The Return to Cinqueterre

Maybe they call this an Indian summer, or maybe this is just how their autumns are. I'm not sure, but the weather is still spectacular. Another successful trip to Cinqueterre is in the books. This time it was a two man operation with myself and His Thompness. Everyone else backed out at the last minute. I was tempted to as well, but then I looked at the weather forcast, and it called for sun and temperatures in the mid 70's along the Ligurian Coast. Tourist season in Cinqueterre is basically over, so I saw an opportunity to see the area the way it used to be in ideal conditions.
We left pretty early Friday morning and arrived in Monterosso around 2. After this trip, I'm pretty confident in my TrenItalia capabilities. When we got there, we layed out on the beach and went swimming for a couple hours. There were quite a few people on the long, sandy beach, and it felt like mid-July instead of late October.
After our beach time, we bought some water and made the climb up to our campside on top of the mountain. We got there before sunset this time, and there were some people already there looking out at the life-changing view. We set up camp on the same roof of the monesary as last time, had a dinner of meat, salami (which i'm getting kind of tired of at this point), olive oil, pesto, and apples, and waited for the show. An Austrian couple who was on their way down asked for some water, I offered some of mine, and then talked with us for a while. As they left they took my water with them; either it's a cultural difference or they were just selfish. All I know is that I was really thirsty until the next morning. We chatted with another guy who was up there taking pictures who happened to be from Seattle. Small world. Then the sun set. It was a spectacular sight, difficult to describe. The afterglow was beautiful as well, and the clear sky gave way to excellent star gazing. We saw tons of shooting stars, and a warm breeze blew above our sleeping bags. It was hard to believe that November was only a few days away.
The next day, after a pretty poor sleep, we hit the trail bright and early. We bought some water on the way out and found the main trail to be almost completely empty. I don't think that many people get the chance to hike Cinqueterre with the trail to themselves. We made incredible time and made it to Vernazza sometime around 10 a.m. The sun was beginning to make its presence felt, and after some time in the town, we made our way to the next town. We sweated buckets after the steep climbs. Luckily my pack wasn't quite as heavy this time and I knew what I was in for. In no time at all we reached the small side trail that led down to the beach that Miller and I had wanted to visit the last time we did Cinqueterre. The trail was pretty narrow and steep, and there were times when I wondered if we'd be able to make it all the way down. My sleeping pad got a little scratched up after getting caught on so many thorns and branches. We finally made it down to level surface, made our way through an olive grove, and saw the beach up close for the first time. As we walked down the steep stairs, we realized it was a nudist beach. It's an aspect of culture I've never been exposed to, but it was interesting nonetheless. We laid out in the sun, which was hotter than ever at this point, did some swimming, and rested. Minus the naked dudes walking back and forth right above me, it was paradise.
The climb back up was an excruciating sprint, but when we got back on the trail, the rest of the hike was pretty level. We spent some time in Corneglia and then cruised through the last two. We caught a train in Riomaggiore and made it back in time to catch the second half of the Notre Dame game on my computer. It was a full, fun-packed, adventurous, and relaxing weekend. It was everything I had expected and then some.

Another Weekend in the Books

This weekend was all about relaxation and recovery. Just kidding. Miller and I ended up tagging along w/ some people from Hotel Sophia and taking the train to Perugia for the Chocolate Festival on Friday. We were there for about two and a half hours, just walking from booth to booth trying to get free samples. It was pretty interesting but not quite what I expected: most of the chocolate there was stuff you could buy at any store here. I expected it to have a more local feeling. Still, we got some free chocolate and got to see Perugia, which is an interesting old city.
When Matt and I got home, it was already 10. We cleaned up and met Jen at Joshua Tree. We had a lot of fun there and stayed until close. Around 2:30 we got a ride from Paulo, the bouncer, to Stonehenge, a late-night bar that the Joshua Tree staff goes to when they finish work. I liked this bar because there were no other Americans there. Matt and I got worked over at the fussball table, but the Italians were very friendly and I carried on a lot of conversations in Italian. We met Il Fagoto, who hosts a radio talk show before the Fiorentina games. They kept handing us free beer. When we finally left, it was around 5:30 in the morning. By the time we got back to Savonarola, it was a little after 6. When the doorman opened the door, we said good morning to him.
We spent most of Saturday sleeping. I eventually headed over to Gallo D'Oro, where Andrew and Frank were hanging out. They had bailed on their trip to Cinqueterre after one night because it rained too much. I hope that next weekend brings better weather there. After that we went to Joshua Tree again and then to Space E. I got home at a decent time and even woke up early enough to enjoy the complimentary breakfast. Now it's time to catch up on homework and possibly find a way to watch the Seahawks game tonight. It's midterm week and there are a few tests and papers due.

