Cinque Terre

I wrote this post last May, but was unable to upload the pictures that went with it. Here it finally is!


I realized that, though I posted pictures on Facebook, I never blogged about our trip to Cinque Terre! The last weekend of April we went to Cinque Terre, on the west coast of Italy. The primary reason for going was that my cousin Beth and her husband Scott were going to be there on their 10th Anniversary trip, but we had also heard great things about the area and wanted to see it. The name Cinque Terre (chinkway terray) literally means Five Lands, and refers to five towns built into the hilly coastline on the Ligurian Sea. The area is a National Park and has a bunch of hiking trails between the towns and up into the hills.We drove over on Friday, April 24, to Levanto, which is not technically part of the Cinque Terre, but is right next door. Levanto has a larger, nicer beach than the other towns, and accomodations are a bit cheaper there. It is a 5-15 minute train ride from Levanto to any of the Cinque Terre towns. We spent the afternoon at the beach, and Emily had a fabulous time playing in the sand and water. We also had some delicious gelato just off the beach. I was pleased to find raspberry, which I had not seen before, but it was wonderful!

The beach at Levanto
Emily enjoying the beach at Levanto
Sunset at the beach in Levanto

On Saturday, we took the train over to Vernazza, where Beth and Scott were staying, and met up with them. We decided to take the boat over to Riomaggiore and hike back to Manarola on the easy hiking trail called the Via dell'Amore (Way of Love). We followed Rick Steves' advice in Manarola for a lunch place and had some delicious pasta with homemade pesto sauce. After lunch, we took Emily to the playground with the spectacular view. Then, the train back to Vernazza to rest for a bit in Beth and Scott's room with a view. We ran into some friends from Ferrara in Vernazza on the way to dinner, enjoying the 3 day weekend like we were. Dinner in Vernazza was good. Emily tried fried anchovies and loved them! Anchovies are a specialty of the area, apparently. Finally, we caught the train back to Levanto (just within the 6 hour validity of our tickets) and got to bed.The water in VernazzaView of Riomaggiore from the waterJeff and me on the Via dell'Amore

Emily on the Via dell'Amore

Beth at the playground with a view

Jeff looking down at Manarola

Jeff and Scott at the playground with a view

The view from Beth & Scott's room

Beth in the hotel room

View down to the water in Vernazza

Unfortunately, it was raining when we got up on Sunday, so we didn't make it back to the beach like we had hoped. But, it was a lovely trip, and we had a great visit with Beth and Scott!

Piadine

I met some friends downtown today to walk around and visit. We walked through the market and just around town for a couple of hours. For lunch, we stopped at a mobile food vendor for the regional specialty, piadine. A piadina is a type of sandwich which is popular in our particular region of Italy. It is made with a flat bread (similar to pita, but without the pocket) that is grilled and wrapped around whatever toppings you like. The one I had today was one of the specials the vendor was advertising. It was made with Fontina cheese and Zia, which my Italian friend informs me is a local salami made with garlic. I also had grilled vegetables on mine: zucchini, onion, eggplant, and bell peppers. It was delicious!

Belly Bulletin #2

Here is the latest belly picture at 18 weeks.

The bean is becoming a noticeable bump now, but not really obvious yet.

Of course, Hamlet didn't want to be left out, so he had to have a picture taken of his tummy, too!