I have not had internet access on my computer in a week so here is my post from my trip to Cinque Terre, which consists of 5 towns and takes about 5 hours to hike, if you're lucky.
I don’t even know how to begin to describe this weekend. My program, ISA, organized a trip to Cinque Terre for a night. Cinque Terre is a world renowned coastal destination on Italy’s western coast. It consists of 5 towns all of which are only reachable by train, boat, or ferry. We stayed in the northern most town, Monterosso, at a family run hotel called Albergo Souvenir. After arriving Saturday afternoon, a couple friends and I opted out of going with the huge group on a hike between the towns, and instead we beached ourselves on the beach. It was a gorgeous day with perfect weather. The rocky beach was a little rough to lie on, but we were too excited that we were finally getting color n our skin to care. Sitting on the beach and gazing out at the Mediterranean Sea was surreal. When I attempted to go for a swim though, my body was in shock because the water was SOOO COOOLLLLDD. Sarah on the other hand lasted for a good 20 minutes in the water as opposed to my 20 seconds.
We ended our day with a small dinner and stroll around the town. After dark, some friends and I headed back to the beach. I can never get enough of that sea salt air and sound of the waves crashing on the shore. It’s my paradise!
A bunch of us stayed on the beach goofing around pretty late, which is why I was surprised when I was so rested this morning. As I sit here reflecting on my day, I can’t believe how many random things happened today. Those of us who opted out of the hike yesterday, decided to tackle the 5 hour hike along the coast at 10 am. We got our hiking passes and were off for day of adventure—little did we know how adventurous it would be. We made it from Monterosso to Vernazza panting, but feeling accomplished after the constant climbing up and down! However, Vernazza to Corniglia wasn’t quite as successful if you look at it by the book. Luckily, the people I was with were up for the adventure.About 30 minutes before Corniglia we saw “BEACH -->” Score! We were hot, sweaty, and wanted nothing more than a quick dip in the Mediterranean. *Cue Eurotrip filming now.* We start down a trail off the beaten path that’s fairly steep but completely manageable. Once we walk a bit, we realize if we keep going there’s no turning back. We were working our way down a steep mountain and there was no way we could get back up. So what did we do? We went for it! A few slips later, we found ourselves in a jungle. We beat off branches, bugs, thickets, and more as we made our way through the thick of the jungle on a tiny, weaving, slippery and steep path. We started questioning our decision, but we were committed. After a few scares here and there, we made it out of the brush and onto a gravel path that seemed to lead to the coast. We were walking towards the coast, but couldn’t tell where we were going to end up.
Once again, we questioned where were going and if the beach actually existed, but a rock with an arrow carved into it reassured us we were going in the right direction. Finally, we made it to a cliff over a beach with another arrow pointing us in the direction to get down to the shore. But wait! The question “is that guy naked?” was followed by “Does he know we can see him?” and “Is this for real?” We followed the direction of the arrow and stumbled upon a small sign that read, “Nude Beach through the Tunnel NO GAYS!” Yep, it was a nude beach. Oye vay! It wasn’t exactly the kind of beach we were going for, but we were desperate for a dip after fighting with jungle trees. As I stared off into the distance trying to admire the sight of the sea and avoid the full moons beached on the rocks, we made our way past the sunbathers to the other end of the beach where we did a little sunbathing of our own—in bathing suits. The water was once again FREEZING, but so worth the trek to the beach. It was perfect to hop in, hop out, and bask on the warm rocks.After maxin’ and relaxin’ for quite some time, we knew we had to trek on, we just didn’t know where. We climbed back up the cliff to the path, but we were unsure which way to go. We knew we couldn’t make it back up the trail we came down, but there wasn’t any civilized establishmetns around to lead us in the right direction. We wandered a bit and ran into 2 Austrian ladies who were stuck in the same predicament. Awesome! We were stuck between a jungle and a nude beach with nowhere to go. What did we get ourselves into? Finally, a nice man in a speedo pointed towards a tunnel that we had opted out of entering earlier since it didn’t look too inviting. I asked in my broken Italian if it was the way to Corniglia, and he assured me it was. But it was DARK! Without anywhere else to go, it was our only option. James found a dying mini flashlight in his bag that we thought wouldn’t last a minute. We all whipped out our cell phones ready to brave the dark. It was a 1 km long tunnel in the pitch black. Straight out of a horror movie if you ask me, but I was totally down for the thrill. We venture in and soon the light from the end is fading in the distance, and it was dark—REALLY DARK! It was the kind of dark where you can’t see your own hand if it’s an inch in front of your face. Terrified, Sarah kept asking me, “Am I scared? Kelsey, it this scary?” Though it was a little scary, call me crazy because I was kind of having fun. Sarah had Doug start sing-a-longs, which is what kept us sane the whole way through. We sand “Row Your Boat” in a cannon, “Staying Alive,” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” and more classic hits. The Austrian ladies even joined in!
