Tallinn was the perfect respite from the opulence and grandeur of St. Petersburg. We boarded a bus early in the morning for Viking’s included walking tour of the old town. Our ship wasn’t scheduled to depart until 9 PM that evening, so my thinking was that the tour would give us an overview and we would return later to visit the sights that most interested us. At least that was the initial plan.
I don’t know whether it was the dreary weather, or the lingering effects of sensory overload from St. Petersburg, but after the tour concluded, WE concluded that the afternoon would be best spent partaking in some of the delights aboard our lovely ship. Still, we have a few photos to share:
Notice the umbrellas in the foreground. It rained off and on during the tour.View of the medieval “lower town” from a lookout in the “upper town”.
Cars and buses are not allowed inside Tallinn’s old town, so we followed the city wall down the hill to the town square,
main square
where we found an abundance of shops, cafes, and a medieval pharmacy, which is still in operation today.
We didn’t need to replenish our supply of wood louse infusions, earthworms in oil, or dried deer penises, so we left the pharmacy empty handed.
The Estonians seem to like three dimensional advertising. Here are just a few examples.
I loved the fire breathing dragon with the crown on his head, and the maiden advertising the “super sale”? She had lots of similarly attired companions scattered throughout the square.
That evening, we had dinner at one of Viking’s specialty restaurants, The Chef’s Table. This is a five course fixed menu, with wine pairings. That evening we enjoyed the “Asian Panorama” menu. The fixed menus change every three days, and we sampled three of them!
We started with chilled king crab made with coconut foam and curry, followed by lobster and chicken shu mai, which was a soft dumpling. Now ordinarily, I am not a fan of either of those seafood items, but these were delicious.
Next up was a lemongrass and red chili granita with lychee foam (there was a whole lot of foaming in this restaurant), followed by the main course–Peking duck with a mandarin pancake. Dessert was an Asian trilogy of chocolate banana spring roll, green tea cheesecake and yuzu creme brulee.
Unfortunately, I didn’t photograph the food–I was way too busy eating, drinking and talking, but if I had, you would have seen that the portions weren’t huge. At the end of the meal we were satisfied, not stuffed!
Our happy traveling companions, at the end of our dinner, after lots of wine!
Usually my blog functions as a substitute for postcards. It is a way to stay connected with family and friends–a way for them to share in the wonder and excitement of travel without enduring the long plane rides, jet lag, and other miscellaneous discomforts of life on the road.
For this cruise, however, the free wifi was not robust enough to allow photo uploads. Being a very visual person, I saw no point in posting without photos. So, now that I’m home, I’m playing catch up. These postcards were way delayed! But maybe my posts will be helpful to anyone that is considering the Viking Homelands cruise, or might be touring any of the Baltic ports we visited.
Now about Helsinki…
Helsinki was the perfect respite between the two sensory overload ports of Stockholm and St. Petersburg. We took the included Viking tour, which was a morning bus trip with three stops. And that was enough for us.
First stop was the Sibelius monument, which consists of 600 welded stainless steel tubes,
The individual pipes really are quite spectacular
and a bust of the composer.
Is it just me, or does it look like he’s been beheaded and impaled?
The guide told us that Sibelius’s bust had seven wrinkles–one for each of his symphonies. I wasn’t able to verify, but I’m not so sure I like that way of displaying accomplishments. If that were the universal yardstick, I’m either way behind with achievements or way ahead with wrinkles.
Our guide told us that when Sibelius died in 1957, at the age of 91, the US Embassy was the only one to have a moment of silence in his honor. Nicely done, USA.
Next up, the Rock Church, which is not its real name, but its real name is long, hard to spell, and not as descriptive. So here’s the story: two brothers got the bright idea to hollow out an enormous hunk of granite, turning it into, of all things, a church. Lo and behold, their idea was the competition winner. After four years of applications, permits and paperwork, plus one year of construction, the church was completed. And here you have it.
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Our final stop was at Senate Square, where Russian Tsar Alexander ll stands, with the Finnish constitution in his hand and a bird atop his head (Just so you know, the bird is not a permanent part of the statue). He was quite beloved in Finland, much more so than in Russia, where he was assassinated after freeing the slaves, providing an example of common ground between Russia and the USA.
Behind him is the Lutheran Church, which we opted not to visit. Did you see all those steps? Instead, we stopped inside the tourist information center, where we discovered this promotional brochure from a Finnish company.
The Bonk BrochureOne of many hilarious pages
Okay, I’ll admit it. I was completely taken in by this brochure, and thought that 1. the company was real, and 2. that it had an amazing sense of humor.
Being a curious soul and having access to the internet, I decided to check this company out and discovered that it is actually fictional — the work of Finnish painter and sculptor Alvar Gullichsen. I wish I’d known that when we were in Helsinki. I would have explored that yellow building in the background, rather than posing for a color coordinated photo.
