Spring Break Part 5 (Days 15,16,17)

Still recovering from the whirlwind trip of Italy, we are here to update you with the next leg of our journey.

Day 15:

With the gelato sitting heavily within our stomachs, we took off for paradise. Before making it there, however, we had a much anticipated, and purely touristy, stop in Pisa. Our plans? Walk to the Leaning Tower, climb up, take funny pictures, and leave. We did exactly that.

We had booked our non-refundable tickets in advance in order to ensure our access to the top of the Tower. Knowing there could be lines and no room, we bit the bullet and payed way too much money for advance tickets. A little part of me worried, however, due to the non-refundable nature of these tickets. I worried because I was told the tower often closed in bad weather. No worries though right? I mean, we hadn't had rain more than once or twice in Italy.

Sitting on the train trying to stay awake, we stopped at a town about 20 minutes outside of Pisa. Nothing unusual besides for the influx of about 10 Nigerian men carrying umbrellas. Had we not been traveling in Italy for 2 weeks, we would have thought nothing of it. But, as you may know, we had become somewhat experienced by then and we knew that these Nigerian men were only to be seen near the large tourist attractions. Normally they sold handbags, but today they had umbrellas. Something clicked in my head that maybe these guys checked the weather...

Stepping off the train and CRACK. Lighting was overhead as rain began to fall. Not a big deal, had it not been for 2 25 buck tickets that were quickly becoming useless in my pocket. I tried my hardest not to mention any of this to Steph as I knew she was ecstatic for our endeavor up the Tower. Thankfully, I never had to break the bad news to her. Luck was on our side as the rain stopped as we hit the Field of Miracles.

We paid a lot of money to climb up the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but it was worth every penny. It was a surreal feeling that completely altered your senses. I felt as though I was entering an MC Escher painting. Our trip had to be quick though in order to catch the train to paradise!

Entering paradise, our train went through a long, 2-minute tunnel. Upon exiting the tunnel, my eyes struggled to focus as I looked at what I thought was an extraordinarily bright sky. As they focused, however, I saw the bluest ocean I have ever seen. This is when I knew we had entered paradise: a land known as the Cinque Terre.

Steph and I didn't even wait for the doors to open as we jumped out of the train onto a concrete platform baking in sunlight overlooking the ocean. Was it really the ocean? We have no idea. We figured it is connected to the ocean, so it is the ocean. Check Google Maps and let us know. We didn't care. We were like kids in a candy shop. We had our eyes open wide as we walked to our hotel for our three-night stay.

Whoever said you can't get luxury for cheap? 60 euros a night, and we felt like royalty. Sitting atop the hill in Manarola (town 2 of the 5 Cinque Terre towns), our hotel had only three rooms. Ours had a balcony. If that wasn't cool enough, check out the video whens it's up. What's cooler than waking up to use the bathroom in the morning and before crawling back into bed, stepping out and breathing the fresh air as you look out over the bright blue water framed by pastel houses perched on the side of a cliff?

We then took a walk from town 2 (Manarola) to town 1 (Riomaggiore) via the 'Trail of Love.' A simple 25-minute hike that wrapped around the edge of land overlooking the water, this trail is known for its connection to love. It is covered in amorous graffiti and gushy couples walking hand in hand (like two people I'm sure you all know). Needless to say, we fit right in. There is a local tradition that if you and your significant other lock a padlock in a special, romantic place, that you will have eternal love. Needless to say, we did it.

On our way back, we stopped to have a snack at an outdoor cafe overlooking the water as the sun set. We got cake and hot chocolate as we celebrated the beauty of life. And the hot chocolate was literally hot, melted, chocolate. How yummy. After that, it was aimless gazing and wandering as we begrudgingly left the outdoor beauty of paradise for internal confines of a room. But remember, we did have a balcony!

Day 16:

No time for rest for these 2 kids! Waking up as early as possible, we were determined to hike the entire length of the Cinque Terre, from Manarola (town 2) to Monterosso (town 5), about a 4 hour hike. It was long and difficult, but very much worth it. Spectacular views and countless friendly kitties help motivate our tired bodies to climb the countless hills and stairs. I was very impressed for two non-hikers. This day was to be spent in town 4, Vernazza. Arguably the most dramatic of the 5, Vernazza provided us a day full of nothing but beauty. The itinerary? Relax, cannoli, sit on the rocks and rate the crashing waves, cannoli, pizza, cannoli and slushes. And gelato of course.

We met our favorite Italians of the trip at a local pastry shop. Two true-blooded Sicilians who loved Steph and I had some of the best treats we have ever had. Helping clueless foreigners get the best treats, they taught us how delicious Sicilian pastries are. Stephs favorite? The oversized ricotta cheese cannoli. My favorite? Their homemade fruit slushes with homemade cream. I think Steph loved the place because they called her pretty.

Day 17:

This day? A whole lot of nothing. Nothing at all. We got more pastries of course, but nothing else. It was Easter and we figured that doing nothing was the best way to celebrate the holiday. We sat together and debated why we would soon have to leave. We thought of ways to stay. Would anyone notice if we never came back to civilization? We didn't have internet, no phone, no ties to humanity. Surely no one would notice? Unfortunately, we knew better and realized that our time was limited in this gorgeous chunk of earth. We thought that in order to truly appreciate such a place, we needed to do absolutely nothing and soak in the beauty one last time.

There is something completely calming about the consistent sound of the waves crashing against the rocks. The waves try so hard to be fierce and intimidating, yet they cannot escape the label of soothing. This we noticed as we finished our sugar cone and headed for our temporary home, one last time.