CINQUE TERRE

It has been raining and cold for 30 out of the last 34 days in Zurich, and our Atlanta seasonal biorhythms are screaming…we need some sunshine and heat!  So, we decided to head south to the Italian Riviera!  We wanted to check out Cinque Terre-five very old villages all connected by a hiking trail on the rocky Mediterranean coast.  (We decided this spontaneously on a Thursday night, and planned to leave in the morning on Friday for a four day weekend).  Needless to say, our excitement about a last minute trip to Italy quickly dissipated after looking on-line and calling several hotels to discover that all hotel rooms in Cinque Terre were booked through October.  So, we went to bed at midnight with the plan being to explore somewhere closer to home, and to be sure to book a room for CT early next spring.  Friday morning after dropping the kids off at school, Chris decided to call one last hotel.  And we were delighted when the hotel owner said, "I don't have a room, but my sister Bianca might be willing to rent her apartment this weekend.  I'll email you directions to her place if she is willing".  With an affirmative email within the next few minutes, Chris and I set a new packing record, and we were off for our first Italian adventure by 1 in the afternoon!  

It was apparent that we had left neat and tidy Switzerland as soon as we hit the first tunnel in Italy, just across the boarder.  With half of it's lights working to illuminate a dirty, crumbling tunnel wall we knew we were in for a new European experience.  If Switzerland is the rule-making, obedient (albeit anally retentive) and obsessively clean child of Europe, then Italy is without a doubt the disheveled, unorganized, but creative and passionate older brother.  I have already documented the vast number of rules the Swiss society operates by, but after visiting Italy, I think I know why!  Switzerland just might be overcompensating for the complete opposite approach to life their neighbor to the south takes.  

After the tunnel, the next surprise we were in for was the traffic!  Italian drivers are C-R-A-Z-Y.  We watched wide eyed as tiny little Italian cars were driving horizontally across lanes of the highway.  There was no method to the madness of merging, and it seemed as though we might have been the only ones who could actually see lane lines.  There were times when five cars were spanning three lanes.  At one point, I said to Chris," it seems as though the posted speed limit is just a suggestion".  He (the brave one driving) retorted, "it seems to be the only speed you are NOT suppose to go"…as cars to our right were going 20-30 kph less than the speed limit, and cars to our left were going 30-40 kph faster!   Fortunately, the crumbling tunnels, crazy drivers, and a two hour traffic jam in Milan was all worth it when we reached our destination. (in double the estimated time)

Italy: Rustic. Gritty. Flirtatious. Endearing. Captivating.  Italians have certainly perfected the art of living throughout the centuries.  Cinque Terre is awe inspiring.  Her tiny villages cling to the seaside cliffs like barnacles clutched to the hull of a ship.  Seasoned, salty, and timeworn, there could be nothing more authentically European than Cinque Terre.  Our weekend was beyond fabulous.

We were over the moon when we found Bianca's apartment to be clean, spacious, and a three minute walk to the heart of Monterosso and the beach. 

We spent our time exploring the narrow crowded streets and sites of 4 of the five villages.  We hiked between 3 of the villages (including the hardest leg of the path) and were treated to spectacular views, lemon tree orchards, and a great workout (as Chris spent much of the stair climbing with Levi in the backpack and carrying Isaac in his arms).  We ate seafood and spaghetti, dipped our toes in the Mediterranean, drank Cinque Terre wine, and had our first pizza in Italy!  We took a couple of boat rides to see the villages from the perspective of the sea looking inland-(and happened to meet fellow Hawkeyes aboard one boat, small world!)  We visited a 700+ year old church, and were entertained by some of the best people watching, anywhere!  (On a personal note, Isaac had his first "chinese style" bathroom experience, and Luke got his first blister.)  

Italy is about pleasure and beauty.  But I have to say, for as much as I enjoyed her dusty, rustic charm, coming back to the order and cleanliness of Switzerland made it feel like home for the first time.  And although some rules may seem a bit intense, I love love love her totally disenfected bathrooms, orderly highway drivers, and safe, well constructed tunnels!  It's good to be "home".