I was in Vernazza, on the northern coast in an area called
the Cinque Terre, for 7 days…. Seven wonderful, relaxing, nothing to do but
stare at the sea days…
The train is the only option to get here from Pisa and I had
to change trains twice. Trains are
confusing, even just reading the ticket is confusing. And when you get a ticket, you then have to
find a box in the station to stick your ticket into so it punches it to
validate it. If you fail to do this and
a conductor does check your ticket, it can be a 50 euro fine! I buy
2nd class tickets because they are a cheaper than 1st
class and all the seats are about the same.
Sometimes you are assigned a car and a seat in 2nd class,
sometimes not. Sometimes the outside of
the train car has a number showing what car it is, sometimes not. So I figure if I go into one of the last
cars of the train they are probably 2nd class and I should be
ok…
On the first leg of the ride, I sat a few rows away from a foursome
from America, one of which is a student in Pisa. I didn’t mean to listen in on their
conversation, but when I hear English being spoken I can’t help but zone
in. I heard they were going to the same
1st stop as I so I knew they had to be changing to the same train as
I, so I watched them when we get off the train and follow them to the next
track for the next train. It was a good
thing that they happened to be on this journey because at this stop; there are
neither overhead signs, nor anyone at the TI (tourist information) booth and
the inbound/outbound monitors aren’t working.
This train takes us to La Spezia.
Luckily it’s a busy terminal and is the main stop for Cinque Terre
access, so assistance is easy to find.
I hop on my next, and last, train to go to Vernazza. So far the train ride has been pretty
uneventful – nice country side, but nothing really exciting. When we pull out from La Spezia, we enter one
of the longest tunnels I have ever been in – then all of a sudden, we come out
into the sunlight and outside the left window is the Ligurian Sea. It was a sight to behold – beautiful crystal
clear water from here to the horizon. Vernazza was still another 2 stops away. After each stop we’d go right back into a
pitch black tunnel and then WHAM – sunlight and then the sea. Awesome!
You can also drive to the Cinque Terre towns, but I hear it takes nerves
of steel as many of the winding roads are barely two lanes and some are right
on the very edge of the mountain side.
I got off at my stop and called Christian, the manager of where
I’m staying - La Marina Rooms - so he could meet me and take me to my
room. He is a 30yr old guy, tall, lanky,
and puffing on a cigarette. He walks me
from the station, down the main drag (the only street in town) and points out
the town’s restaurants and bars as we head to the harbor. That’s it – this is the whole town….
Christian then picks up my 40+ pound suitcase and puts it on
his shoulder, snubs out his cigarette and points to the stairs and says “here
we go.” Its 86 steps from the harbor to
my room - - and he talked the entire time.
Amazing… I made it without
passing out or having to make him stop, so I saw that as a minor victory. And here was my reward – a nice little room
with a stellar view from the bedroom and the bathroom!
Incredible!!! After I got situated, I strolled out to the balcony and took in the view that would be mine for the next 7 days...
Incredible!!! After I got situated, I strolled out to the balcony and took in the view that would be mine for the next 7 days...
On the balcony I met a couple that would be my neighbors for
a day or two, we exchanged hellos and first names (they are Mark & Celeste)
but that was all that I could manage at that point because I was so overwhelmed
by the view. They took off to head back down the stairs to
take a swim and I sat for a while, just staring. I cannot believe this is my balcony for the
next 7 days… And I
can’t believe I have to walk down and up those stairs every time I need food!!! Oh well…
There is a small fridge in my room, and it’s not a B&B, so I unpack
my collapsible Rick Steves’ shoulder bag and start the downward climb. Here’s what it looks like:
Christian did point out a short cut, it’s a steeper climb
but there are 6 less steps….
I stick mostly to the long way (the scenic route) because it’s
not as steep and has little breaks of flat land where I can catch my breath and
wipe the sweat from my brow.
I hit the town with euros burning a hole in my pocket. I walked up and down the main street again
and see that there really isn’t any other road, no side streets, no alleys,
just steps and pathways everywhere that lead to the hundreds of houses that are
built on top of each other. I check out
the different eateries in town; there are 6 restaurants, 1 bar, 1 pizza joint
and 1 café. I remember reading in my Rick Steves book that
this town suffered from a major mud slide last October. Every business on the harbor was destroyed,
as well as every residence on the first level.
Here’s a poster that is hanging near the train station that shows the
devastation.
Every open business you walk into has photo’s hanging on the
wall showing what it looked after the slide. All of these places had to dig mud out from
their businesses, everything was buried and then they had to clean up and
rebuild. When I ask about a photo, they
are proud of them and proud of what they have done to bring their business back
to life, but others get very chocked up.
