We took a train from Milan to head for the Cinque Terre (pronounce Chinkwa Terra) to meet our new friend Roberto, who I had spoke with the night before about renting an apartment for a week. On the train we met a great couple named Roy and Erin from Australia. We really enjoyed meeting them and talked with them non-stop all the way. The two hour train ride flew by and we talked about all sorts of stuff. It was great to meet people that spoke English, especially the adorable Australian version! They were really cool and they were headed for the Cinque Terre too! It looked like we might have made some friends that we could pal around with for a couple of days. As we got closer we pulled out our maps and slowly realized that we were not actually staying in the Cinque Terre! We thought we were staying in the town of Vernazza, but we were actually heading for Vezzano! It was close and we figured we would meet up some where along the way. We said goodbye to our new friends when they got off the train and we continued for a couple of more stops.
Roberto picked us up at the station as planned and we headed off to his B&B. As we got closer Teeny and I started to to realize that the place may not be all we were hoping for. Roberto was a great guy, and he took us to a shopping center where we bought some groceries and beer and wine. But, his B&B was not so great and the area was kind of dumpy. The whole place had a strange air to it. Then Teeny suggested that maybe Roberto's eighty year old mother, whom he had mentioned a couple of times, had actually died years ago and was still sitting in a rocking chair in his living room! She was feeling a bit freaked out by the place. The apartment itself was actually pretty nice, but the whole place was just on the edge of being really nice, but not quite there. Plus, we would have to take the train to go back and forth to the Cinque Terre. Roberto would have to drop us off and pick us up at the train station. We were still planning on staying when we woke up this morning and it was pouring down rain and cold and all together crappy outside. We headed down stairs for breakfast part of the B&B and it was absolutely miserable! Stale sponge cake and the worst excuse for coffee we have ever seen. We did meet Momma though, so at least we laid those fears to rest! We told Roberto the weather was to crappy for hiking the Cinque Terre and that we were going to head for Pisa and needed a lift to the train station asap. He was disappointed but was cool about it and actually gave us a ride all the way to La Spenzia and saved us the connection train ride. We took the train to Pisa and the weather improved along the way. We ended up having an amazing day here in Pisa and took a lot of great pictures!
A couple of interesting things about Pisa...
Pisa is a "walled city". There is a wall all the way around!
There is a lot of graffiti! And some of it is on monuments and historical statues.
Also, there are a lot illegal street vendors selling cheap crap. We were walking around and noticed all of a sudden they all scooped up their crap and ran. Then we noticed the police driving by. They re-appear just as quickly after he leaves. That's when we noticed how portable their setups are. One guy had everything in an inverted umbrella. When the cops come he just closes the umbrella and runs off.
Anyway, we are heading back to the Cinque Terre in the morning. This time we are staying in Vernazza. We are actually staying at a place recommended in my Rick Steve's guide book. It is a B&B built on a cliff overlooking the ocean.
Here are some pics...
I fixed it! It is funny seeing so many people take this same picture!
There are several other monumental buildings along side the tower. None of them lean though, so nobody cares.
This is a cathedral next to the tower.
Inside the cathedral
On the ceiling of the cathedral
In the Cemetery monument
The lawn within the cemetery monument
A tomb in the cemetery
The tower
The river that cuts through Pisa
