(April 22, Cinque Terre): Olive this Place

On Sunday we woke up bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and ready to do some touring.  Destination?  None other than Cinque Terre.  What is that?  Well, the short answer is it's the best place ever.  The more scientific response would be - it is a beautiful destination on the Italian coast comprised of 5 different villages (clever naming, right?!) connected by a huge trail.  Science has never been my thing though, so I'm sticking with the first one. 

All of the villages are nestled in gorgeous terraced hills, some higher up and some right on the water.  As soon as you arrive you feel like you've accidentally stumbled upon some fabulously kept secret.  According to our tour guide that isn't the far from the truth because there weren't even roads to this part of the world until the 1970s.  I'm fairly confident that you still can't make it to some of the villages via automobile, but I was pretty intoxicated on sea breeze, so don't quote me on that.

For those more ambitious types, you can do an all-day tour which takes you on a sweet hike through all 5 villages.  However, given my past history of falling on even the flattest of surfaces, the fact that we were with precious Jakers and our lack of combined hiking experience (thanks for nothing Texas), we opted for a tour heavy on the being chaffeured and light on the actual physical exertion.  The agenda for the day was to meet up with our tour driver in Florence, head over to the first village, take a short boat trip to a second village, walk on Lovers Lane, and then eat lunch in the third village.  We skipped 2 of the villages because one was inaccessible due to a landslide last year (#mountainsidelivingproblems) and the largest of the villages isn't that much different from a regular European town per our driver.  So the tour company skips it.

Thanks to the fact that we were travelling during non-peak tourist season and thus no one else signed up for this tour are such international rockstars- we got picked up directly from the hotel and got on our merry way.

Just stunning.  Our first glimpse of the promiseland.

I can't remember which village this was but we were definitely appreciative of a little break from the drive for a moment.

Adorable family photo.

Anyone who's ever ridden in a car on impossibly narrow one way roads in the mountains (think the Road to Hana, if you have done that) can clearly imagine the excitement and suspense of our ride there.  If you haven't ever done that just imagine having these thoughts in rapid succession for 30-45 minutes: Will this next sharp turn be our last?  Will this game of car chicken work out in our favor?  Who will take care of Lola?  Should I have eaten that much for breakfast?  Thankfully our tour driver was far more skilled in the art of sharp turns and navigation than we are.  We arrived safely at stop #1, Corniglia (I think- sadly I didn't write this down), and the view was more than worth it. 

Jake, Mama Mel & I at the entrance to the main alley way of Corniglia.

The gorgeous view at the end of the alleyway.  Whoever said that a pot of gold was at the end of a rainbow didn't dream big enough.  I'd take this over a pot of gold any day. (To be clear, I'm referring to the view of the water as opposed to our posteriors.)

It was cloudy at the time and you can still see how wonderful the water color is.

No wind machines were used in the making of this photograph.

I love the way cloudy days cast shadows over the hills.  Makes some of them seem like they're glowing.

My super hetero husband.

Escape artist!  P.S. this is the main alleyway I was referring to.  Note how narrow it is.

After we took more than our fair share of pictures of the gorgeous view from Corniglia, we piled back in our tour bus to head to Manarola.  (Editors note: I have tried for about 30 minutes to piece back together what order we went in on our tour and I'm still not sure I have it right.  So if you catch where I'm off, I apologize.  Have I ever mentioned you should be drinking while you read this blog?  You probably should.  I'll probably seem a lot more with it.)  We were supposed to get to go on a boat ride in Manarola but due to the water being too rough, we didn't get to do that.  As the photos below will evidence, I don't think our day fell short on beauty because of it.

Best coping mechanism for sharply winding roads: taking photos out the window.  It's a fact of life.  Also, all these terraced hills are used to grow grapes, lemons and olives.  Man this caption is educational!

Cool church.

I love how colorful all the buildings are.  It's like the Heights on steroids.

We are so good at assimilating.

Apparently they knew what they were talking about.  That water looks a littttttle bit dicey.  Gilligans Island part 2 could have happened.

After we spent some time moseying around Manarola, we purchased tickets to walk along the portion of the trail between Manarola & Riomaggiore which is referred to as Via Dell'Amore (Way of Love).  This portion of the path is more non-hiker-friendly.  It was every bit as breath-taking as you would imagine.

My staple tree pic.

Railroad carved in the hillside.  I bet that's an awesome train ride.

Live action shot- I'm sure you were wondering what we looked like walking along the trail, right?

"I walked along a hillside cliff that dropped off into the ocean to get my lunch," is the new "I walked uphill in the snow 2 miles to school each day."

Lova & I on Lovers Way.

