ferry tale

as with any trip, our honeymoon did have a hiccup or two. the principle one was the ordeal that was getting to the ferry which would take us to tunisia. we got up at an ungodly hour so that we could check in by 6am, as our ticket indicated that the absolute latest we could check in was FOUR HOURS before departure. we were fairly certain this would prove to be untrue but we didn't want to take any chances. so we woke up in the wee hours of the morning and made our way down the steps of the hotel. our cab ride to the port took all of 5 minutes and cost us 15 euros in a textbook example of highway robbery. of course we were too tired and out of our element to even attempt arguing so we paid and tried to move on.

we went into the building near the port which looked something like an empty shopping mall. most everything was closed (naturally) so we wandered around for some time, trying to figure out if there was even anyone we could talk to. eventually we saw someone who seemed to be a security agent and he gestured upstairs. we eventually made our way to the ticket window, which, naturally, didn't open until 6am. so much for that four-hour window. after waiting for the window to open and checking in we were told the ship wouldn't start boarding until 8am. great. when we asked where to board the ship the woman gestured vaguely towards the water and said 'number one'.

we made our way past the many closed shops and out the building. we walked down the steps following arrows indicating the numbers of the ports. number one of course was conspicuously absent. on the way down the metal stairs we passed a woman who seemed to be carrying everything she owned, including at least one small dog. we followed the arrows on the ground until they ended abruptly and we were left in a parking lot bounded by a chain link fence. we noticed someone else walking around the curve of the road and so we blindly followed him.. until he got into one of the big rig trucks parked there. cool.

we continued on until we saw some folks milling around with luggage, a good sign, we figured. we sat around with them for a moment, unsure of what to do. eventually some employee (again maybe a security official?) looked at our tickets and pointed for us to go inside the fence toward a building. finally we could see the ship! we entered the building next to it and were again not sure of what to do as nothing was labeled, except for the vending machines that were very clearly marked 'SNACK AREA'. we saw people in line at windows so we went to one where our tickets were examined and we were told to go to the customs line when it opened. as soon as it did everyone who had been waiting rushed to get in line so we jostled in too. after 10 minutes or so in line we reached the front and were told we needed a customs form (makes sense) which the man at the first window had failed to give us. so back to get the form (JR prevented me from yelling at the guy but i was quite cranky and definitely wanted to) and then back in the customs line again.

we thought from here surely it would be smooth sailing (pun intended) but in fact despite being right next to the ship it was not at all clear where to go. we watched a few people but most got into cars that were waiting to board. finally we saw someone walk in on the far side of the ship so we followed suit. we were told to walk to our room and waved off when we said we didn't have a key. we walked and walked down to the opposite end of the ship only to find, as expected, the room was locked. i left JR with the bags and walked all the way back. upon returning i was told there would be someone down the hall. i explained that there wasn't and then i was told to go up to the 8th floor which i did. here i was told our room had been changed and i was given a new key. so back down two flights to retrieve JR and then back up to the 8th floor and down the hall. finally we reached our room. i was incredibly glad we had decided to splurge for a room with a bed. people do fend for themselves, snatching sleep in the many chairs and couches that line the various parts of the ship. although in the case of the woman we saw earlier she decided to park herself and her many belongings in the middle of a stairwell..

once in the room we collapsed on the beds, pulled closed the blackout curtains, and got some much-needed sleep.

quattro terre

from nice we hopped on the train to genoa, a short but pleasant trip that skirted the coast. just a few minutes after we crossed into italy we heard some animated shouting in italian between a guy and the ticket checker. the only words we could make out were 'passaporto' and 'f*** you' (okay, that one was in english). there was a lot of raised voices and gesticulating - how italian can you get? other than that our train ride was uneventful and at about 8.30 we arrived in genoa. we stayed at a little hotel about a five minute walk from the station (not the main station but the one closer to the port). almost as soon as we got there we headed out in search of dinner. we only had about 24 hours in italy and we were intent on making the most of it (read: eating all the pasta).