I initially thought twice about booking a room here after I read online
that some businesses were still not open, but decided against it when I saw the
pictures of Christians’ rooms on his web site.
Now that I am here, I’m glad I came – they need my euros and I am happy
to spend them here… The town still does
not have a bank or post office, and much of the town above the railroad tracks
is gone.
It’s time to stock up on supplies - first stop, the small
grocery store for yogurt, fruit, juice and milk. Next the bakery for focaccia bread, which is
one of the town’s specialties and is out of this world delicious, and then the
wine shop. I pick up 2 bottles of the
local red and then head back to the steps.
I climb back up to my room with my goodie bag, took a shower as was
needed after that second walk, opened a
bottle of wine and then sat on my chair on the balcony. Mark and Celeste are there as well enjoying
a bottle of wine and we started talking.
They are from Alaska but Mark is working in Switzerland for a year and
that is where they traveled from to get here. They didn’t have a reservation
and stumbled upon the place by accident and, like me, are addicted to the
balcony and the view. They are nice
people somewhere around my age, very easy to talk with, very warm and welcoming.
After a bit I took off again and went down those stairs one
more time for dinner. There are 4
restaurants in the harbor with outside seating; I stopped at the first
one. I had already planned to patronize
every one as I would be there long enough to do so. I walked towards a table and was greeted by a
nice looking waiter with a great smile.
Me: Buona sera (Good
evening)
He: Buona sera,
Signora, benvenuti. (Good evening,
welcome)
Me: Tavola, per favore?
(Table, please?)
He: Si Signora.
Uno? (Yes. One?)
Me: Si, il solo (Yes,
I alone)
He: Ok, (then he wags
his finger at me and says) ma non solo,
lei sola. (but not solo, you sola)
Me: Perche? (Why?)
He: Perche io e uomo, io solo – lei e donna, lei sola.
(Because I’m a man, I solo,
you’re a woman, you sola)
Me: Grazie Signor, mi
dispiace non parlo molto l’italiano non bene.
(Thank you sir, I’m sorry I don’t speak much Italian nor well.)
He: Non, non, non, Signora – is ok, e lei l’italiano va bene
(No, no, no - is ok and your Italian is
good)
Me: Aqua, naturale, e
le casa rosso vino, per favore. E che
cosi oggi? (Water, natural, and the
house red wine, please. And what’s good
today?)
He: Le pesce e molto,
molto bene. (The fish is very, very
good)
Me: (in English) what kind of fish, le pesce?
He: (in English) baked.
Me: But what kind is it?
He: Very fresh.
Me: Yes, but what
KIND of fish is it?
He: It’s a white
fish.
Me: (ok, I give up…) Va
bene? (Is good?)
He: Si – is very good, I eat it today.
Me: Ok.
He: Grazie Signora. (thank
you)
Me: Prego (your
welcome)
In every Italian restaurant I have been to, you pay for
everything single thing – the water is not tap water it’s bottled (natural or
carbonated, also called fizzy), the bread they place automatically on your
table, the courses and the side dishes.
If you’re not paying attention it can add up very quickly. Which is another reason to go for the house
wine as it is usually the cheapest in price but so far I have not been
disappointed at all with the taste. As they charge for the bread (and if it’s
really good), I have taken up a habit of my Grandma Waverka’s and put the left
over bread in my purse at the end of my meal.
I don’t see anyone else doing it, but hey, I paid for it and I’m on
strict travel budget!
Business people, waiters and waitress - every single person
you interact with is extremely polite. ‘Hello’,
‘goodbye’, ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are said over and over and over again. So when you come here remember to bring your
manners.
My waiter was right; the baked fresh white fish was good,
delicious in fact. He brought it to the
table whole on one plate and then placed and plate in front of me. He then proceeded to cut off the head, tail
and debone the fish in front of me and place the pieces on my plate.
I even made a couple of friends while I was enjoying my dinner.
Yes, I shared with them.
My waiter told me they are ‘town cats’ that belong to no one. They just sleep where ever they want to and
beg for food when they are hungry. I saw
them throughout my stay and even fed them from one of the other
restaurants. They get lots of attention
and seem to be living a good life.
After dinner I strolled along around the harbor area, there
really isn’t anywhere else to go and I just took in the sounds of the
town. It’s very small and has only 500
permanent residents some have been here for many generations and many are
related to one another. There isn’t much
to do here but fish, swim, hike and sit – and it’s absolutely wonderful….
I’ve put if off long enough, but I have to climb those stair
again one more time today… When I get
back to the balcony, Mark and Celeste are there enjoying a glass of wine. We talked for a while longer; they told me of
their careers, their children and Alaska.
