Cinque Terra

Five towns - Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso - which we just called #1,2,3,4, and 5. Awesome hiking and views! The only bad part (other than a little rain the second morning) was the fact that two trails were closed due to rock slides. That just means we have a reason to return some day!

We stayed in La Spezia and took a short walk each day to catch the train.

Town #5

Town #4 - my favorite!

We ate lunch here both days!  It was called Fritto & Pizza. 

harbor of town #4

Town #2

Starting the hike from Town #4 to Town #3

A bar along the hike.  It was closed. 

Town # 3 - Corniglia, in the distance.  This is the only town of the five with no harbor. 

Noah strikes a pose in town #3

On the water near town #1

This gull was guarding her nest, and we got to see the babies!

One of my favorite pics of the trip!  A little excursion down a path we discovered.  

Waiting for the train

Portofino

Here we had a lovely lunch and took a fun stroll.  Noah said his margherita pizza here was the best he had, and he kept trying in vain to find another one on our trip that could to live up to it.  

We had perfect weather, though the weather apps here all forecast 99% cloud cover and rain storms.  It was 70, breezy, and beautiful!  

I'm not sure that this is a place I would ever return to given that Cinque Terre is not that far away.  The crowds are all concentrated in this one spot instead of being spread out among five towns.  Plus, though we found a parking spot in a garage, if it had not been mid-week in the off-season, we would have had no hope to park anywhere near the town!

Genoa - The Beginning and End of our Trip

Beginning-

This was the jumping-off point for our European vacation - fitting since it's the home of that famous explorer, Christopher Columbus, and one of the major ports of antiquity. Apparently it’s also famous for bringing the black plague to Europe and soccer to Italy.

It was an interesting place that did not feel touristy at all. The old city was fascinating and the narrow cobblestone streets were like a maze. I probably wouldn’t recommend it as a destination, but it was great as a portal to our adventure.

We had a 3BR/2 Ba apartment on the 4th floor on a very narrow alleyway in the Old City. It was convenient to walk everywhere!

Genoa is a pretty big city, but it's airport is small and unintimidating. And right on the Mediterranean!

Ferrari Plaza

Porta Soprano - the old city gate

Christopher Columbus's House

Our AirBnB was on this narrow alleyway

Eating our first focaccia at Ferrari plaza

Caleb and Noah express their politics.  There were some differences of opinion on the trip, but we still had a good time!

McKenzie castle - high on a hill

Living room of our AirBnB.  We all really like this place!  The nightlife below was loud, though.  

All throughout the trip, we were trying out different snack food

At the harbor

Buying Genoese salami

Motorcycles parked everywhere!

Down at the harbor

Garibaldi street - where the rich folk live(d)

Cathedral of Saint Lawrence built in the 1300s. Supposedly houses the platter that held the head of John the Baptist as well as a few other relics.

End - 

By the time we returned to Genoa two weeks later, we were tired and a little homesick and full of fun memories.  We stayed near the airport for an easy departure back to the USA and saw a totally different part of Genoa than we had seen before.  The kids wanted to just chill, but Terry and I were still up for exploring, so we walked around down by the water.

Then, we had our last meal at an Irish Pub around the corner - joking that we were doing this Mediterranean diet all wrong!

Two Graduations

We had two sons graduating this May - one who wanted a big celebration and one who seemed like he could not care less.  I was extremely proud of both Noah and Caleb, but I guess it made it easier just having one party.  Noah's party happened a week BEFORE graduation.  

The weekend before, he and I took a trip to Bluffton, SC to help him pick out his new apartment.  We also stopped by the Arts Center where he'll be working. 

I got no photos of the actual party.  I think we were just too busy having fun.  Rebecca and the kids came as did my sister, Ann, and her husband, David.   A lot of folks dropped in to congratulate Noah and wish him well in South Carolina!

We were afraid that graduation day at Lee might get rained out.  But the rain stopped early in the morning, and they were able to have an outdoor ceremony.  Noah graduated summa cum laude with majors in Theater and Psychology and minors in Deaf Studies and Studio Art.  We were so proud that he graduated WITH A JOB!

After we helped Noah pack up his apartment, we drove back to Knoxville and made celebratory picture with the family.  

Then, believe it or not, we hit the road for DC, so that we could catch a plane to Italy with both of our new graduates (and Meredith) the next day!