Nice was nice and now it was time to head to La Chinque Terre in Italy. I was very skeptical on going. I figured cliffs, beaches, and little villages were close enough to the French Rivera that it wouldn't be necessary to head that far out of my way. And on top of that a lot of people would ask me where I was going next and I would tell them chinque terre Italy. About 95 percent of the time I would get a blank look and a mano tone "oh that's cool" or they would just say they had no idea where it was. But it was that other 5 percent that insisted that I go who convinced me to make the journey. Also the thought of Italian pasta, pizza, and gelato helped too :-).
The train was easy and care free. I forgot how long it was but it was easily over 4 hours. For some reason when I'm in the united states it is like ugggg i have to be in the car for over 3 hours. With trains it really isn't a big deal. I can do a 10 hour train no problem. Assuming I don't pull an all nighter the night before and have to switch between like 5 trains.
Before we got to the stop, 3 older Italian women were talking to me about where I was from and how long I was in Europe and where i was going. After talking to them for not even 10 minutes they were helping me on how to get to the exact location. The one old women had her iPhone out pulling up the train time tables, checking the weather for me, and telling me what exact second it gets dark outside. I got a kick out of it. Once the train arrived it was down pouring rain. . . . first time I saw rain all trip and I wasn't exactly jumping up and down to see it for the first time by any means. Before I got off the train the three older women were asking if I had a rain coat and were insisting I put it on or I would catch a cold. So I unzippered my whole suitcase and decided to humor them and put it on.
Once I got off the train in Corniglia is was raining pretty good and I was glad I had the rain jacket on.
So off the train and a quick walk to my hostel and I wouldn't get that wet right? After about 3 minutes of walking I realized I never got the directions to the hostel. . . all I had was an address. So after contemplating what to do I decided to wander the streets till I reached the same road as the address I had. Now that plan might sound crazy to you but corniglia is far from the big apple. The population is probably less than 600 people in the entire town so it wasn't long before I actually ran into the right road. I found what I thought was the right building but the little kids playground connecting it threw me for a loop so I asked the clerk at the grocery store right next door. And when I say store I mean a single room about the size of a walk in closet. I'm not even joking. I could have probably fit more groceries in my old mercury villager mini van. I later found out that that the building with the play ground was the right place and the hostel used to be a school before hand. By the time I reached the hostel the rain had cleared. I love it how that always happens. So I took of my wet shoes and socks set my backpack on the floor to dry and opened up the window to let in some fresh air. And right when I looked out my hostel window the sky was clear and I realized why some people insisted on my coming here. The sun was just peaking through the thick dark rain clouds and reflecting off the calm Mediterranean water in the distance. The huge olive vineyards covering the mountains and all the trees and plants were lush green from all the rain. After about 15 minutes of being there I was back up to the front desk asking if I could book another night.
And not just the scenery was great, the people were amazing too. Right when I got there I meet so many people that had the same exact interests as me. There were 8 guys in the male dorm and somehow half of them were mechanical engineers. What are the chances right. So that night we really got along and decided that all four of us should do the same hike tomorrow.
For those of you that don't know what the cinque terre is it is a group of 5 towns along the Mediterranean sea. From south to north they are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, vernazza, and Monterosso. So the first full day we would hike north along the coast to vernazza and monterosso and take the train back. The second day we would hike south to monterosso and then up to vernaza and take the train back. So after planning we headed to bed for an early start in the morning. Oh yeah, and after it stopped raining me and Luke went out to split a pizza. Now in europe tipping is not required or expected like in the united states but the waitress was so nice and help full i decided to this time. She refused it and said you both are nice young guys and it wasn't necessary. Now how can that not put a smile on your face.
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