Italy- Day 3

Whatever happened to those Italy posts I've promised? Well, they can't be posted up because I don't have the photos (cus my camera died after day 3). Just for the sake of tying up loose ends, I'm going to continue on the journey I started with Day 3.

Italy- Day 3- Longest night ever in La Spezia and the most breathtaking view (that I've ever seen):

To pick up where I left off the last time, we arrived at the La Spezia train station well later than expected. 

Were we able to catch the connecting train to Riomaggiore? No.

Were we able to leave our bags at the left baggage? No (closed).

Were we dressed to withstand a long rainy (and chilly night)? No.

Despite all that, we pulled ourselves together, determined to camp it out in one of the platform's waiting rooms. SO that's that. With those lousy back-numbing chairs for our beds, breeze through broken windows to freeze our bones and simple raincoats as our blankets, we attempted to sleep. Shifts were rotated. Can't remember who took the 1st shift. I think it was me and jun sheng... then again, I'm pretty sure I dozed off during my shift :P. Sometime during the wee hours, a guy approached us and poured some incomprehensible Italian into our ears while pointing to his ticket. We didn't understand what he was saying and he staggered off to the other side of the room and slept. Time, as Einstein argued, is relative, as is everything. So between that incident and the arrival of a train bound for the stranger's destination, almost 1 day passed- relatively speaking. the night was THAT long OK. We woke him up so that we won't feel guilty when he wakes up and realizes that he'd missed his train. :P

I'm joking of course.. We're all good Samaritans who wouldn't hesitate to help those in need. Heheh.

So after that LONG night of restless sleep under my thin raincoat, we finally saw something stir from within the station's McDonalds. I swear, I have never been so glad to see a shop open in the morning. We all rushed into the little McDonalds (shared with another deli of sorts, Italian style). Turned out the McD wasn't opened yet, but the other one sharing this lot was. Had a simple breakfast there (Croissant+coffee for me) and washed ourselves up in their toilet, all the while leeching off their central heating. 

The train from La Spezia to Cinque Terre wasn't long. Before we could succumb to dreamland's allure sitting on the train's comfy cushions, we were there at our first village- Riomaggiore. It was still rainy and we were not very optimistic that the weather was going to improve that day. After a short walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola, breakfast was already on some of our minds, especially Jun. heheheh.. And mine too lar. We started the real hiking stuff from Manarola to Corgnilia via one of the small towns which name currently escapes me. Anywho, the trek was a little energy-sapping, but it was well worth the effort. By that time, the sun was out, lucky us. Following the red and white marks which can be found painted on rocks, and etched into tree trunks, we were brought into the wonderful vineyard valleys and over the hills where the Tyrrhenian sea greeted us with its glittering beauty. Due to the topography, their vineyards were all planted on narrow steps on the slopes of this unique countryside. Standing on the pathway wedged in between rows of vines, we had the sea on our left and the steep climb on our right (with an endless sight of MORE vineyards). Behind us, the view of that cute little village of Manarola and the lone ferry boat moving towards it from one of the northern villages; in front, another 2 villages which I assume are Corniglia and Vernazza. It was truly a sight to behold. I will upload some photos when i get it from JS after his exams :).

From Corgnilia, we had an awesome Italian lunch complete with an antipasti (appetizer), a Primo and a secondo- Fish!!! and some smacking good seafood. I myself had some sort of grain (resembling rice) with prawns for the primo. In case you're wondering, the Italians take pride in their meal structure. Hence, it's best if you know a thing or two about these and also *important is the COPERTO- cover charge. Some are reasonable while others are just ridiculous. Now back to the meal: It was GOOoood. We reached a consensus there and then that the night's "chillout" (get it? Chill, OUT? Heheheh. LAme lar you) at the train station without paying for accommodation was definitely a good move since we get to spend on that day's lunch.

As though we weren't bloated enough, someone suggested some more gelato... and I agreed. You can't deny yourself some good ice-cream la, especially when you're supposed to enjoy your holiday to the max. Being the lazy bums that we were, we decided to put serious hiking on the back burner- indefinitely, and took the next train for our last city, Monterosso al mare. The place wasn't that great as the construction of a man-made beach was underway. Nevertheless, we took the opportunity to laze on the gravel. Yes, gravel. It was actually a very good place for a nap. Sun, smell of the sea, sound of waves lapping onto the shore, breeze. *snores*

After discussing with the rest, I wanted to go to Vernazza since it was said to be the most beautiful village out of the five. Caught a train there and really, it had a wonderful little harbour. As the rest of them experimented with the SLRs (Nigel, Ke Lun and Jun being the models) I explored a little and managed to find my way up at a watch tower. A sense of loneliness hit me as I enjoyed the view from the top. A wonderful view isn't perfect when there is no one close to your heart with whom to share.

It has to be noted here that the word "little" has to be used here because although the villages do not necessarily have the size and mass to compete with the likes of Venice and Florance, the fact that they are one, or in this case, 5 of a kind makes them stand out. I personally like how they are separated from the world. It is when you are among the cliffs of vineyards, quaint cottages dotting the mountainside and perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea.. that you truly feel on top of the world. 

Yes, I fell in love with Cinque Terre. It makes me wonder how amazing it is that the villages remained sheltered from our poisonous hands all these years. Over-development, pollution and full-scale exploitation of local resources would usually be the theme of tourist attractions such as Florance and even Venice. It was the lack of that tourist-y feel that earned itself my bonus star.

End of the day, train took us back to La Spezia where we collected the luggage and headed for our next station: Florence (Firenze).