down weekend

The rain came for the first time today. After classes, I did some homework, ate a large lunch, and took a very long nap. It was one of those naps where you finally wake up and you don't know what time of day it is. I really didn't do much after that, just watched some movies, bought groceries for the weekend, and chilled.
This week was all about recouping from the Amalfi weekend and trying to keep up in school. The highlight was my dinner at the Castellani residence, a family that Danny Christiansen and I visit once a week. We teach the kids English and they help us with our Italian. They're very friendly. Lidia, the mother, is a journalist and author. Fabbio, 11, is a very good tennis player, and Giulia, 14, speaks pretty good English and is very social. Their father is a businessman who spends a lot of time in Germany, so I haven't met him yet. On Wednesday we arrived at 7, spoke in English with the kids while Lidia prepared dinner, and then conversed in Italian while we ate. I think Danny and I did pretty well and they were impressed. After just that one dinner of speaking Italian, my confidence speaking the language has increased significantly.
A lot of the group is going to Southern Tuscany, but I'm sticking around this weekend, trying to save some money for Bosnia/Croatia and Elba. Weather and luck pending, we're off to Cinqueterre once again this weekend, with another small group of people. The way it works out, it's actually cheaper to camp in Cinqueterre than it is to stay in Firenze for the weekend. Plus I'm already dying to get back to the old church to catch the sunset.
We weren't planning on going anywhere for Thanksgiving weekend, even though we have a couple extra days off. The group trip was to Sicily, but for like 250 euro. Not enough kids signed up so it was pretty much cancelled. Earlier this week, though, John found cheap tickets up to Shannon, Ireland, so we'll be spending the long weekend in Galway, Ireland, with some GU friends who are studying up there. It should be a blast and I can't wait to see Ireland.

10/14: Capri Sun

10/14: Capri Sun
One of the best days of my life. Period. Everything just went perfectly.
There was a lot to do on the Isle of Capri and we only had one day to do it all. We arrived in Capri via ferry around 9:30. Most of the group was going on a hike to Monte Solare, the highest peak on the island. Our guide Peter said it would take roughly two and half hours. We wanted to do it, but with other must do activities such as beaches and swimming in the Blue Grotto on our agenda, two and a half hours wasn’t looking too great. We ended up scaling the mountain ahead of the huge group. Before that, Miller and I bought some Euro swim shorts. Basically, they’re like board shorts except way smaller.
We hiked up some steep slopes and the trail turned into more of an animal path. We knew we were on the wrong trail, but we scrambled up to the peak. There was a big cross up top and a 360 view of the ocean and island. However, we were on the wrong peak, and Monte Solare was one rise over. It didn’t take too long to find the real trail and take the correct peak. The view there was even better and the ocean was a light blue. This whole area is dominated by cliffs overhanging the ocean, and it makes for some breathtaking views.
After scaling the peak in record time, we headed down and towards the Blue Grotto. We made it to the town of AnaCapri and finally found the road to Blue Grotto. We decided to hoof it rather than take the bus, but the route was a lot longer than expected. Our crew was myself, Miller, Zo, Thompson, Engel, and Frank. We definitely hiked way more than anyone else. When we finally got to the Blue Grotto, the GU group had beaten us there via autobus. But we met up with Nick, who showed us some small but great cliffs and a decent swimming area. We jumped at least 20 times, took lots of pics, and impressed everyone with the Euroshorts. Eventually a large group of GU kids made it there and it became a cliff jumping party. We tried the “rapid fire” jump w/ me, Engel, John, Matt, and Zo, but Miller was last and almost landed on my head. Oh well.
That was great, but we had no idea what we were getting into. By the time we finally finished cliff diving, it was getting kind of late. Everyone else had hit up the Grotto and was singing its praises. We did a few more cliff jumps and then headed to the Grotto. The line wasn’t that long and Joel, Tom, Tina, and Malia were there waiting as well. All of us wanted to swim. The cat controlling one of the boats told us to wait about 10 minutes and then we could swim in on our own after all the boats left. On our own in the Blue Grotto, without all the boats and tourists that usually dominate the area. I think that the boat guys were ready to call it a day and didn’t want to stick around to bring 12 kids in who all wanted to swim. So of course we waited because the usual rate is 8.50 Euro plus 3 euro if you want to swim in that billy. Quite the rip-off.
The boats vanished and it was all to ourselves. An Italian guy who had been swimming laps along the coast came to the entrance where we were waiting and talked with us. He told us to follow him into the Grotto. We let Tom, Joel, Tina, and Malia swim in first while we watched their stuff. When they came out, we jumped right in. We swam straight to the farthest end of the cave without looking back. It was me, Zo, Miller, Frank, John, and Engel. When we finally reached the end of the cave, we all turned around and saw the sight of our lives. No words can totally describe it. It was light blue crystal, all the way to the core. That’s the only explanation I have. It’s imprinted in my memory forever, but I can’t do justice to it with words alone. It’s something that will always live in my mind but not on my tongue.
We finally left the Blue Grotto and then took the bus back to the ferry harbor. We got back to Sorrento quickly and were ready for dinner. Luckily, they were having a fish festival there. I put some cargo shorts on over my eurotrunks, closed the show down, and took the fast ship back to the mainland.
The seafood festival was phenomenal. It took place right on the water, with the small town perched above it on steep cliffs. You could drop 5 euro for a full plate of seafood and a glass of wine. That’s how they roll. I ate shrimp, calamari, swordfish pasta, and cake for dessert. As I was eating my pasta, Miller and I noticed that the live band was playing American music. Myself, Miller, and His Thompness headed over to the stage as “New York New York” was playing. Out of coincidence, Engel came over at the same time from the other side of the festival to worship and dance to the band. We started dancing and after that it was over. The crowd jumped in and it became a dance party. The band kept playing some American songs and I got asked in Italian to dance with someone (I think it was the teacher or chaperone of a 5th grade girls’ Italian school that was there at the festival) and I danced. This group took a ton of photos as I danced and I felt like Tom Cruise pre Katie Holmes. We all danced for a long time and then headed back to the “campground” to clean up and drink some water.
We dug into our wine and finished it pretty fast as we looked out over the harbor. You could still here the music from the festival below and there were several firework shows in the distance. We hit the limoncella and then headed up to another cabin.
We ended up skinny dipping for the second night in a row, this time in the swimming pool. The girls were pretty lame and were reluctant to join us, and finally some authorities or something came. We scrambled once again and Engel and I hid in the woods for a while until they left. Then we headed back to our cabin to comfort Frank, who had hurt his toe while jumping over the pool’s gate. He finally fell asleep and I called it a night. I will definitely miss the Isle of Capri and the friendly town of Sorrento.

