Cinque Terre

We've been in Monterosso on the Cinque Terre for the past 2 days. The Cinque Terre is a portion of the Italian Riviera that consists of 5 small villages. Monterosso is the one we stayed in, but they are all unique. I'm pretty sure it's been mom's favorite place. She keeps saying how she doesn't want to leave and how beautiful it is. She says she wants to come back with dad one day and get to know it better and see the other villages. It is definitely very beautiful here. I set this trip up to see places, and things that I studied in school. I knew I wasn't going to really get familiar with any once place. So the good thing about this trip is that we are seeing a lot of places and a lot of really awesome things, but we aren't staying anywhere long enough to really get to know a town and do everything in it.

So, after the horror of the first day we got here, it's been nice in Monterosso. Yesterday, Wednesday, we went to the beach and hung out, swam and walked around for a while. The water is so blue and clear and the sand is smooth rocks, or ground up rocks. The coast line is gorgeous. It's very hot here, especially compared to Venice, but it cools off at night. The water is pretty chilly. After we left the beach, we got some food and gelato and decided to do some hiking towards the next town. It was already kind of late, so we knew we wouldn't get all the way there. We had to move to a different place to stay and buy me a bathingsuit that morning, so we got kind of a late start. The hike up there was really pretty too, there were some overlooking views of the water, and you also walked by a lot of vineyards and lemon trees and that sort of thing. I wouldn't want to do it in the heat of the day though. We ate dinner at a place on the harbor that Rick Steves (who mom thinks is a god, if Rick Steves said it was a good idea to jump off a certain cliff, mom would probably want to try it) recommended, and it turned out to be good for once! I got some kind of pasta with swordfish in it, and mom got something called black and white pasta with muscles. And when I asked for ice, they gave me a whole bowl! Wonderful. The second place we stayed in had a really beautiful view, but it sure was a hike to get up there. They served us a really great breakfast this morning, lots of fresh fruit, breads, pastries, and of course coffee and tea. A good thing I can say about Italy is that in most of the places we've stayed, they provide breakfast for you, which has been really nice.

Today we are going to Nice, France. From the Italian riviera to the French riviera. I thought I would never want to leave Italy, but that isn't the case. I'm ready to move on. When I have more internet time, I'll write the good and the bad of Italy, from what I've experienced. We've seen some really, really amazing stuff here, and I'm very thankful that we had the opportunity to do so. I still don't have any clothes, and it still makes me angry when I think about what happened. When I get on this train to Nice, if anyone even looks at my bag, they will get the most evil look they have ever seen in their entire meaningless existance. If looks could kill, they would be dead before they could even blink again, or before another thought could cross their corrupt mind. If anyone touches my stuff, they will get an elbow to the throat, or a foot to the balls, no hesitation. :) That's all. Looking forward to Nice!

Best things about yesterday: experiencing the beauty of Monterosso and eating some good food.
Worst things about yesterday: still not having any clothes.