Today could be described as the perfect vacation day, the stuff that dreams and legends are made of. We started off the morning in our little town and walked SE to Corniglia, the next town down the coast. The walk wound through olive groves, vineyards, and steep cliffs plunging into the Mediteranean.
In Corniglia ("Cornelia") we stopped for breakfast and a Cappacino and went on walking SE to the next town of Manarola. When we got to Manarola we decided that we were feeling so energetic from breakfast we walked on down to the 1st town, Riomaggiore. In Riomaggiore we went into a 'snack' shop and got excellent 'to go' Itlaian food which we ate at the rocky cove.
We hopped on the train back to Vernazza and headed to the beach for a little R&R. Sean and Joel joined in on some informal water polo in the Meditterean for two hours with the locals, and Margaret tried to pretend that she was tanning on the beach (as opposed to burning...which is really what happened).
For dinner this evening we went to the local stores and picked up the best local ingredients for a Panzanella salad, which we ate on the terrace of our apartment overlooking the main street. Cinque Terra is credited with the invention of Pesto, so of course we had some of that too! We paired this fine meal with the Moravian wine that we purchased in Hlohovec (Czech Republic), drawn straight from the barrel. Such a fresh meal!
While we were eating, a Catholic procession went by (we are guessing first communion). It was wonderful, and incredible to see this local tradition. First in the procession was the priest,a man carrying an empty cross, followed by a marching band, followed by about 100 locals, followed by about 30 kids all dressed in white with black capes, and canes with handkerchiefs tied to them, followed by another priest (this one chanting), then a crucifix, and about 200 more locals, all on their way to the local church. What a treat to see some local traditions!
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