After checking to make sure the leaning tower didn't topple over in the night, we headed out to grab our train to Cinque Terre! Thanks Melissa and others for the recommendation.... We adored this place!
We arrived at our hotel in La Spezia, a town just outside of the Cinque Terre national park. Our hotel seemed SO sketch at first, it was down an alley, through a miniature door, up and across an uneasy platform.... But it ended up being cute and perfect for a couple of nights.
We took the train up to the furthest north of the 5 little towns - Monterosso. We ran out to the water and celebrated because this is Dad's first time seeing the Mediterranean Sea! We took a walk around the small town, admiring the architecture of all of the houses built on top of each other, realizing how much of their town was demolished then rebuilt by a flood in 2011, checking out an amazing old church. We were sure to try the things Cinque Terre is most known for.... Focaccia, seafood, pesto, and dry wines. All delicious.
We then headed over to Vernazza, the town just south of Monterosso. We took a walk around the city.... They have both been so picture perfect, every shot looking like a postcard. We decided to find a place to eat, somewhere close to the harbor. Ugh, this is where I do something pretty dumb, although it seemed hilarious at the time. We went out to where they bring the boats in, and of course, I have to be as close to the water as possible. I run out on some big rocks - they were totally dry, I swear! As I was standing there, some guy starts waving his hand at me. As I was attempting to decipher what he was saying, suddenly I'm blasted from the side with a huge wave of water. Completely. Drenched. Dad got some pics immediately after... People at the fancy seaside restaurant were clapping.... I was so embarrassed but laughing hysterically.... And I'm lucky, it could have been a pretty scary situation if I lost my balance. But all is well!
We quickly found a restaurant to eat in, so I could get out of the cold. We drank some wine and a nice guy offered me a sweater... He told me I wasn't the first one and certainly wouldn't be the last. Still soaked, we made our way back to the train station and headed back to our hotel. Crazy fun day!