Cinque Terre

Friday was a rough day, getting all my things stolen was one of the worst feelings ever, but I really didn't want to sulk in that feeling. Emma, who I was planning on going to Cinque Terre with offered to go a different weekend, and most people I’ve talked with assured me that I should take the trip, just later. Honestly though, the thought of just staying in Bracciano and having to think about what happened, when I can't actually do anything...is not a good one. I was dying to talk to my Mom because I knew exactly what advice she would give me and I just wanted that reassurance. So, I asked:

Me: Mom, should I still go to Cinque Terre?

Mom: Yes! Are you kidding me? Go!

Decision made. Emma was a doll—not only did she spot me the cash to pay for the train tickets; she brought me a new bag, since I'd lost mine, with all the girl essentials. Honestly, I've known her just a short time, but I already love that girl! How could I not? She's such a sweetheart. And we are both, randomly, really great friends with KJ Green (shout out! Te Voglio bene!). On Friday night, I went into Rome to listen to a man from the Olympic board speak; I saw Brother and Sister Krueger—the senior missionary couple in charge of the Rome GANS (YSA). I went over to sit by Sister Krueger because I was in serious need of a 'mom hug.' Afterwards I asked for a blessing from Brother Krueger and was able to talk to them both for 30 minutes or so. After that, everything just felt good. I truly do think that things happen for a reason, and while that was a tough trial to go through, I know I'll be better for it in the long run.

Emma and I decided to stay at our friends, Fausto and Daniele's, apartment in Rome on Friday night because it was closer to the main train station. We wanted to get a good night sleep, which didn't happen because the bus we wanted to never came. We decided to try our luck with hitch hiking (haha) and got a taker. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, when the man saw that we were with two other guys, he revoked is offer (creeper!). We took a taxi instead.

Emma and I couldn't find Fausto and Daniele’s apartment or get a hold of them, so found ourselves knocking on a couple random doors. We felt bad because it was past midnight and realized, after a pant-less man opened his door, that we would rather wait on the stairs of the building and eat pasta until Fausto arrived home and could just direct us to his apartment. We got up Saturday morning, after 3 hours of sleep, took a wrong turn to Termini and ended up running to the train station and barely catching our train. That didn't matter though, we were on our way and happy! If you haven't heard of Cinque Terre, its 5 tiny and beautiful cities on the coast of Italy—an absolute must see if you ever make it to Italy. My Uncle Dan—who is well traveled—recently got a hold of me just to make sure I didn't miss the opportunity to visit Cinque Terre; I couldn’t ignore his advice! Emma and I took a train to La Spezzia Centrale and then hopped on one to the last city: Monterosso. We had been going through a long serious of tunnels when suddenly there was a break, where everyone caught our first, split second glimpse of the view. At that moment, as if on cue, everyone let out a gasp! It was more beautiful than anything I've ever seen in real life and gone before I could take it in. The perfect preview to a magical trip!

Monterosso

We decided to visit the furthest city first. We got off the train, saw a beach, but wanted to explore the city first. Somehow, we made our way up to a little residential area—which was beautiful—before heading down to enjoy the beach and seeing Ken Barbie (seriously, we saw his illegitimately twin who was way pretty than either of us. We steered clear ;). Emma and I walked around the rest of the city, Emma bought a dress and we decided to go to the next town and come back to Monterosso later for a big concert/party/bonfire. I feel like I can't do the trip justice in words, so get ready for lots of pictures!

Vernazza

Getting to Vernazza ended up being quite the challenge; somehow we got on a train that took us all the way back to La Spezzia Centrale—don't ask me how—but eventually made or way there. The first thing we did was eat: pasta and pizza with Pesto—which was actually invented in Cinque Terre. Oh my word, I wish I’d taken a picture, but I was too caught up in the enjoyment of the moment and it didn't cross my mind. We got to sit outside and eat, overlooking the beautiful ocean, surrounded by beautiful buildings. Cinque Terre really is like nothing I've ever seen before; when I say the towns are tiny, I'm not exaggerating—they're beautifully preserved and picturesque. They seem to be somewhat unaffected by the fast pace of the modern world. Going to Cinque Terre isn't about seeing as many monuments or museums as possible, it's about slowing life down, enjoying the moment, eating great food, and taking pleasure in the simplicity and beauty of life. There was a beautiful cemetery at the top of town; you have to make quite the hike to get there, but it’s worth it—a few of the grave markers said "Benvenuto" which means 'Welcome,' I thought there was just something very poetic about it.

benvenuto = welcome; quite poetic

Back to Monterosso

So, Emma and I were quite tired, but still wanted to take a hike that day (you can hike between all the cities!). We wanted to take a power nap or something on some big rocks, but ended up hoping to find a spot on the trail to rest instead—which we didn't, not exactly. The hike wasn't bad, but we may or may not have been wearing swim suits, dresses and sandals (you really can't judge me on this one though, my shoes were in my bag that had been stolen), which made it a bit more difficult. There were so many different kinds of stair cases, trails and little narrow passages—it took quite some time, but I can't even being to describe how beautiful everything was! We got to watch the sun go down, explore a house that had been destroyed by recent flooding, and even took a 'bath' in the 'Fountain of Youth' which was under a beautiful little waterfall. You honestly cannot blink your eyes in Cinque Terre without opening them to something new and beautiful.

