First Days in Italy

We have finally entered Italy for the first time on our vacation. We left France after spending a relaxing and eye-opening day in Nice and Monaco (complete with million dollar sports cars). We are now relaxing in the Cinque Terre - five italian villages perched on cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean.

The contrast from France to Italy was immediately obvious in the train station at Genova. The French rail system had been efficient and accurate for our entire journey and we (naively) expected the same from Italy. We needed to transfer to a local train and had given ourselves about 45 minutes to get tickets... which would have been plenty if the train didn't arrive 30 minutes late! We rushed to the ticket counter but there were only 3 people working (on a Saturday) and the line was too long. Several of the automatic machines were broken, but we queued for them since the line was shorter.

While in line a dopey looking guy in a business suit came and stood next to me. When it was my turn he started using the machine. I pointed out that I was next in line, but he ignored me. When I pressed my point he started waving his hands and talking loudly like he was the most important man in the station. As it turned out, he couldn't spell the station name he wanted and took so long doing it that we both missed our trains.

We ended up queuing for the ticket booth!

Nevertheless, once you get off the train and away from the irate locals it is a beautiful place. We are staying in Manarola, a comparatively quiet village. The water is so crystal clear and the views are stunning. We have hiked between three of the villages so far and will do the last two tomorrow. Although the trails are reasonably clear there are moments when it is just you and the cliffside. To reach the last town we visited we had to climb 320 steps! We celebrated reaching the top with some gelatti and frozen yoghurt. The food so far has been excellent and the wine is very cheap and very easy to drink. They even serve it at the train station while you wait for the next train.

After the calmness of Cinque Terre we are off to Florence and Rome, so we are soaking up the relaxing rays while we can (perched on a rock no less - no sand here!).