10/13: Amalfi Coast

Friday the 13th wasn't so unlucky afterall. The busride to the Amalfi Coast was really long, but the scenery was great. We got to Pompeii around 3 and only had about 2 hours to explore it. But I liked that they let us do our own thing, and I got to see what is probably the best-preserved ancient Roman city. The volcano eruption preserved things so well that you could still see colorful frescoes on the walls. My favorite sites in Pompeii were the brothel and the collesseum. Both showed a lot about the culture and society back then. Just like when I was in Rome, I wished that I could go back in time to when Pompeii was in its prime.
We finally rolled into the campground around 7:30. We are staying in cabins, which are pretty much just small houses. We have our own porch, bathroom, kitchen, and fridge. Plus we look out at the Mediterranean. It's the best place we've stayed thusfar.
After moving in, we got some pizza in town. The pizza was awesome. Then we went to the grocery store for wine and limoncella, a local product from here. As we strolled along a cliff overlooking the ocean, I felt the warm evening air, smelled the salty scent of the sea, and realized how lucky I am. This is truly a year-long vacation. It feels like my summer hasn't ended yet even though it's mid-October. And to be honest, it keeps getting better, with Elba, Bosnia/Croatio, Cinque, and eventually Tunisia all around the corner. And that's only first semester.
We got back to the "campground" and decided to go for a night swim. John, Zo, Miller, Conor, David "Dirty D" Coleman, and I headed down the dark steep trail with a group of girls. When we got there, we were a little hesitant to get in b/c we couldn't see anything and it was rocky. But once we got in, the water felt amazing. It was a clear night and the stars pierced the sky above us. The phosporescents were very strong, and the water lit up with small explosions of glitter everytime you kicked or splashed. Another group of girls along with Andrew Engel came down and it became a late-night skinny dipping party in the Mediterranean. A patrol boat eventually spotlighted us, so everyone made a mad scramble up the rocks to the shore. It was pretty funny.
We took off for the campground quickly before the boat could come to us (the beach closes at 8 so we wer a little concerned). We quickly found out that there had been quite a few sea urchins living on the rocks where we got in. A lof of people and cut up feet and Miller somehow had a bunch of the quills in his stomach and chest. He spent a lot of painstaking time plucking them out. But all in all, it was a price well worth paying for the time we had.

FORZA VIOLA!

Sunday I woke up a little early to try to get tickets to the Fiorentina soccer match. We walked into town and found the ticket booth pretty easily, and there were still plenty of tickets available. For some reason they charge guys more than girls for the tickets, but they were only about 18 euro so I was okay with it.
Then I headed over to Gallo D'Oro to hang out with some of the guys before the game. It was good to catch up with everyone and hear how Siena and San Gimagnano went. I told them all about Cinqueterre and we decided that we would go back as a group of guys in late October. Engel started the tradition of mounting their finished wine boxes on their wall. I don't think it's going to take too long to cover the whole thing.
The game was a lot of fun. I bought a cheap Luca Toni jersey outside and then went into the stadium. It wasn't completely full, but it was pretty close. The away section was completely fenced off, we're talking 30 foot plexi glass on both sides. There were tons of flags and huge signs throughout the crowd.
As soon as the teams took the field, some guy on the PA system started singing songs. The crowd stands the entire time and sings all sorts of songs that I don't understand yet but hope to learn soon. This goes on for the entire game.
Fiorentina beat the other team pretty bad, and the other team received two red cards. Toni scored the second goal and the final was 3-0. The game was a great way to wrap up an incredible weekend.