By the time we got back to Monterosso, it was pretty late and a concert—with African singers/performers and a huge bonfire—had already started. We were sweaty as heck and not looking our cutest, but apparently good enough to catch the attention of a couple South African travelers (fyi: they were white), who offered us a place to stay about 30 seconds after meeting them. Now, we actually hadn't found a hostel or hotel yet (we liked the idea of ambiguity and sleeping on the beach was already a bucket list item). They guys seemed nice and we planned to meet up later, but—not wanting to make any other dumb decisions—we bailed on them. This, in retrospect, probably wasn’t the smartest idea considering the town is tiny! They saw us a bit later and John Luke started apologizing, while Davide (Davey) stood back looking grumpy.

John Luke: I am so sorry we didn't find you, we were waiting there for a long time—I don't know how we didn't see you...

Me: (playing it off, as if we hadn't actually ditched them purposefully) Don't even worry about it! You are fine!

After hanging around the city, meeting new people (including a BYU alumni—he was wearing a BYU shirt, so I had to go introduce myself:), talking to some old women and several groups of people our age, we still didn't have a place to stay. We probably should have looked into a hostel earlier, but because we hadn’t and because we didn't want to stay with the random South African guys we'd just met, we did the next most obvious thing: we found a place by the bonfire, laid ourselves in the sand, and tried to get some shut-eye. Easier said than done thanks to some annoying drunk college kids… John Luke ended up bringing us down some blankets and staying the night with us on the beach—it was pretty tender, and definitely one of my top memories from the trip. He told us all about South Africa, how he had been 2 meters from a huge elephant the week prior, and about all of the wild animals he'd seen. That is my next travel destination! Anyhow, it got colder as the night went on, so when we finally woke up, we were basically in the ash of the bonfire (which had gone down during the night in attempt to get warmer). We only slept a couple hours, and goodness knows we must have been a sight to see: two girls, still wearing our dresses, covered in a mix of dirt (from the hike), sand and ash. It was barely past 5 when we woke up, so we got an early start to our day. It was incredible to explore at that time, when the only other people out were the local fisherman. We caught a train and spent the rest of the day exploring the last three villages.

A house destroyed by a recent flood

So I decided to climb up and explore :)

the African Concert

After 2 hours of sleep on the beach by the bonfire

Bucket list check! Slept on the beach, and in Cinque Terre nonetheless!

Corniglia

We somehow avoided the 365 stairs by walking up a windy road; we saw 3 Porsches on the way—I’d definitely say that most people living in Cinque Terre aren't doing too bad financially. I honestly think I might be able to stay there forever—it's a slower way of life, but it is unlike anything I've ever seen or experienced (I feel like I say things like this a lot, but it’s always true). If you get a chance to go, don't hesitate.

Manarola

Emma and I got breakfast and then, because it was Sunday, found a little cathedral and spent about an hour there having our own little spiritual uplift. Honestly, when my bag was stolen, I felt sick—I always expect the best of people and having that happen made me lose some faith in that belief, but now, it's been restored! There have been so many good and kind people that have been there for me—family, friends, new acquaintances and even strangers. Like my blessing said, I have truly been able to find the divine and extraordinary in the negative and the ordinary.

Tiomaggiore

Emma and I were dead tired by the time we made it to the 5th and final town, but that didn't stop us. We spent our time there exploring the city, lying out on enormous rocks overlooking the ocean, talking to random people and eating gelato.

It was sad to say goodbye to Cinque Terre, that may be why we decided to double the time of our return trip… We somehow purchased train tickets to Roma Aurelia. If any of you were wondering, ROMA AURELIA is not VALLE AURELIA—which is the where I needed to be to catch the train back to Bracciano. We found ourselves waiting hours for a train that actually doesn't come on Sunday, caught a random bus instead, and then another to get us to a metro station. I ran to catch my train, which was leaving in 6 minutes. It just so happened that 3 of the 4 escalators in the train station were not working, so I legitimately sprinted from the metro, up 3 HUGE flights of stairs, as I tried to remind myself that I competed at state in high school track. I spent 6 of my past 64 hours sleeping, but couldn't be happier. La Dolce Vita!