Like a big pizza pie, that's amore! I finally found a place that I had those strong romantic feelings for in Italy. i'll be honest. My expecations for Italy were high. Perhaps unattainable. While everything has been great (because Italy is Italy), it took me awhile to find my bearings in Italy. It for sure took me a bit to find somewhere I felt as strongly as I do about some of my other favorite travel destinations. That all changed when I reached the Cinque Terre. Surprising since, like Hoi An in Vietnam (where I also had very strong romantic feelings), it is quite touristy. Maybe it was the sea. Maybe it was the picturesque villages. Maybe it was the wine and seafood. Maybe it was hiking along the cliffs. Probably a combination of all the above. The Cinque Terre is a national park in Italy made up of five villages. Surprise! Cinque means 5 (kind of sounds like "cinco" from Spanish). The five villages (from north to south) are Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. My favorite? Manarola. Why? Well, it was my first village that I visited. It has views of the other villages. And I had the loveliest first night there. Since, as I said before, Cinque mean 5, here are my top 5 suggestions if you visit the Cinque Terre: 1. Dive into the sea!I arrived to Manarola with my swimsuit in tow because I had heard you could dive right in or at least sit on a beach. I was game for whatever the coast was providing. My two pieces of advice for swimming in the Cinque Terre: (1) always bring your swimsuit and towel because you never know when you will want to take a dip, especially during the HOT summers. (2) Watch where you dive because there are sea creatures, like jelly fish, that can hurt you. Also when you're climbing the rocks be careful for creatures because there are ones that have spines. It's simple to avoid these things, but keep your eye out for them. 2. Hike between at least one of the townsWhen I was there in June 2015, the trails between Riomaggiore, Manarola, and Corniglia were closed (basically if you went south to north to the first 3 villages). However you could go from Monterosso to Corniglia via the hiking trails. Many people had warned me that the hikes were a lot more intense than the signs and locals make them out to be. They were correct. Even with the amount of hiking I have been doing in the last few months, these hikes were pretty intense. They are even more intense, if you're an idiot like me, and do them from north to south. The incline from Monterosso to Vernazza and then Vernazza to Corniglia had me wishing that I had taken the train. However people coming from the opposite direction seemed to be carrying themselves a little lighter. Lucky ducks. The reason you do the hikes is, not only to enjoy the coastal terrain, but also to see the views of the villages from a whole new angle. While you're resting at a lookout point (because you will be so exhausted), you will be able to see the entire village that you are either entering or leaving. The view is the thing of postcards and paintings...not to be cliche or anything. If you don't feel very fit, I still encourage you to hike at least one section. If anything, be like the German and French retirees that I saw and pack your walking sticks! 3. Get on a boatI took one ferry ride and rented a kayak for a couple hours. The ferry was peaceful, about 10 Euros, and gave me time to take some pictures of the villages I was leaving and entering from the water. The kayak journey is not for the faint of heart and definitely not advisable to go alone in the sea when a storm is approaching even if the guy says it will be fine. It was fine. However, if you do this then definitely be comfortable with kayaking, recruit someone to go with you, and maybe take a whistle just in case you need to flag down a nearby boat for help. 4. Eat all the seafoodOh man. Okay, the picture on the left is a fried seafood cone that was only 5 Euros and it was filled to the brim with goodness. Everything was fresh and tender. It was perfection. The picture on the right is of a seafood pasta. There were pieces of shellfish in there that I have never seen and I grew up on the West Coast and love seafood. The shellfish, octopus, and some fish are incredibly fresh in this area. It would be a crime to not splurge at least once (or twice) on a seafood meal here. 5. Last but not least, the wineThe rule in Italy is: drink all the wine. Every region is different and the flavors that you can taste mirror that. You can see the grapes growing off the hillsides and cliffs in the Cinque Terre. It is VERY necessary that you try the wines from here at least once.