perfect panna cotta

i had worried that that part of town would be a little dead by 9pm but there were still people milling about and restaurants open. we wandered down a few alleys and found a little italian (obviously) place with a seafood theme. it was a cozy little spot and we were tucked into a little spot near the door, surrounded by other people lingering over their meals (so italian). we got pasta with some pesto alla genovese (when in genoa..!) and some sort of wheat pasta with shrimp. both were very tasty. even though these were primi (not secondi) with our soft italian bread and white wine it was just enough. of course when we saw panna cotta on the dessert menu i decided we definitely had room. it was served in a little jar, infused with basil and served with blueberry sauce. perfetto!

the mare and monterosso

the next morning we headed out fairly early to catch a train to levanto. we made time to stop at the corner bar for an espresso and some lemony pastries. lemons are grown in the region and infused into just about everything - limoncello, pastries, gelato. the whole ride to levanto, and then from levanto to monterosso (our first of the cinque terre cities) i was watching the skies. it looked gray and overcast and it wasn't promising to be a great day weather-wise. when we made it to monterosso al mare, after about two hours, the sun was just barely started to peek through and we were a bit more hopeful. we got off the train and out of the tiny station and were right at the waterfront. first things first, we made sure JR got to touch the water. his first time in the mediterranean! at first we were a bit disoriented and couldn't figure out where we were on our map. after hiking up one direction to no avail we got our bearings. we walked up the correct hill this time to see the small church at the top which for some reason has a van eyck altarpiece. inside the quiet church there was choir music playing softly and we lingered, enjoying the coolness and admiring the painting. by the time we got to the top the sun was fully out - which we were grateful for. but also it was starting to get a little toasty. the view from the top looking down onto the turquoise water was definitely worth it though.

seaside snack

we wandered back down the hill and up the street that ran through the town. there was a little outdoor market happening and we stopped so JR could buy some cheap sunglasses (he forgot his, but we were glad that we actually needed them). we also picked up a little carved olive wood wine stopper, which we thought was a nice souvenir. farther up the street there were all kinds of souvenir shops and little cafes. we stopped in here and there and ended up with a bottle of limoncino and a jar of freshly made organic pesto. monterosso was supposed to be one of the better spots for shopping so we figured why not. at this point we were already fairly hungry so we set our sights on focaccia, another local delicacy. we found some right along the waterfront and we opted for one drizzled with (what else) local pesto. we enjoyed it right by the sea and i've honestly never had focaccia that good. it was warm, soft, and tasted so fresh.

sea & spritz

we wanted to head on to vernazza, so we walked up to the train station. there are walking trails between each of the cities but some are more arduous than others and we had limited time. the trains come fairly regularly but it's still italy so.. we waited for a little while on the hot platform before the next train arrived. vernazza we were let out in the middle of town, not down by the water. we made our way downhill along the main street and then back uphill again to explore a small church. at this point it was downright hot and we were ready for a little respite. we climbed uphill towards the castle and stopped at the ristorante de castello. we got a little table along the outside of the cafe, right along the water. JR got a local beer and i got an aperol spritz. we'd been seeing aperol on menus but weren't sure what it was. seems a bit like campari. it was light and refreshing and perfectly accompanied by a view of the boats on the water below.

manarola views

we made our way back to the train station at a leisurely pace, stopping to admire the view or pop into a little shop. we got a few more focaccia, this time planning to save them for our following day on the ferry. on the train (only two minutes late this time!) we decided to skip corniglia, at least for the time being, which is the only city that's inland, and head to manarola. it may be the most picturesque of the towns, with colorful buildings piled on top of each other on the hillside overlooking the water. we went down to the water and climbed in the rocks to try to get a better view of the town. tourists were out there sunning themselves and swimming in the water. i have to admit it did look tempting, being as hot as it was, but walking around in wet clothes would have been somewhat miserable. instead we walked on, around the bend which eventually gave us a very nice view of the town. our destination was nessun dorma, a restaurant perched on the hill that cocktails to match its lovely view. we made it there only to be greeted with a small line of like-minded tourists waiting for tables. i'm sure if this had been high season the place would have been even more slammed. there was a long wait for tables on the cliff-side but we figured one on the interior would suffice. we were seated in front of their small garden area, surrounded by rosemary, eggplant, squash and (of course) lemons. we each got cocktails, both with lemon. one featured a number of fruits while the other was a simple limoncino spritz. both were perfectly refreshing. we capped off our little afternoon stop with a plate of meats and cheeses, spending some of our very last euros in the process, eek (by the way, what is it with tourist towns not accepting credit cards? annoying.)

