Cinque Terre

By Rain Babauta

July 1, 2012

Today, in Cinque Terre, was our big chance to work off all of that weight that we have gained on our stay in Italy. We were going on a hike from one end of the Cinque Terre to the other. The first part started in Riomagiore to Manarola and the path was quite short. Along the path was the first of many pretty sights of the Mediterranean Sea and on the walls were grafitti and writings from the other people that walked on the path. One writing on the wall was what we think was a proposal to someone.

At Manarola we were a little tired so we walked down some stairs that led to a spot where people can swim in the ocean. The water was deep and there were lots of big rocks sticking out of the water but that didn't stop us. We jumped in, swam around a little bit and climbed off the rocks and jumped off of them. After we got tired of the water, we dried off and started to walk on the next path to the next town. We quickly discovered that the path was closed so we had to take the train there.

At the train station of the next town, we had to walk up hundreds of steps leading to the part with the buildings. Those stairs exhausted us and we got hungry. We went to one of the first restaurants we saw and ordered a pesto dish, a tomato sauce with pasta, and ravioli. Each dish was great but we liked the ravioli the best. We were still hungry so we got some gelato right next to the restaurant. Each of the cups came with a wafer the was like a waffle cone. We sat down eating our gelato when we also saw very friendly cats just roaming the streets.

We walked down one street, after our gelato, and saw a very beautiful sight of the next town, the tall hills, and the sea. We decided to hike to the next town and embarked on a very exhausting yet beautiful trail. The trail weaved through houses and farms and wound around the seaside of a mountain. The trail was rocky, un-paved, and hot but the sights and exercise were worth it!

As we arrived, the little ones were anxious to swim and play in the water. Swimming in the water was the first and longest thing we did in the fourth town. After a long while of swimming, we were hungry again so we had another gelato. We finished it and were just about ready to head to the next trail but we discovered that the trail was just as long as the last one. As if we weren't tired enough! It was also getting late so we took the train to the final town.

There were beaches crowded with umbrellas and people in the fifth town. We were too tired of swimming so we didn't go in this time. We walked along the shore and found a playground. Noelle was especially happy to see this so we stayed and watched the younger kids play for a bit. Then we ate dinner at a closeby restaurant. As the waiter walked to our table with our food, he was just about to set the food down on our table when he got this confused look on his face, said something quietly and turned around with our food! He brought it back a few minutes later and we still don't know what happened there. After a delicious meal, we took the train home.