Upon arriving in Riomaggiore, our tour guide let us loose to choose a place to eat lunch and explore the town.  Because we have incredibly American priorities, we headed straight to find a restaurant.  Do not pass go, do not take photos.  Good thing we didn't do the all day tour- I can only imagine what would have happened if our appetites had been amplified by about 10.

We selected a restaurant that I can't recall the name of.  The owner of the restaurant was unimpressed with us from the moment we stepped onto his patio.  I'm not sure if he didn't like our accents, the fact that we came baring a stroller or if our stomachs were loud enough to offend him.  Regardless, we didn't help our cause when we proceeded to drop a fork and spill 1/4th of a bag of chocolate cheerios on the floor.  Perhaps this guy had good instincts?

Our view during lunch.  Well this and an Italian scowl.

That was the last time that fork was seen above the table.

Oh... there are more forks?  Awesome.  Let me have them all.  Is he not the cutest little man ever?!

To wrap up our tour day, we explored the remainder of the town.  We poked our heads in a few shops and just generally enjoyed the vibe.  Melanie procured some adorable flats and the rest of us procured some beers.  We sat outside and enjoyed people watching- both the locals and Jake getting his calf workout on by tirelessly running up and down a steep hill in the middle of the village.

KarMar?  Is that you?  Fancy meeting you here.  (I think this was meant to show how steep the road Jake was running up and down on was... this pic definitely doesn't do it justice).

Then sadly, it was time to head back to Florence.  Big time sad face.  If you ever have the time to make it to Cinque Terre- you definitely should.  It's so incredible.

Ciao bella!

Sunset from the car window heading back in to Florence.

After we arrived home, we rested for a bit and set mon feces up with a babysitter so we could do an adults feast.  For dinner we asked our concierge to recommend the best pasta shop and pizzeria he could think of.  He sent us to Baldovino and I can't thank him enough.  The atmosphere was completely perfect for a relaxing dinner.  The wine, pasta, pizza and company were second to none.  It was the cherry on top of a perfect Sunday (haaaa, do you see what I did there?!)

Ryno & yo in front of a pretty chapel.

Melanie & Jonathan in front of the same pretty chapel.

Beautimous shot down a side street near Baldovino.

Ryan & Jonathan toasting with their salsas en frescas (this was deemed the "bite of death" and ended in some sweating on their part- Melanie & I are indeeeeed lucky).

(April 21, Florence): She'll be Coming Around the Mountains...

Saturday morning we rolled out of bed materially close to our scheduled wake up time and were on the road by 5 am.  In what can only be described as a mid-April Miracle, we were all too excited to sleep - including Jake.  Early leave time fail!  Luckily the drive from Geneva to Florence through the mountains is way too pretty to be upset. 

For the first few hours of the drive we all just sat in quiet awe of our surroundings.  Or maybe some of us were just praying for coffee to drop from the sky?  No?  That was just me?  Either way, I absolutely can not put into words how stunning watching the sun come up in the alps was.  I tried unsuccessfully to capture how beautifully the light was reflecting all around us and failed miserably.  I think that is the universe's way of ensuring that if you're ever given the opportunity to drive through this part of the world you take it.

I love myself some trees.

Is Houston getting mountains any time soon?  I'd prob take these over the H&M.  (It's a close call though).

 

Sunflares for you Jen.

 

Around 7 am, just as we crossed the Italin border, we finally came across a gas station that appeared open AND big enough to actually have palatable coffee.  Win/win!  The caffeine and chocolate croissant fixes were much needed as the millions of tunnels we had to maneveur through to cross the alps were starting to lull us to sleep.

And I thought I'd never find myself wanting to live across from a gas station... Never say never my friends.

So recently Jonathan has adopted an alter-ego he refers to as Karate Mc.  An Agip espresso helped Ryan to discover his own - KarMar. 

 

Karate Kid Mc?

 

After our morning pick-me-up we hit the roads again with a renewed zest for cross-country travel.  DJ KarMar & DJ Magical Mel pumped up the volume and spun some fun tunes.  The endorphins were flowing so freely that we NEARLY forgot that we were paying approximately $100 in tolls.  $110 in tolls after an unfortunate misunderstanding of exit signs on our fearless leader's part.  At one point in this leg of the journey I remember looking around me  - having a dance/karaoke party in a car with our wonderful friends staring a pristine mountain in the face- and thinking that I was smack in the middle of one of life's absolutely perfect moments.  Complete bliss.

The road goes on forever and the dance party never ends.

 

Don't go chasing waterfalls.  (Landscapes make me think of songs, apparently).

 

Perfection.

 

I think this mini forest is the trees knees.  (Did you really think I'd make it a whole post without a caption pun?!)