About 3 minutes into the tunnel we see a light in the distance. “HELLO! CIAO! Is someone there?” No answer. We could have been walking to our own death for all we knew, but we kept trekking. We made a train with James in front holding his mini flashlight and pocket knife ready to attack anything that moved. We finally make it to the light, which are two girls who simply didn’t respond. Shortly behind them was a man who spoke English telling us the end was 10 minutes from where we were. Phew! We thought we were golden, but naturally, we thought too soon. About 5 minutes later we hear really loud rumbling. Let’s just think of the situation: in a dark tunnel, walking in the middle scared of what might be by the walls, loud rumbling getting louder, not a clue where we are or what tunnel we’re in. That’s when someone yelled “TRAIN!!!” Like googley eyes on construction paper, we were glued to that wall faster than light travels. Stuck to the wall, we think about the situation and the fact that there are NO train tracks in the tunnel, we don’t see headlights, and the rumbling is fading. The train was in another tunnel! Thank you, God for saving us! We took a minute to gather ourselves and get back in line hanging on the person in front. It was truly the blind leading the blind.
I don’t think we were ever happier to see light in our lives! Reaching the end was victorious! The rest of the hike wasn’t quite as exciting, but the path was easy and the views were gorgeous! We swam in the harbor at Manarola and had the most amazing sorbet anyone has ever put in their mouth at 5 Terre Gelateria. If you ever go to Cinque Terre, it’s a must! The last leg of the hike is called Via Dell’ Amore, or Road of Love because it is so breathtaking. People bring locks to lock somewhere along the path, and the myth goes that as long as the lock is there your love is safe.
We trained back to Monterosso from Riomaggiore feeling like bad***es after the day we had. We left for Florence soon after we got back, but not before hanging out on the Mediterranean coast one last time. Cinque Terre was truly an amazing trip.
I loved being with so many friends from my program and having the opportunity to enjoy the coast. I often question if this is really my life? How did I get here? Do I deserve this? I am so grateful for such amazing parents. They should be living my life right now, not me. It just keeps getting better and better, and I keep hoping I won’t wake up from a dream. It’s now Tuesday (I didn’t do this blog in one sitting), and I am on my way to visit Jenna in England. I had a hectic 36 hours after Cinque Terre finishing 2 papers and 2 presentations (yes, I still have real school), but everything is turned in for this week, and I’m taking advantage of my last absences. I will be in Brighton, England and London for the next 3 days, then Jenna and I are off to Amsterdam to celebrate Queensday! Can’t wait to let you know how it goes!
More news from Europe:
• The volcano has settled down enough for all flights to resume. Let’s hope it stays that way at least until I make it back to Florence.
• I have officially booked my flight home for May 21. I fly standby Rome to Atlanta. I’m hoping to get a flight from Atlanta to Memphis that night, so I can go to a friend’s wedding in Jackson, TN on the 22nd. Hope it all works out!
• After England and Amsterdam, I have 2 trips left—Paris, France and Marrakesh, Morocco.
MISS YOU ALL!!! Shoot me an email and let me know what’s going on in y’alls lives.
Catch ya on the flip side!
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