We left Cinque De Terre pretty early-GOOD RIDDENS! We loved the area and we loved our village. The scenery was beautiful and I adored the beach. However, our experience there was not as pleasurable as some others so we were ready to go some place new. Everytime we get into the car it is a new adventure that usually brings new stressors. Usually entering and exiting towns is stressful, especially for the driver. We took a left out of our hotel which should have been a right. However, we did not realize this until after driving through the narrow streets with markets all set up. My mom was driving through moving the lace table runners that were hanging from the individual tents with her car. People were giving her weird looks but it was not until we got to the end of the road that led to a walking trail up the mountain that we really knew we had gone the wrong way. These towns are not well marked and the signs are different than in America so it can be frustrating at times and it often feels like a guessing game. Well today, we guessed wrong. Once we got on our way we had to make our way back up and down the mountain on the small, curvy roads. It really is amazing how high we get on those roads and everything that you can see. At one point I could see the coast and I could see into two or three of the five villages. Of course I had to keep my mouth shut. My mom is afraid of heights so if she would have dared look over the edge we may have gone all the way down to the beach and probably not in one piece. Once you get on the highway the drive is fairly painless. This drive was beautiful. We saw many vineyards that had begun turning colors for the season and lots of flat, open fields. It was about a four hour drive to Venice. We did not stop for lunch but let me tell you I have never wanted a McDonalds so bad. They are everywhere but when you are in the towns it is not appealing. You want the fresh homeade pasta and pizza but on the road-I was craving a cheeseburger and fries from the Euro menu. We stopped for gas and we got some chips and a coke. Sometimes a girl has to take a break from the wine and drink a coke! Don't worry-Venice brings more wine....
Venice.
Once we arrived we had to park our car in one of the large garages and then take a shuttle bus. Then we had to get on a water bus to ride to our hotel. The water is so beautiful. The town is just spectacular. I love seeing all the boats and the beautiful buildings right off the water. The sun was beginning to set which made it all the more beautiful and romantic. Once we got on land we had to walk about five minutes to our hotel. It was not that bad. However, you have to remember we are all lugging 50 pounds of luggage. My grandma's luggage is the heaviest and she has a hard time dragging it behind her-especially when we come into contact with stairs and hills. Mama Mia! Take people seriously when they say to pack light unelss you can afford to pay someone to carry it for you! Once we got to our hotel they were so kind! They took our luggage up to our room for us and showed us a map of the city. Staying in a nice hotel makes a difference. These are long days and it is nice to come back to a comfortable room. We freshened up and went to dinner. I don't know if it was the romantic feel of Venice or the wine but my grandma was in a flirty mood. She is always commenting on the men here in Italy-noticing their eyes and there smiles but tonight she LOVED our waiter. He kept winking at her and she kept calling him Cutie Pie. She was all smiles and when we toasted she even toasted to a trip with more Cutie Pies! :) I had a wonderful spagetti dish with shrimp and some house wine. We enjoyed our time talking over our meal and then walked along the street for awhile before heading back to our hotel.
Today I was feeling a bit tired and ready to go home but after getting to Venice I think I can handle another week and a half just fine.
From our water bus.
On the water bus.
Favorite Things of Cinque De Terre
1) LOVED the beach
2) Pedro the City Kitty
3) Our time walking through Monterossa talking to the locals and chatting with other America tourists
Random Thoughts:
1) Taxi's sometimes will charge you extra to load and unload luggage (One taxi in Florence charged us an extra 5 Euros!)
2) You don't have to tip when you go out to eat but you usually get charged a service fee (usually only 1 Euro a person)
3) Breakfast is full of pastries - I don't understand how there are so many skinny people in Italy.
4) Water in not free at meals. Bread is usally not free.
5) You don't see many "take aways" (coffe to go, pizza to go...)
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