 

Around 12:30 or 1:00 we finally arrived at our hotel in Florence, the Villa Cora.  L-O-V-E.  Melanie found this hotel online and we were all smitten with it at first (web)site.  It was slightly more expensive than your run of the mill LaQuinta; but most hotels in Europe are so we figured why the heck not?  When in Rome Florence, right?  Plus, since we were there outside of peak tourist season we were able to score a pretty good deal.  The moment we stepped in the front door we realized it was probably the best decision any of us made in the past 2 years.  (Marriages included, childbirths excluded.)

The front  of the main building.  Ryan & I's room was in this one.

 

The front of the smaller building.  This is where Mel, Yanny & Jake's abode was.

 

View of the grounds looking out at the pool.  The smaller building is to the right.

I adore whatever this plant is.  If one day you come over to our house and I've commissioned a muralist to paint it all over the side- don't be shocked.

 

Entry way to the main building.

 

One of 3 dining rooms on the first floor of the main building.

 

Beautiful parlor on the first floor of the main building.

 

Incredible sitting area on the first floor of the main building.

 

Ryan & I's room was on the 2nd floor of the main building.  The original owner dedicated this floor to his wife.  He chose a rose theme because it was her favorite flower.  As you can see, he was committed to the cause.

 

I loved this beautiful desk & chair in our room.  Should have taken a bigger suitcase.

 

Following my obsessive photoshoot (this is actually not all the pictures I took, if you can believe that) - our stomachs demanded that we find some food.  Ryan & Jonathan were charged with asking the concierge for a destination and directions.  In hindsight we should have thought twice about this but apparently Melanie & I were intoxicated on paradise air.

Follow me or I'll tell everyone what awful singers you guys are.

Ryan, Jonathan, Jake & Melanie popping a squat just inside the gate to the city.

 

Reviewing the map after getting us lost.  Apparently someone's "feel" hadn't been calibrated for Italy.

 

Palazzo Pitti.  We were in search of a place called Cafe Pitti and we knew that if we found the palace the cafe must be nearby.  I know nothing about this bad boy.  I could tell you far more about the gnocchi at Cafe Pitti.

 

Tell me they aren't the cutest.

 

Feed me, Seymour!

 

The food at Cafe Pitti was delicious.  The only thing that makes Italian food better is enjoying it as the experience they mean for it to be.  We each had 3 courses for lunch and split a bottle of wine.  We skipped dessert because we passed a few gelato places on the way that were just begging for our euros.  Post lunch we decided to head back to the hotel to enjoy some of those enticing ammenities since we knew our other days in Florence were too jam-packed to squeeze them in.  

Pondering deep things.  Like what Billy Gillespie is doing RIGHT NOW.

 

I love this picture.  I want this on your mantle when you come home, guys.

 

Ryan:  Jonathan, do you want to get some beer for our walk back to the hotel?  Me:  Umm... I don't know if you can just walk around drinking here.  Ryan:  If you don't know the law, you can't get in trouble.  (P.S. They did ask and someone told us it was legal... regardless of whether it was just a sales tactic or not, we went with it).

 

Our walk back to the hotel.

 

Jake had a little diva moment and demanded that he be carried over the threshhold.  (Okay, maybe it was the cobblestone.  Whatever.)

Upon our arrival back to the hotel we made a beeline for the pool.  The weather was so perfect that it would have been criminal not to.  While sitting outside, the wonderful maitre d at the restaurant, Sandro, talked us into getting a bottle of wine.  He realllly had to twist our arm, of course.

Can I get some space, paparazzi?  Trying to get a little construction done here.

 

So VIP.

 

Once we finished our bottle of wine at the pool we decided to search out the hot tub.  We heard a rumor somewhere that there was one on the premises.  The McMartin clan is not one to pass on a good hot tub opportunity - particularly when it doesn't require a "tool" (read: screwdriver) for Jonathan to "fix" (read: kick).   After a little "jacuzzi" versus "ya-cuzzi" lesson from the locals we eventually found our way to the promise land of bubble jets.  We spent a solid hour or so helping Jake "swim" and watching Ryan run back and forth between a scented "breeze" shower and the hot tub.  Anyone watching would have questioned who the child in the party was if it weren't for the height discrepancy.  Eventually we realized we were getting tired and if we didn't make our move to find dinner- we would miss out on another opportunity to grub on some pasta.  Obviously not acceptable. 

To avoid any directional challenges and because quite frankly we were exhausted- we opted to eat dinner at the restaurant by the pool.  Once again we were spoiled with multiple courses.  Everyone had the pasta special which was far more delicious than we expected.  By the end of the meal we were all dangerously close to face planting in a bowl of pasta.  A clear indication that we needed to put ourselves to bed.  So we paid our bill and retired to our rooms to rest up for our tour on Sunday.  Incredible, incredible day.

 

A view of the pool and the main building at night.  We ate on the patio overlooking the pool.

Up next- Cinque Terre tour!