Ahhh, Stockholm–there is so much to love about you! It’s a nice place to visit and I definitely would like to live here, but only in the summer. Arriving two days before we were scheduled to board the Viking Star was a very good decision indeed.
I haven’t done a numbered list in a while, so don’t you think it is time? Why not throw out 10 somewhat random reasons to love the city? There clearly are many, many more, but hey, we were a bit jet lagged and at our age, it is all about quality time. (Or was “quality time” what I told myself our kid was getting so I didn’t feel guilty about being a working mom? Doesn’t matter –both apply.)
1. THE INHABITANTS Everyone speaks English, and they do so willingly and cheerfully, without trying to make you feel stupid for being uni-lingual.
Boston Grill in Stockholm? They also had a TGI Fridays and a Texas Longhorn Steakhouse. We ate at none of them!They also like our music!
2. THE MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM Mass transit is easy to decipher, affordable, and appears to run constantly. We rarely had to wait more than 5 minutes, frequently less. Thanks to Rick Steves, we knew we should get the SL card, which was sold at Arlanda Airport. For about $16 (the Senior rate), we got a card good for 72 hours worth of rides on all modes of transportation: T-Bana, ferries and buses. When we departed, we still had 4 hours remaining, so we gave our cards (yes they are transferable) to our friends. What a deal!
Our friends, Edie and Ayhan, displaying the magic card as they get ready to board.
3. GAMLA STAN, THE OLD CITY The old town is absolutely charming. During the ’80s the government wanted to demolish the old buildings, replacing them with concrete and steel skyscrapers. Fortunately, the citizenry protested vigorously, and the idea was abandoned. Good thing, wouldn’t your say?
Former stock exchange, now Nobel MuseumIn this square, Swedish leaders were beheaded by the Danes. The son of one of the victims escaped, led a successful revolution and became Sweden’s first king.Tourists trying to distract the guard at the palaceThe King overlooks the harbor
We followed part of Rick’s recommended walk, but after about 5 minutes worth of the Changing of the Guard, we’d had enough. My assessment? I wish we’d chosen another activity, like visiting the Nobel Museum. The Changing of the Guard consumed far too much time. It starts around noon, but you have to get their early enough to be able to see anything, especially if you want a bench in the shade. Benches were occupied, so we grabbed a column with a pedestal that we climbed upon. Even so, this was our view.
It helps to have a good zoom lensNotie the number of women in uniform?
4. THE RIVAL HOTEL
Less than three blocks from the T-Bana, in Sodermalm, this little boutique hotel is ideally located. You can sip wine on the restaurant’s balcony while you watch men play bocce in the park across the street.
The Rival Hotel balconyStatue in the parkThe view from the room. Good thing the blinds closed!
We booked directly with the hotel, prepaid 6 months in advance, to get an amazing rate. The room was small, but very comfortable, although I must admit to being mystified by the strategic placement of the bathroom window. This is ONE throne room we didn’t want to view!
5. Kungsträdgärden
Perhaps those long winter months make the Swedes cherish these long, glorious summer days. It looked like EVERYONE was outside on this Saturday night, having a wonderful time.
Kids love bubbles!Chess game in the parkFree rock concertHow did he DO that?
6. VASAMUSEUM Can you imagine spending months of your life creating glorious carvings that will ultimately become bulls-eyes for cannonballs? What were they thinking??? Fortunately, this ship was as top heavy as a playboy centerfold, and shortly after setting sail, it flipped on its side, then sank to the bottom of the harbor, where it remained for over 300 years.
Reproduction95% of the ship is the original!
The museum is absolutely fascinating, especially for those of us that grew up in a former whaling port. The admission price (It was less than $20), includes a film and a guided tour. I thought “Vasa” was Swedish for boat, because “Vaca” is the Maori word and “Barco” is the Spanish word. But no, the ship was named after Gustav Vasa. He was the son of one of the beheaded victims (at the fountain) who led the revolution against the Danes and became Sweden’s first king.
We used our SL ticket to catch the ferry to Djurgården, and used it again to ride a tram between the Vasa Museum and Skansen.
7. SKANSEN The Swedes call it an open air museum. WE called it the Swedish version of Plimoth Plantation and Waterloo Village. We had the perfect day and the perfect setting for strolling outdoors.
A model of SkansenWhat kid wouldn’t love these?Feeling adventurous?A beautiful garden with a beautiful view
8. CITY HALL You may never win a Nobel prize, but that doesn’t mean you can’t visit the banquet hall and stand on the staircase where the presentations are made. The blue hall (which isn’t blue) is where the prize winners receive applause and a free meal.
Although I have not visited every city hall, I going to proclaim that this is one of the most (if not THE most) glorious one on this planet. The location, the mosaics, the architecture–all breathtaking!
