Day 1 saw us flying from Minnesota to Chicag to Frankfurt, Germany. This was a 9 hour flight over seas but was actually a decent flight. We got served two meal, watch some movies and drank wine. They even served Cognac and Baileys for dessert. Awesome. The guy next to us had seconds of all drink to wash down his sleeping pills. He was out for the majority of the flight. Once we got into Germany, we found out our flight to Bologna, Italy was cancelled due to a "general" strike. I guess they have a strike once a month from 9-5. So we flew into Turino instead and tried to catch a train to Cinque Terra. We had a mini heart attack when Chrissy's bag didn't show up for 45 minutes. We were about to leave without it and come back later but it somehow magically showed up on the carousel. And I guess the strike also happens at the Train station. So we waited the 8 hours at the station until the strike was over. That was terrible but atleast we we were finally moving with everything intact.
We arrived in Cinque Terra at 10:30pm and lucky found out bed and breakfast by chance (and being yelled at by an old angry Italian lady. We stayed in the western most city of Monterrosso. It was a gorgeous place with an even more gorgeous view, seaside balcony and everything.
The next day we went for a hike through the 5 cities of Cinque Terra. This was a pretty arduous hike up the mountain side through the vineyards. But the views we were treated to along the way well made up for the sweat we shed. The mountains slope sharply down into the Mediterranean, carving a hillside set in dreamland. Just from the view to the next city Vernazza, I could have left Italy happy.
Using the cities as checkpoints, we took in what a true Italian town had to offer. These are incredibly old buildings that give a certain nostalgia that makes you feel like your in a movie. Common chatter and the smell of fresh baked goods added to the experience. We picked up some focaccia pizza bread and headed to the next city of Corgnilia. Many people mentioned the hike to the second city as being a hefty trek, though few mentioned the hike to the third being equally as arduous. Though once again we were treated with photo-esque moments along the way.
For the hike I was wearing my Wisconsin Badger shirt. Within 3 hours of hiking, I had three compliments along the way. Just goes to show there are Badger fans all over the world. Go Bucky! Upon arrival in Corgnilia, we treated ourselves to some delicious Gelato. The first of many to come.
The last two cities of Manarola, and Riomaggiore were pretty much the same as the rest. Beautiful, yes. I just love the sight of these seaside cities that have so much character.
We then headed back to the first city via train. We went for a swim in the Mediterranean and got dinner in the city at the small outdoor Italian restaurant. I got the Gnocchi pesto and Chrissy got anchovies, olives and swordfish. The Gnocchi pesto was out of this world. We sat next to a couple from Alabama and had some great conversations. Chrissy offered the anchovies and the guy not knowing what to eat, ate just the tail. Gross. I threw up in my mouth a little. Even more gross. We then got some delicious wine at another wine restaurant and got a bottle to go. We hit up our balcony to enjoy the night, a bottle of wine and I had some Italian cigars. What a great day!
The next morning we headed off to Milan. It's basically a 5 hour train ride that was spent with novels and Gameboy. We arrived in Milan and checked into our hotel. We went to get some pasta for dinner, walked around a bit then called it a night cause we were still exhausted from the previous day and traveling. But we did watch Italian TV which is basically all music videos, in english.
Our 4th day in Italy was Formula 1 day! The Italian Grand Prix is one of the most prestigious races of the year. It takes place in the heart of Italy where Ferrari was born and raised. Needless to say the Ferrari fans love their drivers and they love the sport of formula 1. The course is in Monza, which is about 20 minutes outside of Milan. Though it's only 20 minutes, we have to take the subway, 2 buses and walk about 2 miles to get to the entrance. The course is in the middle of a giant park, but the sounds of 780hp V8's hitting 220mph and revving to 18,000 RPMS filled the entire park. It was loud. Good thing we had ear plugs. It was fantastic though. Definitely a once in a life time opportunity, especially since F1 never comes to the United States. We checked out multiple locations around the track and got to see some of my heroes flying by. Awesome.
Our 4th day in Italy was Formula 1 day! The Italian Grand Prix is one of the most prestigious races of the year. It takes place in the heart of Italy where Ferrari was born and raised. Needless to say the Ferrari fans love their drivers and they love the sport of formula 1. The course is in Monza, which is about 20 minutes outside of Milan. Though it's only 20 minutes, we have to take the subway, 2 buses and walk about 2 miles to get to the entrance. The course is in the middle of a giant park, but the sounds of 780hp V8's hitting 220mph and revving to 18,000 RPMS filled the entire park. It was loud. Good thing we had ear plugs. It was fantastic though. Definitely a once in a life time opportunity, especially since F1 never comes to the United States. We checked out multiple locations around the track and got to see some of my heroes flying by. Awesome.
After the race we headed back to Milan and checked out the city a little more. We walked around Plaza Duomo, which is a giant cathedral. There are tons of people walking all around. We also walked through a castle and imagined it was the 1600's. Afterwards we got a delicious Calzone at this cute Pizzaria. Yum.
The next day we headed north to Bolzano. This is a smaller city at the base of the Dolomites (the swiss-italian alps). Northern Italy is actually southern Germany. The town looks like an Oktoberfest town. They speak German and Italian and serve lots of Sausage, Kraut, pretzels and beer. We happened to be there during a festival that happens once every 4 years. Lucky us! The narrow streets and various plaza were alive with german polka music. As the sunset, the beer tents filled up and the music got a little louder. It turned from Traditional folk to American rock, sang with a german accent. Kinda funny to see. Also, it was very weird seeing a ton of 16-18 year olds drinking and smoking. They looked so young and innocent. Definitely something that just doesn't feel right. It was a great time though and everybody was loving life.
Thus concludes our first week in Italy. Stay tuned for Part 2!
