly and I ended up giving up our seats for some older Italian women. Luckily, quite a few people exited over the next few stops and we got to sit for the remainder of the ride.

When we arrived in Florence, Hayley dashed off to the performance while Kelly helped Ann and I obtain some snacks and catch the bus back. Her host family lives very near our hotel, so that worked out well. After a bedtime snack of wine, cheese, crackers and pringles, Ann and I hit the hay.