Cinque Terre means five lands in Italian. It is made up of five
small towns. They are known for their pesto and seafood. So naturally, I had to
try some pesto. But I’ll get to that later.
We started out in the second town.
(Apparently, the first town really isn’t that interesting) There are some very beautiful views if you know the right spots to
go to. Luckily, our tour guide did.
We took the train to the third town, where we had to climb up 380
stairs. I realized that I’m not in that
great of shape, as I had to keep stopping and take little breaks. When we made it to the top of
the stairs that is where the third town began.
We had an option to either take the train (and walk down all those
stairs) or to hike to the next town. Hiking made me nervous. I didn't know how far it was exactly and what was going to be involved.
Just knowing that I can hike that far is exhilarating! I had to keep
taking breaks to drink water and I was close to being at the end of the group
for most of the time but it was totally worth it. The view was amazing!! I stopped to get many pictures along the way. I once
again realized that I’m not in that great of shape but it was motivational for
me to start working out to be able to get through any future hikes that I may have without struggling.
When we finally made it to the fourth town. My roommate, Taylor, and
I grabbed a piece of Pesto Pizza and I was not disappointed.
I thought that it was strange to put pesto on a piece of pizza. But
I couldn’t even imagine how delicious it was. If my legs weren’t shaking from
climbing up and down a gigantic mountain, I probably would have went back for a
second piece.
We took a boat to the fifth and last time. I was nervous to get on
the boat because I didn’t like how unsteady the walkway was to get on the boat
and it was rocking back and forth too much for my liking. But I took a deep
breath and boarded the boat. I’m so glad that I did. The boat ride was fun.
The fifth town was beautiful and we had beach time. If I had a list,
I could check swim in the Mediterranean Sea off. The water was cold, the sand
was more like pointy rocks and I didn’t want to get my hair wet. But when in
Italy, right?
My roommate, Sarah, Taylor and I went to a restaurant that was off the main
street on a side street. The prices were cheaper and I got gnocchi pasta with
pesto. It was really good but the pasta got to be too much. It was really
filling and was more like eating a lot of little dumplings. I also ordered
limoncino, which is like a type of lemon liquor that Italians normally drink
after dinner to revive their palate and conclude their meal. It is modeled
after the southern liquor limoncello. I have to say that while I have not had
the limoncello yet. The limoncino was not my favorite. It was very bitter and I
had a hard time drinking it. It did cleanse my palate though.
I’m glad that I went on this trip. It was life changing. I am
blessed to be able to see different cities and take breathtaking pictures.
