Driving today was quite fun - a bright sunny day, Italian radio stations, even the Scorpions' Winds of Change came on the radio. The GPS I had on the car got me on the expressways mostly, but I tried to take a couple of turnoffs to see some of the narrow country roads. It was nice to get off the expressway, but I didn't manage to do that much. I had a train to get on when I reached la Spezia, and the train would take the coastal track out to Vernazza. Again, it was a very hot day. I only managed to get into Vernazza at about 3 pm, after missing a train or two. It's so nice though, to see the ocean from a train, it always feels nostalgic.
The places where the sea meets the coastline here are generally rocky. They don't have the soft white faux beaches we do in Sentosa and the East Coast Park. So out here, it takes a lot more clambering and slipping around on large, wet rocks, most of which have cracked off and tumbled down the cliffsides, and once in awhile, slipping through the clear blue, salty water. Dodging the intense sun, I managed to find a couple of shady spots to sit and watch the ocean a little. The sun sets at like eight thirty pm, so at like seven pm it might as well be four pm; it's crazy. It was nice to have a breeze as well, to keep the land mosquitoes away. I had to tie my shirt around my head to cover it. That whole ocean watching thing, man, it gets old very, very slowly.
Vernazza is a smallish coast-side town. It used to be one of five shrines kept by ancient peoples on this coast, and later inhabitants hewed out terraces on the steep hills to grow grapes for wine. Well, in the modern day, the trains and the tourists keep this Cinque Terre region going. It's still fairly tidy, colourful, and vibrant. There was a festival to a Saint Giovanni Battista, i.e. John the Baptist, tonight in Monterosso, the neighbouring town, and where I would be paddling tomorrow. It had the most amazing fireworks display from the coastline, and it went on and on from eleven to midnight. Some of the fizzlers I'd not seen before, and it was terrifying because it was so close! Some of the fireworks bursts set off car alarms, and the crowd would gasp and shudder as the explosions rocked the sky. And right after the fireworks, there was a giant beach party with club music - it was awesome. I missed a train stop on the way back, and had to dodge a lady conductor at one thirty in the morning. Well, that was not so fun.
----
I spent: (in EUR):
20 - train from Verona to Firenze
36 - car rental
7 - breakfast, quiche, water
15 - expressway toll fees
6 - train from la Spezia to Vernazza
4 - pizza
4 - train from Vernazza to Monterosso
70 - apartment in Vernazza
