Sittin on the dock of the bay

Today was one of the best days ever.

We started out by grabbing some focaccia, prosciutto, and spicy cheese and making a sandwich. We ate it on a bench out of our building, then headed off to riomaggiore. We took what is called the "lovers walk" which is a 20 minute path to Riomaggiore. We also explored the area below it. It all overlooks the sea, and we climbed rocks beside the most beautifully blue water I've ever seen. Essentially we went bouldering (rock climbing).

Then we took the train back to Manarola, and bought a huge tray of cherries. We ate them in Vernazza, and then set off on a huge hike. The hike was from Vernazza to Monterosso and took 2 hours. It was straight up, then straight down. It was probably around 200 m above sea level. And you could see the sea from the edge. It was so exciting. Great workout too!

Michael was so intrigued by the waterfalls and climbed all over them. We took some great pictures and got a great workout.

We then went to the beach, and poked a jellyfish with a stick. It felt like plastic... Very weird. We got kicked off our beach chairs because you have to pay 7 EURO to sit there. Insane. Michael is a tiny bit of a wuss and didn't want to sit on the beach, so we went back to Manarola and read books while we watched the boats in the harbour. We managed to evade the train man and get a free ride (sneaky!).

We went back to shower, and the hot water was broken. We were SO gross and sweaty so we showered at Manuela's house. He owns our apartment rental. Very nice of him to let us use it, but a very odd experience.

We went to a place for dinner called Dal Billy, which Manuela recommended. The antipasti was a 12 dish fish appetizer. It was amazing. We had wine and I got super drunk obviously (which I still am now) and we had pesto with homemade pasta that looked like worms but was amazing. We met an old couple from Texas who asked us a million questions about our meal, and asked us if we were on our honeymoon!?

We wandered around and Michael taught me how to dance in a little area we found on top of the mountain. Then we went to a bar, where there was live music. We listened to 2 guys who sounded like Rodrigo y Gabriella, and a random man joined in and sang Volare. It was great! I drank a spritz and Michael had a lemon soda.

Now we're back in the apartment. I'm drunk and enjoying the air conditioning. Best day ever.