For the big 3-1 this year we had a really lovely group of friends to spend the occasion with. After being on the road for 3 weeks, I hoped for something simple and casual - burritos, margaritas, music and Champions League football!!!
The group started off at our place, we ordered and grubbed on some Tomatillo take away. After our yummy meal, the group split off to Tara to catch the Champions League final match. Last stop, Cafe Schuim for more drinks and celebrating! I had a great time!!!
For the long Dutch holiday weekend Kirk and I flew to Milan and trained over to Cinque Terre! Cinque Terre (five towns) is part of the Italian Riviera on the Mediteranean - a very small, beautiful and relaxing place. Known more for Italian's getaway - off the beaten path, the five connecting towns consist of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.
We stayed in the old town of Monterosso. So much spirit and good energy in the air, Monterosso is packed with locals and tourists and is known for being more touristy compared to the other towns. The streets were full of different vendors selling lemons, pesto, capers, wonderful focaccia bread and more. This region is the birthplace of pesto and focaccia!
After checking into our lovely room we made our way down the narrow streets looking for a bite to eat! Ciak was the place to do just that - a popular cafe known for their focaccia we had a nice order with pesto of course and a bottle of local white wine. After a yummy starter we made our way to Kirk's favorite restaurant Taverna where we had awesome spicy mussels and spaghetti frutti di mar!
On Friday, we heard that there were some closures on the hiking trails that can take you from Monterosso on one end, all the way to Riomaggiore on the other. It also didn't help that the trains went on strike, so if you can't walk to the towns, you weren't able to train their either. Luckily the trail from Monterosso to Vernazza was open!
So we set off on the the one hour hike to Vernazza. I'm not sure why, but I wasn't expecting uneven terrain, steep and narrow stairs, and congested pathways full of tourists (all ages, sizes and shapes). The weather was perfect, nice and sunny, cool breezes when you really needed them, and the view was stunning! I loved seeing all the various lemon trees and vineyards along the path. We even spotted homes sitting on the hillside, locals sitting out on their terrace, conversing about anything and everything.
Once we hit Vernazza we sat down for some more coffee and focaccia! We spent a short time in Vernazza since the sun was out and the beach and ocean were calling us back in Monterosso.
Later that afternoon we found a nice spot on the beach with an umbrella and soaked up the rays. Then a thunderstorm came barreling thru making everyone run for cover momentarily.
That evening we took a stroll around the town, had dinner, including some awesome Tiramisu, at a restaurant called Ely and watched folks gather and take a stab at some tango.
Saturday was decidedly a beach day! It's been a while since Kirk and I have dedicated some time to the beach - so reading, lounging, napping in the sun, and taking dips in the Mediteranean when we got too hot was the perfect way to spend our last full day in CT. The water was sharp and crisp, but refreshing and rejuvenating! I will miss and always long for this place!
For our final evening we returned to Kirk's favorite restaurant for one last meal. The city was alive, full of music and people all over! We watched a foursome play bocci ball with such impressive skill I didn't know existed in the game!
Cinque Terre is easily a favorite city of ours and if you haven't been you should add it to your list!
The highlight of the trip though, was on his last day when Kirk got to spend a few hours with his mom walking around Santa Monica and having lunch (more Mexican food). A great time that doesn't get to happen too often these days!