I told them of my trip and Celeste responded saying “I am proud of you
for doing this”. It stuck me that she is
not the first person that I have met on this trip that has said those exact same words to me. Strangers who barely know me and
within minutes of meeting and talking with me they make that statement. It feels good to hear those words. As I was planning this trip, some people
very close to me who know me (or should by now) have asked me “why are you
doing this”, but Celeste didn’t ask that, nor have other strangers. Such nice people, I’m so very glad to have met them...
I couldn’t sleep that night, I have a touch of insomnia at
times and it’s plagued me a lot this trip. But here in this spot I don’t mind. I put on a few dabs of bug spray, grab a
bottle of water and sit on the balcony a while and stare at the sky as I listen
to the waves crash against the rocks below me.
I could live on this balcony…
But I eventually have to try and sleep, so I go back into my room and
open the shutters so I can lie in bed and watch the stars. I am given a gift as I lay there and watch 3
shooting stars go past my view. I love
it here in this room, this balcony, this space.
I am so lucky to be living this moment…
6/19
I wake up around 7am, that is when the church bells start ringing
– every hour and half hour, until 10pm.
I try to sleep but hear the waves hitting the rocks below as they are
calling me to the balcony. I know this
will be my routine for the next few days and I don’t care. I will catch up on sleep later when I am inland
and have A/C. One thing I don’t have up
here is coffee… Darn it, I’ve got to
take that first trip down the stairs already.
But again it is worth it because here they take the time to make you a
happy cappuccino.
I take another walk around the harbor and stick my toes in
the water. It’s cold, but clear and
inviting so I will have to go up and put on my swim suit and come back down
again. Curses! Why can’t the balcony have a cappuccino
machine and a pool!! When I get back up there
Celeste and Mark are sitting out in their spot and enjoying the morning. They are leaving today – bummer… I like them and have thoroughly enjoyed
their company. I think that if we lived
close to each other, Celeste and I would be gal pals… But
they have to go so they give me their email and I give them one of my CDs to
remember me by. I tell them that Alaska
is on my list of places I would really like to see, so maybe we will see each
other again.
I put on my swim suit, lather up with sunscreen, pack a bag
of supplies and I head down those steps again to the harbor and to find a spot
on the rocks.
Saw an old friend of mine sunning themselves on a bench...
These are guys from the town cleaning up the
harbor swimming area. They or some of
the other town men do this every week because the tide is always bring back in
debris from the mud slide. They do this
because the water is shallow here and it’s where their children swim and they
want to keep it safe.
I sit in the water for over almost 2 hours and pretend that
I am a mermaid. The water is so salty
that you can float without any effort. I
spent the afternoon just floating and trying to mix in with the crowd.
After a while, I headed back up the steps to my balcony and
enjoyed the rest of the afternoon and early evening just sitting, staring at
the water and enjoying… Right below the
balcony is the garden of the man that owns this house. He would shuffle out a few times a day and tinker
in the garden. Each time he would look
up at me, wave and say buon giorno. By
my third day it was cut to just ‘giorno’.
I’d return in kind.
Later I cleaned myself up and trekked back down to town for
dinner. This time, at restaurant #2, I asked what’s good today – the fish! I’m thinking as I am in a fishing town and
sitting right here at the harbor, this is probably going to be the answer every
day… Their special of the day was fritto
pesce (fried fish), rather than ask why kind of fish, I just said Si – questo
qui, per favore (yes - this here, please) and pointed to the special. I know
the plate had some squid and prawns, but the rest is a mystery. Delicious - but a mystery…
6/20
The Cinque Terre is actually a hiker’s paradise. There are five towns along the coast and hiking
trails that run between them, but they are steep hill and steps and my knees
can’t take that. They are talking to me quite loudly today
because of the 4 trips I made up and down the steps yesterday. Give me a flat surface or a slow and steady
incline and I can handle that. So today
I did some exploring and took a walk past the railroad station to the upper
part of town where the bank, post office, a fountain and a WW2 monument used to
be. All were washed away by the mud
slide. Christian told me that he lost
his boat, car and the garage his car was in and they never found them. But he brushes it away and says many other
were worse off them him and he will buy another boat soon, they are more
important here then cars. And besides,
he is still paying off the car loan for the one that no longer exists. Here are some pictures from my walk.
After my walk, I stopped in every store I passed and bought
something whether I needed it or not… Then
I hit restaurant #3 for their special, pasta with – wait for it – FRESH FISH
which consisted of prawns, mussels and clams in a light tomato sauce. Delicious!
Then back up to my balcony for the rest of the night for silence and
reflection.
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