I could spend weeks just relaxing on a beach and knew that I at least wanted to scope out my first Mediterranean beach while in Italy. After our hot and sweaty hike to Corniglia, we went back to our B&B to throw on bathing suits and then took the train to Monterosso.
I hightailed it to the beach- my long lost friend, the sun, was beckoning me to bask in all of it's glory.
The beach was GORGEOUS, but honestly, I like looking at rocky beaches more than I like laying out on them. There is just something about taking your shoes off and letting your feet sink into warm, soft sand that is so wonderful. Taking your shoes off and walking on hot, pointy rocks? Not so much.
I had to at least try the water. It was FREEZING and I only got about hip deep. Although it was nice and warm outside, it wasn't hot enough to make that cold water feel good. I would love to go back to the Med when it is warmer to go swimming...the water was crystal clear and would be wonderful for snorkeling.
We still placed a towel over the rocks and rested for a bit, and then left to go explore more of Monterosso.
We walked up to an old watchtower. We couldn't go in, but the views were stunning.
If you are tough enough to take even MORE stairs, you can take a quiet and peaceful stroll through the old cemetery.
There were 2 very small, closet sized churches there. I guess not too many people attend, seeing as you have to climb 200 steps to get there!
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| A totally creepy statue in the cemetery |
We stumbled across another little path. and decided to see where it would lead us....
What a surprise! It led us to even MORE stunning views of the region. I am sorry if these pictures are all starting to look the same to you...I just can't get over how gorgeous it was!
I think Daniel cracked some sort of joke...wish I could remember it. Probably something along the lines of his legs feeling like they are going to fall off/ death by stairs/ etc.
We went back to the main part of the city, where there are a few more churches for those who prefer to worship AND still be able to walk the next day.
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| This church we deemed The Beetlejuice Chuch |
The shopping in Monterosso was my favorite of all of the cities! Really, every city offered the same junk. But it was Italian junk, so I needed a couple of souvenirs! We ended up buying some handmade items- a painted magnet, a Christmas ornament (we get one from everywhere we travel to), lemon soap, lemoncello (a lemony liquor, very tasty but will leave you with an awful hangover if you overindulge), and I got a lovely scarf that was supposedly made in Italy.
On the train back to Vernazza, we talked to some vacationing Canadians that came to Cinque Terre from Paris...they went to France for a Jimmy Buffett concert (?!?!?). They were saying he plays in Paris quite often and it's their favorite place to see him perform, seeing as it's a more intimate venue and crowd. Evidently not too many people are interested in Jimmy Buffet in Paris and only about 300 others were there. Never would have guessed that! Anywho, those Canadians were probably 60+ yrs old and put us to major shame. They had hiked about double the amount as we had that day and were ready to repeat the hikes the next day. I want to be that fit when I grow up!
My next post will be about what went down that night with wine and friends that we made, and the effects of that on our next day! Let's just say we weren't up for much hiking!
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