While they have variations of reds and whites, the unique variety of this region is called Sciacchetra. It's basically a dessert wine. That means if you're debating between dessert and wine, choose the Sciacchetra to play the role of both. Those are my five recommendations for the Cinque Terre! If you have more questions, please feel free to leave a comment or write me an email. I'd love to help. :) [email protected] I'd like to start a new series on my blog called: "The People You Meet." (I'm taking suggestions for a more creative title. ;)) One of the first questions I'm often asked is if I'm travelling with someone or if I'm travelling by myself. When people find out that I'm travelling alone, they're usually surprised and immediately want to know how I do it and how I feel about it. The truth is that although I am technically travelling alone most of the time, I am never lonely or without help. I have one of the strongest support systems back at home and I am constantly meeting people along the way. Some of them will remain nameless and just a short memory like the countless locals who have walked me to my destination or paid for my transportation to make sure I get there safely. Some of them are unbelievably generous with their lives and time to me and we form bonds that no distance can shake. While I'd love to write about everyone I meet - both the nameless and the ones I have time to know longer - I will only be highlighting a few. The first person I'd like to introduce you all to is Nu. Nu and I met as a fluke really. I was supposed to meet with the marketing manager of KOTO, the organization in Ho Chi Minh City I was volunteering for, but they left the organization a week before my arrival. They sent Nu to meet with me instead. Right away we connected. I think she asked me how old I was and, since we happen to be the same age, I'd like to think she liked me right away. In a nutshell, if I had to choose someone to be a con artist with, it would be Nu. Together we made some of the smartest and stupidest decisions of my entire trip in Southeast Asia. Let's start with my favorite example, the night we were pulled over by the police. Nu was driving her motorbike with me on the back when we got pulled over for not having the headlights on. Problematic for two reasons (1) obviously not having the headlights on and (2) because Nu may or may not have had a license on her (spoiler alert: she didn't). Nu is fast on her feet and immediately concocted a story (I would later learn) that involved how she was rushing to take me home to my hostel because I was a foreigner and needed to get home. Although I understood nothing of what was going on because it was all in Vietnamese, at one point in the conversation Nu and the police officer both turned towards me. I thought to myself, "I bet she's using me as an excuse. Since sometimes people mistake me as a local, I should smile and wave hello so he knows I'm just another stupid American." Which I did. A few minutes later (and after falling sideways on the motorbike in front of all the police officers), we were on our way without a ticket! Nu asked if I had understood what they were talking about because I had waved and said "hello" at just the right time. Nope, we just make the perfect, trouble-making duo. Ways Nu Helped MeNu and I are really similar in a lot of ways. A few of those being that while we are both strong, independent women, we can also be pretty silly and clumsy. I hope that was illustrated in the above story. Nu was a lifesaver during my Vietnam trip in a lot of ways. Here are some of my favorite highlights: - "Nu Oy!!!!" This was a common phrase and cry from me during my time in Vietnam. If I wasn't seeking her help for translation or navigating in person, she was there to answer all my texts and cries for help. - While Vietnam obviously recognizes the calendar years, the New Year of Dec 31/Jan 1 holiday is not celebrated as much as the Lunar New Year (where basically most of the country gets up to two weeks off). One of our very first outings together was Nu indulging my desire to celebrate and ring in 2015. Her boyfriend and her took me to a local bar where we feasted and I learned that people from the Mekong Delta can hold their own. - At one point in Ho Chi Minh, I wasn't sure where I was going to live, I was obviously still unemployed, and I had lost my bag in Cambodia (don't make me relive that story). Nu immediately texted me when I had gotten my sense back and took me out to dinner. Food heals all. - While Nu is a local Vietnamese woman, owns her own motorbike, and has experience driving it, she is not the strongest driver when she has a passenger (she will even admit this). Once she admitted this to me and I agreed, I would occasionally drive both of us on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City. The first few times it was hard to tell who was the more dangerous driver but after awhile I was confidently driving among the thousands of motorbikes. Thanks to her, I can say I learned how to drive the crazy streets of HCMC! - I've had a dream of experiencing Lunar New Year in an Asian country that celebrates it. Nu helped make that a realization when her family hosted me in Cam Ranh for the holiday. Ways I (Would Like to Think) I Helped NuThere aren't really a lot of things that I contributed to our relationship. In fact, I probably caused her more headaches. However, here are a few things I think I did provide:
- Laughs. I think that my favorite memories in Vietnam are laughing together at all the idiotic mistakes one (or both) of us made. - Since local transportation is a must to figure out when travelling on a budget, I've become somewhat of a master at learning local bus and metro lines. Such a master, in fact, that sometimes I end up teaching locals like Nu how to ride the bus. Yup. Two things. Maybe she can let me in on any other things I may have helped her with. She is someone who I still keep in contact with even though I left Vietnam in February. Nu is one of many who have helped me along my journey. I can't wait to highlight and share more of these stories with you all. Ciao! I'm writing to you from a B&B in the hills of Tuscany where I'll be spending the next four nights. I figured I should probably write you all a quick update before I start digging into the wine that's so famous around these parts. If Poland was ADORABLE, then Italy is Italy (if Italy can be used as an adjective, which it most definitely can). Italy is just as gorgeous and delicious as everyone says. I've spent a lot of time on trains and the scenery is breathtaking. I've also spent some quality time tasting any and all food and beverage recommendations thrown my way. I'm hoping that the amount of walking I have to do will balance out the amount of carbo-loading I'm doing. I didn't find a work exchange in Italy