we all scream for gelato

at this point we wanted to walk along the via del'amore for a little bit, not necessarily all the way to the next town but at least to get a glimpse of some of the views. we walked back down to manarola and up out of town the other direction. we walked for about 10 minutes, passing a little cafe. it was only after the cafe that the path was blocked off and we saw a sign indicating that the path was closed due to rockslides. a bit disappointed, we made our way back down into the town and walked up along the path toward nessun dorma again. we followed the curve of the cliff and about 100 yards ahead once again found ourselves at the end of the road, literally. again rockslides were listed as the culprit. (we later looked it up online and JR discovered that these paths have been closed for several years! one wonders if they're actually working on them.) a bit disappointed at missing out on the two trails we had wanted to try, we decided to console ourselves with some gelato. lemon and nutella, how very italian.

our pricey drinks

our next stop was the last of the five towns, riomaggiore. after getting off the train we wandered through some alleys (right along people's verandahs and front doors, in some cases) and eventually made our way down to the main drag. our goal was to find some sciacchetrà (pronounced ska-che-TRA), the dessert wine we had read about. we hadn't seen it on any menus so far. we thought maybe it was just local to the cinque terre. or perhaps just touristy. we eventually found a bar with a table outside on the very sloping hill. we got a sciacchetrà and limoncello, spending our very last euros in the process (that always makes me nervous). we people-watched as we sipped our drinks. the wine was more like a sherry or madeira - different than we'd been expecting but not bad.

not a practical place for boats, i'd say

as we went to pay the waiter? bartender? owner? tried to insist that the wine was 10 euro rather than the 7 that was listed on the menu. i think he was trying to argue that the wrong menus had been put out or something but we literally did not have any more money so in the end he relented (although obviously he was in the wrong anyway!). we meandered down the sloping street to the water. the actual waterfront in riomaggiore is quite small, but it doesn't stop the fishermen from dragging their little boats out of the water and up the hill back to their houses. it seems ludicrous - there have to be easier places to fish! one assumes their families have been there for generations or else why would they stay in these crazy place that must be overrun with tourists most of the year.

end of the day

we were tired and sweaty at this point but before heading back we thought we'd stop one last time in vernazza, hoping to catch some views of the golden rays on the water. we walked out on the breakers where the sun was starting to go down and we watched as the boats bobbed in the water, fishermen waiting for their turn to haul their boats in on the ramp going up into the town. behind us the sun was starting to go down and the sky was glowing orange. we waited a bit longer but knew that at some point we'd have to start the journey back. so we made our way back to monterosso where we got the train to levanto. the next train wasn't for a little while so we waited in the little station, trying to cobble together some change to get a drink from the vending machine. it's an uncomfortable feeling not having any cash. eventually the train came, although we had to get out again midway for the last leg of our trip back to genoa. the little layover took quite a while so we amused ourselves by trying to translate the tabloid covers that were posted on ads around the station.

traditional trufie

finally the train came and we made it back to genoa around 9. again we didn't have too much difficulty finding a place open (thank you, italy, for your late dinners) and we were determined to get pesto alla genovese with the traditional trufie pasta. we succeeded and had a lovely meal in a small restaurant, enjoying watching the little baby at the other table. we knew it would be an incredibly early morning the next day to catch the ferry so we didn't linger quite as long as we might have. but i think it's fair to say we made the most of our 30 hours in italy.