September 11th, Venezia - Cinque Terra (Italy)

September 11, 2006
Venezia – Cinque Terra (Italy)

First of all, I have to give props to Ean for spotting the boobies in the beach picture. I kind of wondered if anyone would notice that. Once I get back I will show you the full resolution and you can zoom in real close....hehehe!

This morning we got up at 6:30. We grabbed our bags and went downstairs to check out of our hotel. Once we got downstairs we were confused because no one was working the front desk and the front door was locked, we could not get out. We waited for about 15 minutes. Just as I was reaching across the manager’s desk to grab his keys, he came in. We paid our bill and then he unlocked the door and let us out.

We made our way to the train station, which was only about 200 meters away. Once there we grabbed some breakfast. Train station food continues to amaze me. I had 3 croissants that were phenomenal. As we finished our breakfast we jumped on a train heading to Milan (Milano).

We had lunch (which included Milano cookies!) at the Milan train station and hung out there until our train left for La Spezia (a little over an hour). We headed to La Spezia because it is the closest major station to Cinque Terra (for those that do not know, Cinque Terra is a cluster of five small villages along the coast near Geneva). It was scheduled to be another three-hour train ride. However, we had a one-hour delay as we left the station. In the end, it was the perfect situation for a nice long nap.

Upon arriving we headed to a bus stop to catch a bus to our hostel. The hostel is located in the mountains in a small town called Basilia. As we waited for the bus, we met two girls from Indiana who were headed to the same hostel. We all waited together. We waited and waited (for 1.5 hours). Just as we were about to split a cab, the bus arrived.

The bus ride to Basilia was an experience. The driver seemed as if he wanted to make up for lost time and took some hairpin turns very at breakneck speed. Peter, B, and I all were standing and had to hold onto the railing in the bus to keep from bouncing off the other passengers. Every now and then I would test I balance and see how long I could go without falling over. Once we arrived we realized that the entire day of travel was well worth it, the hostel is located up on the hillside and has a magnificent view of La Spezia and is only a short ride to Cinque Terra.

After checking in and dropping off our bags we caught a bus to Cinque Terra. The girls from Indiana and two girls from Canada joined us. Once we arrived at our destination we all went our separate ways. We watched the sunset and then headed down to the water and went for a quick swim. The beach was quite rocky but the water was very refreshing. Surprisingly, while at the water, we met all four of the girls staying at our hostel.

We decided to cruise around as a group and get some dinner before catching the bus back to our hostel. We ended up at an outdoor café. Obviously, we all ordered Italian food. We were disappointed to find that it was not fresh, but microwaved. Still, it was good and it was cheap. After splitting a bottle (or two) of wine, we jumped on the little green bus that took us up the hill.

It is time for a goodnights sleep as we have a long hike through the five cities tomorrow. I am also going to look into some scuba diving. I anticipate that it will be too expensive but I am holding out hope….