Cinque Terre

I spent my last weekend in Europe in Italy! I met up Thursday night with Lindsey and Tyler in Milan and got my first taste of gelato before heading out early the next morning on the train. We spent the weekend in the Cinque Terre, five little towns on the rocky Mediterranean coast (close to Genoa). The first afternoon was spent in Vernazza, relaxing on the rocks and getting some sun before the afternoon rains set in. We ate dinner on the bluff at sunset at a restaurant Linds and Ty had enjoyed when they visited the area nine years ago. Saturday we hiked the trail between the five cities, starting at the northernmost and heading south (in order, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore). We stopped in Corniglia for a dip and lunch before heading back to Riomaggiore, where we were staying. Our hostel was apartment style, so there was a kitchen which we used to made it a home-cooked night with some pasta and amazing fresh pesto. We then walked up to one of the town's viewpoints to sip on some fine Italian wine (and by "fine" I mean 2 Euro per bottle...you get the picture). Sunday morning was spent in Monterosso, relaxing on the beach and swimming, followed by a rousing game of cards and lunch at a restaurant overlooking the water. Needless to say it was a phenomenal weekend, and a perfect way to complete the Europe trip. There was only a slight hitch on the way home when my first train left late, then terminated at a random station, making it impossible for me to catch my connecting train. I hopped on a random train to get back to Milan, praying the whole way that they wouldn't check tickets and made it just in time to catch a bus to the airport. Right now I'm very torn between being excited to come home and realizing that I have just 4 short days left in Prague...