After Brock’s football game in Bolzano, we woke up bright and early for our trip to Cinque Terre. Brock and I had been before with my parents when they visited, but we were beyond excited to return to the five small coastal villages that make up the region known as “5 Lands.” We spent our nights in La Spezia, where Brock did it again, and found us a wonderful hotel for the four of us. On our first day we laid out and enjoyed the beaches of La Spezia. Our second day was our hike through the five towns. After a small detour, caused by SOMEONE leading the group on the wrong train (that was going 4 hours in the wrong direction), we finally made it to the first town for our hike. The detour only took an hour off our planned hike because Brock got the conductor to let us off… so my mistake; I mean the person’s mistake, didn’t turn out to be such a disaster… just more of an adventure. Each town; Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso, had something different, new, and unique to offer. And as we entered each new town, we enjoyed something to eat or drink, enjoyed the scenery, took some pictures, and made our way to the next town.
Words truly cannot express the breathtaking views and the one of a kind charming layout each town had. We were always surprised to see what awaited us around the corners and cliffs of our hike and we were all so blessed that we were able to spend time in this tropical, European location filled with the most beautiful sights of sailboats, Castles, charming villas, and rolling green hills that over looked the water. Our last day was a relaxing day on the water, eating with the locals, and catching some rays. This trip was much needed after a hard semester ending with finals (for Jake and Christina), a tough football match (for Brock), and well…for me, it was just needed; especially for my tan!
Fresh new eyes made us appreciate our surroundings in a fresh, rejuvenating way. The entire trip with Jake and Christina made Brock and I thankful for this opportunity to live abroad, but it made us even more thankful that we had the chance to share it with our family member and our friend. Living here, day in and day out for 4 months, has made us comfortable and familiar with the Italian way of life, and having them experiencing these culture shocks, made us remember how unique our situation is and how far we have come during our time here.
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