Day 51: Cinque Terre

     Today I woke up at 6:15 am because I had to catch a train to Cinque Terre! Shelly and I took a train that stopped in Pisa and then we were supposed to get a connecting train, but it never showed! We ended up having to buy a new ticket and pay an extra sixteen euros. Oops!

     Cinque Terre is five "lands" that have paths as well as trains connecting them. It's a tourist spot, and probably one of the most beautiful places I have and will ever experience.

     We finally got there in one piece and started in the first town, Riomaggiore (La Spezia). You could walk down to the water's edge and see all the boats. I couldn't get over how colorful the houses are here, the pictures I took couldn't even do this place justice!

     Between the first and second towns is the most famous tourist spot: the Via Del Amore. This is where all the locks are and where people carve their names into plants. It's super romantic, and of course Shelly and I had to leave some kind of mark on the town!

     This walk led to Manarola, the second town. This town is kind of boring. Sadly, we missed the train and so we decided to have lunch here. I got a super fresh, green pesto and pasta. Maybe it was worth getting stuck here after all...?

     Shelly and I took the train to the third town, Corniglia. There was a giant hill to get to the actual town; the walk was pretty strenuous. When we were about halfway up, a bus passed us. Apparently you could get a bus up the hills... The walk was well worth it though once you got to see the views. However, there wasn't really anything to actually do when you got up there.

     The fourth town, Vernazza, was tied for my favourite. There were beaches, shopping, gelato, and everything you could hope for in this little town. Shelly and I decided to embark on an intense hike to the final town. These were the most beautiful views. The sun was bright, the water was glistening, and Vernazza looked so bright and lively from above. The hike took about an hour twenty minutes.

     Monterosso, the last town, also had a beach. I wish we had had more time in this town, but Shelly and I had to go back home to Firenze, as it was getting late. I got a call from my mom while I was here, telling me I could come home to the states for Fall Break! I was so excited; today was just absolutely perfect.