Cinque Terre

October 5, 2009



Somehow if you click on the slideshow ... and see the full size pics they are quite stunning. I am still figuring out how to drop all of my pics into the blog. I have so many pictures from the Cinque Terre ............ it's beautiful. Only a few of them were posted.I have had quite a few people mention it and it really was spectacular!

It's pretty late right now, but I actually have internet in my apartment tonight. There's just something about being able to email, check the news, etc.. .. from home rather than in a rush at work.

Camilla one of the girls in the pics invited some teachers out to her family's hometown. I stayed in her uncle's apartment literally right down by the water. We were actually in one town over called Bonasalla. Camilla knew everyone...I think her family owns quite a few of apartments,etc.Every year each town throughout Italy will have a festival for the town. There were the most incredible fireworks I had ever seen....seriously I feel pretty lucky as I am seeing Italy really inside and out. The Cinque Terre is made up of five towns all aligned on the Cliffs. My favorite part was the hiking ................ to hike with Hills ... ahhhhh to hike with hills along the water I got my water/hiking fix that I have been desperately needing.!
I am not used to living in a city ... and I definitely live in one. Milan is wonderful do not get me wrong, it is just filled with people, lots of pollution, trash, cars.....you know a typical city which I am not used to. I have also always lived by the water and I need it. I am definitely learning about my senses of self ...you'd think after 34 years I would have it all figured out....but far from it. One thing that is for sure is that I need to be around water. And I need to be outside quite a bit exercising...whether it be running, hiking, biking, skiing,boating.....I will need it in my life regularly forever....preferably fresh air. So it was good to get out for few days and be around water. I rode out with a couple that I work with. They are retired teachers from San Francisco and they have this cool Westy type van but it is a mercedes van. We hit it off well. We were talking about how we were kind of drawn together and then we reallized it was that whole outdoorsy thing. Not many of the teachers here are from the West Coast. They just ran a marathon out here and we have started running together. We talked about going back to the Cinque with our bikes. Oh we also want to get out on a boat ....I didn't mention this either but you can get from town to town through the train system. I can actually take a train straight from Milan and get to the Cinque in just a couple of hours.
Another one of the girls is Daniella..she is Italian. She didn't realize it but she was sharing so much information that I had been wondering about. Like for example........in Italy you DO NOT get your coffee to go. You sit with people and talk forever.....I have seen this all over. But then there are also tons of people that come in and just take a quick shot of espresso and leave. Daniella wanted coffee and she was doing it the "shot" style. She explained to me that when you drink your coffee....you are only to drink it in two gulps. First you add a little sugar , stir it up and then take a small sip to test it out. Then you gulp down the rest of the coffee in one shot.......her father taught her this.......I made the BIGGEST mistake one of my first days by ordering my coffee to go.............the entire coffee shop started singing...Americana, Americana......I definitely am learning through mistakes...
She also ordered me a Lemon Cello. This is an Italian drink made from lemons, sugar, alcohol..strong..it takes quite a while to make. You chill it in the freezer and then pour it into these mini cocktail glasses (I've seen them at Pier I). You usually drink it after dinner, then after coffee...as a dessert drink...............it was lovely.
So much has happened...my brain honestly hurts. I am so stimulated by the newness of everything around me.Constantly learning. I am constantly hearing a different language and constanly thinking. I am starting to realize that I am really here. Like I live here.................. This has always been one of my dreams and I am so proud of myself for following thru and doing it. I had a top ten list about 10-15 years ago and living here was one of them. I think the last few years have been so frustrating for me as Ihaven't been doing any of the goals that I had set for myself. I mean ofcourse some of them which I should be happy about like buying a house, getting my masters degree. but I finished those goals awhile ago.........but there have been some big ones that just haven't been happening. Now I am like...wow I really get to ski the Swiss Alps....easily. That was one of them.. And now I have unlocked this door and I was thinking about how I am going to see so much of the world.........I wasn't even planning on that but I know that I will. I know I will see a ton of Europe and I know I will go to Africa and Egypt. I'd like to go to Thailand.....................and the weird part is that I can. It's all pretty surreal for me. I am very happy right now. It's a roller coaster but right now I am up high.