Why not? (aka Cinque Terre!)

“Just be here now, forget about the past, your mask is wearing thin. Let me throw one more dice, I k now that I can win, I’m waiting for my real life to begin” – lyrics from “Any Minute Now”

Friday morning at 7am I met up with Kathryn and Parker at the Florence train station and we headed to Lucca, a small city relatively close to Florence. It is enclosed by a massive surrounding wall built in the 1500s and is, in general, a normal, non-tourist infested Italian town. After finding our hostel and dealing with some unexpected issues we encountered along the way, we made our way to Viareggio. This was an interesting mix between Europe and Key West, at least to my taste, as it is a beachside town full of traveling Italians on vacation. All of us were tired, so to save you anymore of my rambling: we plopped down on the beach and stayed there for several hours. Earlier that day, we had befriended a retired US Navy something-or-other (we did not know his rank) who was originally from Boston but who had moved to Viareggio some time ago…he gave us detailed instructions on how to get to the beach and even walked us part of the way there!! At the beach, I also befriended a lifeguard named (wait for it) Yuri…turns out he was a Ukranian immigrant who has been studying in Italy for several years and works as a lifeguard during the summer!

Somewhat reluctant to leave the wonderful view (especially since it was my first time bathing in the Mediterranean!), we made our way back to the train station and then to Pisa, where we visited the leaning tower and had a delicious dinner before heading, exhausted, back to Lucca to sleep.

Saturday was, without question, one of the most memorable days of my month in Italy. Kat, Parker, and I met up with my friend Travis and trekked Cinque Terre. For those of you who have been there, I don’t even need to explain…I am sure you are gasping in recognition already. For those of you who haven’t, Cinque Terre is a national park with a series of paths that link five villages together over cliffs, terraces, and coastlines. Needless to say, the views are nothing if not spectacular. The natural beauty here is almost entirely untouched, and to walk through the Mediterranean bush and see such stunning oceans, vineyard terraces, and small, colorful towns perched on cliff sides…it leaves one a bit speechless. The hike is pretty long (almost 6 miles), but with the inclination of some parts and the general summer heat and resulting malaise, it feels somewhat longer!

Along the way from Corniglia (the 3^rd town) and Vernazza (the fourth town), we paused at a small bar/café in the middle of the path, the first of its kind we had seen on our hike. I ordered a glass of local white wine and a slice of homemade blueberry pie and, perched by the window, silently looked out onto the crashing waves below us, the cliffs jetting out into the currents, and the first three towns painting the coastline we had already walked with their yellow, orange houses. (Sigh)

We had dinner by the ocean in the fourth town, took a train to the fifth town because we were pressed for time, and actually bathed in the ocean, cold as it was! Afterwards, beat from a day of walking, we took our respective trains back and found our way to our hostel. This night we stayed in Pisa which, I have to admit, was an incredibly charming town, despite the tourists who flock directly from the train station to the leaning tower. We came across couples sitting on the embankment, a lively jazz band playing in the street by a restaurant, and vibrant and fun Saturday-night going-ons on our way to the hostel. I’m pretty sure all three of us regretted not having an extra night there.

The next morning, I said goodbye and caught a 7am train to Florence, followed by a high-speed train back to Milan. I must say that meeting up with Kathryn, even if for only two days, was one of my favorite elements of this trip, not even so much because it was exotic to meet up in a random European location, but because we managed to plan and meet up despite the distance, the time, and the quotidian improbabilities of life! It was both refreshing and reaffirming to find mid-way points between Boston and Munich!

In Milan, I had lunch at my host family’s apartment, showered, unpacked and repacked my suitcases, and headed out to the airport. On the one-hour bus ride from Milano Centrale to the airport, it started to rain, a light drizzle that slowly turned the pavement black and covered my window with shifting diagonal droplets. It fell even though the sun was still out and I couldn’t help but smile. Rain through sunshine is like laughter through tears – possibly all the more organic because it encompasses two opposites simultaneously. And so, Goodbye Italy!