People think I’m crazy for going all the way to Italy for six days, but you know what? We only have so many tomorrows, and I’m determined to make the most of all the ones I have. And six days in Italy is better than no days in Italy.
If you’re expecting a long, detailed blog about my day in Florence, you’re going to be disappointed. You see, it started to rain shortly after I arrived and that kind of derailed my plans for the day…
Just call me “Chef Laura”. My last day in Cinque Terre found me strolling the streets of Vernazza, sipping rich Italian hot chocolate, indulging in a local sweet treat, and making a homemade pasta dinner.
I’m pretty sure today was the best day of vacation so far. The weather in Cinque Terre has been picture perfect this week. Clear blue skies, 70+ degrees… perfection. So imagine my surprise to wake up this morning (after another 10 hours of sleep!), pull open the curtains, and see cloudy skies. I didn’t let the lack of sun deter me from my plans, though, and the weather forecast showed sun later in the day.
I almost wimped out today. Almost. My plan was to hike from Monterosso to Vernazza, look around Vernazza for a while, then push on to Corniglia. My legs were protesting so much that I almost gave up and took the train from Vernazza to Corniglia. But like the trouper that I am, I forced myself to continue on and put more mileage on my hiking shoes.
Bongiorno from the Eternal City! I feel like I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of Rome, so I’ll reserve judgement about how much I like it until I have more to base it on. Suffice it to say, I’ve enjoyed my first day and a half, and I have a feeling it will only get better from here.
Switzerland. Not Zermatt or Lucerne, but Italian-influenced Lugano, on the shores of Lake Lugano. This was my 12th country, which doesn’t seem all that impressive given how much I love to travel. I’ll have to work on that. 😉 When I started planning this trip, and realized how close Lake Como is to Switzerland, I knew I would have to spend a day there. From Varenna, you can take the ferry across the lake to Menaggio, where you catch a bus to Lugano, a little less than an hour away. I had to set out early to catch a ferry to Menaggio that would get me there in time to make the 8:30AM bus to Lugano. No ten hours of sleep for me last night, but that’s okay.
Traveling with Laura 