Favorite Memory:Doing laundry. Yes, even a mundane task like doing laundry becomes an adventure when you're in a foreign country. We found a small laundromat (lavanderia), and a very helpful proprietor, near our hotel. We passed the time sipping a glass of wine in the restaurant next door while our clothes happily agitated in the suds. (Come to think of it, I should try doing it that way on laundry day at home!)
Travelers' Tips:There are many helpful packing tips on the Rick Steves website. I would emphasize the tip to bring quick-drying socks. We didn't - but we will next time!
(For more about Rick Steves helpful tips, click here.) Accommodating Accommodations:With its pink walls, awning and neon sign, this hotel was easy to find. Two things made it special: the downstairs restaurant with wonderful home-cooked meals, and most rooms had an balcony. Ours was even more special because we had the corner room, which meant our balcony wrapped around and we had plenty of room to hang our freshly laundered, slow-drying socks.
Albergo Primavera Via Cairoli 5 Levanto, 19015 ITALY Tel: 011 39 0187 808 023 Pinch Me. I Can't Believe We're Here! |
We took a vacation from our vacation in the Cinque Terre (literal translation: Five Lands). Located on the Mediterranean, it is a collection of small villages nestled into hillsides. They are only reachable by foot, boat, or train. Our hotel is in Levanto, just outside the Cinque Terre. Staying there offered one big advantage: it was reachable by car (or in our case, by big, comfortable, private Rick Steves tour bus).
VernazzaThe first town we visited in the Cinque Terre was Vernazza. Walking through town with our local guide, we found little evidence of the devastating flood that passed through one year prior to our visit. Seeing it then, it was hard to imagine that the waters were as high as the second floor. The townsfolk pulled together to rebuild and restore their little town. Quite an accomplishment!
(For more about Rick Steves helping the folks of Vernazza, click here.) One of the pleasant surprises we discovered in this quaint town was this stone church, nestled into the hillside next to the harbor. Manarola
Looking back on Manarola from the trail, this is one of my favorite shots.
Monterosso |