so most of my time here will be spent sightseeing and hopefully couchsurfing to meet locals and learn more about this deep rooted country. Below is a summary of my 2.5 weeks here with pictures and a few short snippets or moments from my journey so far. MilanMilan was my first stop in Italy, mostly because i found a cheap flight on Ryanair from Warsaw to Milan. My first 3 impressions/experiences in Milan: - I used Chinese before I even had a chance to practice some Italian phrases that I had learned or even English. Turns out, Milan has a huge Chinese population. Luckily for me I still know enough to ask for directions and help when I need it! - The center of Milan feels more majestic and Italian, but the outskirts are a little more gritty with evidence of the crisis in stores/shops closed up and (unrelated probably) tons of grafitti. It reminded me a lot of Athens actually. - My first stop in the morning was a gelato place my host recommended. While ice cream/gelato shops are more common in the summer in the States and usually crowded with families, gelato shops in Italy are frequented by the young and old alike. I love seeing people chowing down on a cone of gelato while they chat on their cell phone, carrying their briefcase, and basically saying nonverbally that this is just normal. LET'S MAKE GELATO NORMAL, AMERICA! And let's make a scoop $1 because, from what I remember, ice cream can be pricey in the States. Milano was nice enough, but after visiting other cities it has definitely moved to the bottom of my list of favorite cities in Italy. Peschiera del Garda & Verona (try #1)When I started researching Italy (basically two days before my arrival), there was definitely sticker shock when I looked at accomodation prices. Then after all my social time in Poland through my work exchange and the hosts through that, I wasn't ready quite yet to be going solo again. Enter Couchsurfing. Couchsurfing is the perfect combination of meeting local people and having a free place to stay. I still promise a blog on the ins and outs of Couchsurfing, but for now just know that it allowed me to stay with a great host in the small town of Peschiera del Garda. I picked my host because they were close to Verona, which was my initial destination. However, the one day I tried to enter Verona by myself I was rained out after 2 hours. My time in Peschiera was most enjoyed spending time with my host at a local food festival (duh), wandering around their town, and eating THE BEST chocolate croissant from their local bakery. Rovereto, Verona (try #2), and BolzanoDuring my last week at my work exchange in Poland, I had the greatest roommate named Megan. Megan is a fellow American woman travelling on her own. She had spent a large portion of her time in Italy, which was perfect because that's where I was headed to next! Long story short, she was headed back a week after me but had asked her friend, Ben, if I could couchsurf with him until I figured out a plan. Ben was also an American and clearly amazing since he agreed to host me for almost a week without even knowing me beyond social media and Megan's recommendation (who I had also only known for a day before agreeing to all this!). Ben lives and studies in Rovereto. Rovereto is a charming town just north of Verona. I had a chance to go to the market, meet lots of other graduate and Ph. D students in Ben's classes, and rest and recoup for awhile. Leaving Poland after 6 straight weeks was hard for many reasons, and even though this is Italy I knew I was facing some travel fatigue. Ben's was the perfect place to regain my footing and I am so thankful that he provided the space for that. Also thankful that Megan was able to join us again because she is simply fantastic. While in Rovereto, I tried again to visit Verona. There I saw all the main attractions AND while debating visiting and paying for a ticket to go to the Arena for sunset, I learned that there was a free concert. Highlights of this concert include: doing the wave over 5x in a row with the whole Arena, hearing people get shushed when they clapped at inappropriate times, and having the Italian old woman next to me feed me candy. I also had the opportunity to visit Bolzano. This is a fascinating place because almost everything is initially in a dialect of German and THEN Italian. I met a couple from Bolzano, and they actually preferred to speak their German dialect because their Italian was about the same level as their English. The picture of Bolzano below is everything else you need to know about it - it's gorgeous. Florence, Siena, & San GimignanoFlorence, Siena, and San Gimignano were some of my touristy stops. All I really did in these cities was stop, take some pictures, and take in the history of these historical cities. Here are my highlights: Florence: My top favorite experiences were watching the sunset from Plazza Michelangelo, walking along the River Arno at night with a view of Ponte Vecchio, and eating the best gelato so far (pear & ricotta and cheesecake flavors) at a place called Carraia on the southside of the Carraia bridge. Siena: A gorgeous town with a rich history. I felt like my time was best spent wondering the alleyways of this town, but main piazza is also a must see. San Gimignano: My time here was short, but if you want to know what it feels to be in a medieval town than this place is it. Couchsurfing in TuscanyI spent 5 days total in the greater Florence area in the region of Tuscany. I spent one night in a hostel, 2 nights with a host in Empoli, and 2 nights with a host in Reggallo. In Empoli I stayed with Marco, Silvana (his wife), and their son. After I wrote my request, Marco invited me to stay with them in their country home in Empoli for one night and one night in their home in the town of Empoli. The highlight of my time (besides getting to know this sweet family) was seeing my FIRST FIREFLIES. You guys. They are so cool. I could have stared at them for hours (and I did). Then I moved to my host, Giovanni's, house in Reggallo. This was also a perfect spot because Florence is PACKED with tourists and while it's beautiful, I enjoyed the quiet of the countryside. Giovanni is surrounded by vineyards and was a very gracious host. What's Next????As a game changer, I actually have more plans ironed out for the next few weeks (and months) than normal.
This week I'll be in Tuscany. Then I'll head to the Cinque Terre (bucket list item of the year!!!!). Next I'll visit a friend in Malta, which is a tiny country just south of Italy. I'll return to Italy until 26 June when my time in Schengen countries is out (Americans only have 90 days in Schengen countries). From Italy I will head to work at a hostel in Albania for the summer. I'll post updates as the internet and time allows. For now, thank you as always for all your support and for following along. Ciao! |