There isn’t much to say about day 9, because we did absolutely NOTHING on this day! This was the ‘relaxation’ day. This was the day we were going to hang out by the Mediterranean sea and just veg!
We got up, hopped on the train back to the Cinque Terre, and tried to find a place we wanted to hang out. We started in Manarola, but quickly realized the craggy rocks were not going to be that comfortable or enjoyable for any extended period of time. So, we jumped the train and pulled the plug all the way to Monterosso.
We thought we wouldn’t’ want to hang at Monterosso because it is so crowded and a little too ‘hipster’ for our tastes – but we made the trade offs for a nice umbrella and easy chairs, so that we could truly relax and enjoy the day.
We read books, we took naps, and we got into the slightly chilly Mediterranean. (We couldn’t leave without saying we’d been there). The worst part, though, was being the freak shows. We were the whitest, most fluorescent people among an array of olive skinned, fit Europeans. It didn’t bother us too much – just was something we noticed. We definitely commanded attention!
After the sun went down and the beach was cleaned up, we headed back to Vernazza to enjoy a last meal in the Cinque Terre. We ate at the place the Wal-Mart greeters told us to go: Il Pirata. It was really good. The two Sicilian brothers who ran the joint were absolutely hilarious. They kept us in stitches the whole time, and the food was amazing too! We had fresh anchovies that were to die for! I’ll never think of an anchovy as bad, ever again!
After our dinner, we wandered back down to Vernazza seaside square where we caught the tail end of a festival. There was a band playing and peddling CDs. The ambiance was really nice and very memorable.
This is a terrible video, and not of Vernazza, but it captures a little of what the band was like.
We said goodbye to the Cinque Terre and returned to La Spezia, with our eyes toward Genoa and our return trip home.
I wanna play the whistle!
Love the orange jumpsuits! They look like a prison band! 🙂 How funny. What a great vacation!