Cinque Terre

Yesterday was spent in the BEAUTIFUL area of Cinque Terre. The night before I went out to dinner with the ladies and had a delicious meal of pasta carbonara and garlicky spinach. The food came on plates lined with leopard and cheetah prints. Afterwards we went out dancing. I ended up getting in late and only got 4.5 hours of sleep before my 6:00 wake up call. I got my ritual Mcdonald's breakfast and then slept for two hours on the bus.

There are five towns in Cinque Terre (which means five lands), Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare. We went to Riomaggiore, Corniglia and Vernazza. We Walked from Riomaggiore to Corniglia over via dell'amore, or lover's lane. I thought it would be much more of a hike, but in reality it was just a path. I had actually been to Corniglia before with my family. I recognized the train station, the rock-jumping and the center square. 

I was so happy to share my previous experiences with my friends and point out the places I had been. We had lunch in the town, I shared mussels and an anchovy plate (fresh from the sea) with one of my roommates. For dessert we had the sweet I had been coveting, gelato with brioche. When Chloe saw the signboard for it she grabbed my arm so tightly in excitement. If you've been reading my previous posts, then you know I made a fool of myself explaining exactly what this delectable treat entailed to a man who did not understand exactly what I wanted. This time it was a pre-made, real thing! I had a sandwich with peanut, pistachio and chocolate gelato (I didn't want to regret not getting any flavors for this once in a lifetime chance!).

Afterwards we took the train from Corniglia to Veranzza where we went swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. The water was perfectly turquoise blue and I could easily see the bottom. It was also so salty that floating above the water was a breeze, which was a relief after all the water treading. On the way back everyone slept but me! I can't believe how amazing everything was! It was such a sleepy night, hence why I'm a day behind, but more fun adventures  will be posted tomorrow!