Cinque Terre

Me and four of the girls on our trip had the grand adventure of traveling to the West coast of Italy this last weekend to visit Cinque Terre which, in Italian, means five lands. It is a group of five coastal cities that are connected by various trails. We got onto the train at 9 am from Siena - not fun - and after switching in Empoli found ourselves in a car with four other American students: three guys from Wisconsin and 1 from Michigan. They had been studying in Florence for three months and were going to Cinque Terre as well.

When we got off the train in Monterosso we were greeted with bright blue oceans and beaches. We checked into our hostel and convinced the guys - who were only going to stay the day - to just plop on our extra bed. That night I slept on a king size bed with 4 other girls...we're getting cozy real fast.

We sat on the beach for a while and when we got hungry - which is 10x more often than back in the states - we searched the back streets of Monterosso and ended up finding the best meal of my stay in Italy thus far. We ordered a spicy muscle dish for the antipasti and ended up literally drinking the broth out of a ladle.

They were the best muscles I have ever had and the spicy broth they were in was the most flavorful and rich one I've had the privilege of tasting. This area - of Genova - is known for their pesto and so it was pesto ravioli that I got. The pesto tasted like it had been made three seconds before smothering my ravioli in it. I ate everything on my plate and then helped some other people. Even the bread that came with the meal was scrumptious so when the pasta ran out, I ate the rest of my pesto with the bread.

One of the guys from Wisconsin is almost fluent in Italian and with all of our gestures (and limited Italian) combined with his language skills we were able to communicate to the restaurant owner that it was the best meal ever. He invited us back for more the next day!

Unfortunately when we woke up, the main trail between the inner three cities was blocked due to rock slides. We got advice to take an alternative trail and even though it looked difficult we said yes. Little did we know it would be straight up hill for almost an hour. But then again, after that meal, maybe it wasn't a bad thing.

It was all worth it though when we got to the top and looked out over Monterosso and the Italian coast line. Pictures don't do it justice so I won't try with words either.

We have determined that we are living a "post card life".

We took a train to the last city so we could do the famous Via dell'Amore or the walk of love. Couples traditionally bring a lock and key with them and on this segment of the hike they lock the lock to the railing and throw the key into the ocean. The story goes that when this trail between the cities was built the residents were thrilled because they finally had access to each other. This specific spot was ameeting place for lovers who would graffiti proof of their love on the trail's walls and railings. A traveling journalist noticed the graffiti and coined the term, the walk of love.

Although I wasn't with a romantic other and we didn't have any locks, that trip with four of my best girl friends here and four new friends from the train, was one of the best of my life.

We said our goodbyes to the boys and made our way back to Siena,still dreaming about those muscles. On the bus ride into downtown Siena we met a traveler from England that we helped get to a hostel and then went out with us that night. We also met someone studying here from New York.

The people you meet when you are traveling always will have a special place in your heart. There is an unsaid connection when you experience something as thrilling and sometimes scary as traveling together. The girls on this trip that I have traveled with I am already extremely close to and I know we will just get closer. Even those guys - Paul, Luke, Devon and Jason - I will always remember. I'm looking forward to future travels now and the amazing people I'm going to be meeting.