It is hard to capture the beauty of the gold leaf mosaics in a photo. This hall was exquisite.
And if you have any breath left after touring city hall, you can climb #9.
9. CITY HALL TOWER Timed tickets ensure that the tower is not overcrowded. Yes, it IS 365 steps to get to the top, but it is SO worth the climb to for sn aerial view of Gamla Stan. Wouldn’t you agree? There are nine bells in the tower, and we made sure that we were not standing beneath them when they rang.
365 steps later, this is what we saw. And yes, that is our ship in the distance.The grounds surrounding city hall, as seen from the tower.
10. FOTOGRAFISKA MUSEUM Such luck! Our last day in port coincided with our friends’ arrival, allowing us just enough time to meet Edie and Ayhan in Gamla Stan for coffee. Right smack dab on our route to the Viking Star was the Fotografisca Museum, so of course we HAD to stop.
Our ship is reflected in this portrait of Amy Winehouse.
I had no idea that Bryan Adams was a Renaissance man–a musician AND a very talented photographer. I’m betting ( And it’s a petty safe bet) that his access to the celebrities was because of HIS fame. But for me, the most memorable part of the exhibit (and most emotional) were his photos of the British soldiers wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Something tells me this won’t be our last visit to Stockholm!
Okay, so initially we were planning to celebrate our 40th anniversary in April by traveling to Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet, but as my favorite philosopher once said, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”
Mike wasn’t able to make that trip, so instead, we will be celebrating with a Viking Ocean Cruise to the Baltic states. We start in Stockholm and before we end in Bergen, we will have popped into all of the Scandinavian countries, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Gdansk and Warnemunde. The Viking brochure provided this visual. In addition to celebrating both a birthday and an anniversary, this trip will be special because our friends, Tony and Helen (from Oregon) and Jeanne (from New York), will also be on the cruise.
We have been receiving Viking’s river cruise catalogues for many years, but had never traveled with them. Then, in 2015 they began offering ocean cruises and one had exactly the itinerary we wanted. We had been thinking that we should save cruising for when we were older and not able to do the more strenuous activities like hiking and biking, but after that week of Tibet’s squat toilets, I was more than ready for a little luxury.
All of the cabins have balconies, so the cruise price varies by size of cabin, amenities, initial boarding time, and priority for tour, spa, and specialty restaurant reservations. None of the above was all that important to us, so we went for a lower cost cabin. It just so happens that we prefer a lower deck, toward the center of the ship anyway, because there is less rockin’ and rollin’ in rough seas, and that’s where the less expensive cabins are.
Viking offers one free tour in each port, plus for an additional fee, you can choose among many alternatives. Those alternatives can be a bit pricy so we decided to either opt for the free tour or venture out on our own.
We will be arriving in Stockholm two days before we board the ship. Because we made our own flight arrangements (yes, I am more than a little anal about flight arrangements) and chose not to purchase Viking’s pre-trip package, we will have to get ourselves from airport to hotel, and will be exploring Stockholm on our own. I bought the Kindle edition of Rick Steves’ Northern European Cruise Ports, so that we can access the maps and information from my iPhone. Just the information on Stockholm’s unregulated taxis was probably worth the price of the book!
Cruise Critic’s website had lots of helpful information about several of the ports. One poster gave such detailed information about the Norway ports we will be visiting that I printed out her review and will be taking it with us. Thanks to her, we will be riding the scenic train ride from Flam to Myrdal, then instead of taking the train back down the mountain, we will be renting bikes at the Myrdal cafe and riding to town. Her description of the road down was the deciding factor!
Checking out our ship’s Roll Call on Cruise Critic allowed us to contact others interested in sharing a private tour in St. Petersburg. We also were able to sign up for a “Welcome Aboard” party offered by Viking crew members for Cruise Critic participants (and you become a Cruise Critic participant simply by signing on to their website). Don’t you just love the internet? I hope my upcoming posts will be as helpful to future travelers.
Although this is a trip that focuses on hilltop Tuscan towns, no visit to Tuscany would be complete without a stop in the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence.
My sister Sandy and I were lucky enough to spend two days in Florence in July, 2012, and Mike and I had done a day trip about 10 years ago, so we didn’t feel compelled to “do it all” this time around. Instead, we were satisfied with a leisurely and informative stroll with our wonderful local guide, Fernanda.
The evening before Fernanda had given us a fascinating overview of the Medici family, Renaissance art and the connections between the two. I’m sure I heard it all before in various history classes, but Fernanda really made it come to life during the lecture, and again, the next day during our stroll through Florence.
The Piazza Della Signoria was the first home of an important Medici couple, Eleonora and Cosimo I. This arranged match was not off to a great start. Those in the know wondered why this Spanish old maid was not spoken for? (She was 17). The groom didn’t even make it to his own wedding, so they were married by proxy. Fortunately, things improved greatly after that: it turned out to be a love match that produced 11 children.
