Posts Tagged ‘vernazza’

Angels Unaware

Monday, April 20th, 2009

With a little help from my friends…

There have been a few times where Steve and I found ourselves stressed, lost, and grumpy and God has seemed fit at that very moment to let us know He’s still watching over us.

seattlefamilyIn Mont St. Michel, we had had a long (lost) day and we were entering the city when a bird flew over and did a major CRAP on my head. A nice family speaking English(!) helped me clean up. We found out they were from Seattle, great fellow- Christians, and they included us at their dinner.  Thanks Harriet, Ken, Ray, and Mom for making our day!

dupreefamilyJust arriving in Montalcino and wanting some connection, we heard Bea talking with her daughter Paige at the outdoor cafe in front of our building. We found out they hailed from Burlington, North Carolina and this was their 10th visit to Montalcino! I took notes when they talked of the “best” of everything we should try. Jim, Bea, Paige, and Michelle shared so much of themselves with us. Paige sings in her UCC choir back home, and was missing Easter too.

There was the vacationing Sheriff from Poway who patrols 4S ranch whom we met at the 2nd wine tour. There were the college girls in Vernazza who were also looking for a room. They happened to be from Pt Loma Nazarene and were good friends with Tyler Kuehl from the Church of Rancho Bernardo.

Even KC and Jonathan’s friends, Jenn and Mike and their new baby Logan in La Spezia, were welcoming on a rainy Sunday.

More signs of amazing grace.

Cinque Terre: Amazing x 5

Monday, April 20th, 2009

vernazzatownWe bid a sad farewell to Mary and Ron at the Pisa Airport (”Galileo Galilei”) and with a change of undies in a backpack, headed up to the Cinque Terre (5 lands).  There are 5 incredible towns clinging to sheer rock faces still inhabited by families going back many generations.  Tourists have found this unique site (thanks to Rick Steves, and we all carried around his tour book) with its train and trails connecting all five towns.

We spent the first night in town two, Manarola, and found it charming and approachable.  We even ate the local seafood at mealtime.  The next morning we ventured up to Vernazza, #4, and deemed it better than Toast in Cinque TerraManarola.  It took us awhile to find a room.  We ended up with a shared bathroom across the hall, which was ok by us as the town was filling up.  At least we had found a place. 

When we got back on the train and went up to Monterosso, the #5, it became our new favorite  It had delightful beaches and was more spread out.  We had a great panino and prosecco outdoors at a place with tables nestled snuggly on a rock.

padlocksWe took the train down to the first town, Riomaggiore,where we hiked the “Via del Amore” – a short paved path between the 5 towns – with breathtaking sheer drops to the sea.  Steve clung to the wall. 

Many proposals of marriage happen here.  The seat and the padlocks that couples bring in honor of this romantic occasion are to seal the deal.

Then, it was back to Vernazza for pizza on the waterfront, and on to Il Pirata Cafe for two Canolli – the best yet!

A little rain did not dampen the adventure.