Cinque Terra Italy May 1 2009

Cinque Terra Italy.
I hate the fact that I have to write this after some time has passed. I am sure that I have already forgotten some or the things I wanted to write about this incredible place.
The tour left the ship at about 705am. The bus ride to La Spezia where we caught our first ferry, was interesting as well. We had an excellent tour guide. She was very concerned that being a national holiday that it would be very hard to keep everyone together. She gave us her cell phone number and the train we had to catch to get back to the La Spezia should we get separated. Everyone made it!!! The crowds were bad however because it, was a holiday, and the first day without rain in over 2 weeks. She had said since last November the weather has been terrible.
On the hour and a half bus ride she told us interesting stories about some local customs superstitions and how one towns people looked at another’s. We got to drive past Pisa and see the tower from a distance. We also drove past mountains made of marble. This is where all the ancient sculptors got there marble. Pieces would fall and they would be put on barges and shipped to Rome and Florence via specially built canals.
Once we arrived in La Spezia we bordered out boat. Which had way too many people, and started on our Journey to the Cinque Terra. Once we arrived in Riomaggiore we got off the boat and toured the town. We then walked on the street of love to the next town Manarola. Again we visited the town, and the boarded the next boat. We sailed past Corniglia, we stopped briefly in Vernazza and sailed on to Monterosso.

We left the tour and explored the town on our own. We found this little restaurant for lunch. We found a table and it started to fill up a bit. They must have thought enough people!!!! Because at that point they locked the doors.
We had an amazing lunch of pasta with pesto and fried calamari. We then walked around the town some more. We found some lemon chello and snuck it onto the ship. We later joined our group and hopped on the train to La Spezia to catch our bus back to the ship.
Once on board (about 630) we spent some time in the spa. We had a very late diner in La cucina to continue with the Italian theme.