Well, Eleanora was not happy with her “starter home”. It was devoid of gardens for the children to play in, so Eleanora used her own money (how cool is that–a woman with $$$ of her own back in the 1400’s) to purchase from the Pitti family a little “cottage” across the river.
The interior of the “starter” house
Sandy and I spent a day wandering through the Pitti Palace, a glorious edifice, which now houses 6 or 7 museums. The Pitti Palace does indeed have spectacular gardens, plus a breathtaking view of the river and the duomo. No photos of the Pitti from this trip, because there was no time to visit it. You’ll just have to take my word for it that it was grand.
But I digress. Back to the Piazza Della Signoria . In front of the “starter home” is a replica of Michelangelo’s David. The original was moved from there to the protection of the Academia, but it was not initially created for that plaza. Instead, it was supposed to be placed on the facade of the Duomo. Fernanda explained that was why the hands are so enormous. When viewed from below, the hands would be correctly proportioned.
Formulating his Goliath slaying strategy
There are lots of other wonderful sculptures, but my favorite is below–the rape of the Sabine women.
We had considered visiting a museum during our free time. Instead, we decided to take Anna’s advice not to succumb to “Stendhal Syndrome” and become over saturated with culture.
After a fantastic lunch at Boccadama, Mike and I stopped for gelato, then wandered up an alley near the church of Santa Croce to visit Italian Loves, a wonderful little shop.
The proprietor allows you to sample his wares. You can taste the olive oil, the balsamic vinegar and the wine. I was deeply regretting having a gelato BEFORE visiting Italian Loves. What to do? Why, buy a little of everything. Those near and dear to me know what THAT means. Yes, there just MAY be a gift in your future.
Yes, that wine was wonderful-and yes, we have already polished it off
Although my BLOG is only on our second day in Tuscany, WE are actually in Sorrento. The problem with posts lagging well behind the visits is one can get confused. Particularly when that “one” is me. If you are following my posts, true confession time. We didn’t stop at the American cemetery after our feast at Giuseppe’s Pianciorciano Cheese Factory. It was after this visit to Florence, which is only important if you want to find the cemetery. You’d have a hell of a time if you were looking in the Radicofani area, because it is located between Florence and Chianciano Terme. Ah well. Accuracy is a small price to pay for all the wine drinking and cafe sitting done instead of blogging, right?
Nothing would have made me happier than to have all my favorite people with me on this trip. Although I was unsuccessful in recruiting all of you (not from lack of trying), I DID manage to convince our good friends, Owen and Shirley to “double our joy”. For those of you that are making the journey with us via this blog (especially my sister, Sue, who refuses to fly), I’m so glad to have you riding along.
Now, back to our first full day in Tuscany. After Radicofani, we made our way to Giuseppi’s (Pepe’s) sheep farm. Unfortunately, according to Pepe the sheep had a “party” five months ago, which resulted in a lot of very pregnant sheep, so for a reason I have since forgotten (but was definitely connected to the party) the sheep were all in the barn. Too bad. It would no doubt have made for a lovely photo op. Instead, the photo at the top of this post just shows you the picturesque fields. Take a look at the lengths I go to so you don’t have cars or garbage cans cluttering up your view.
Back to the sheep that we didn’t see. They are Sardinian sheep, because that breed produces the milk that makes the VERY best pecorino cheese. In case you haven’t guessed, Pepe and his family are from Sardinia. Like Silvana, Pepe was highly amusing and quite informative.
Of course we had to sample some of that wonderful cheese. Eight different kinds. Washed down with wine, accompanied by prosciutto and salami and bread.
According to the official itinerary, we were done for the day, but Anna had a little surprise for us. We stopped at a cemetery for Americans killed during World War II, just in time for a brief lecture about the military campaign, the men buried there and the MIA. After taps, the flag was lowered. A very sobering experience, especially given the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It made me think about the differences: WWII was the pain and sacrifice was shared by all. The recent wars are so very different. A small percentage of our population is giving so much, while the rest of us go about our normal lives.
Normally I like to end on an upbeat note, but for this post all I can say is “Thanks for your service”.
That’s right. That’s the slogan for Chianciano Terme, our home for the next six days. Although my liver doesn’t need to be cured–at least not yet, if it ever ails me, I’m definitely coming back to this sweet Tuscan hill town. Twenty years ago, before socialized medicine stopped covering spa treatments, people came here for a week or two to drink and soak in the mineral waters. One hopes they were not drinking the water they were sitting in, but who knows? For some reason, once the treatments were no longer free, business dropped off dramatically, so now it is a much quieter place, which suits us just fine.
Our family owned and operated hotel is cute and comfortable. If you are wondering why I am including the following photo, it is because the shutter visible on the top of the door to the balcony rolls up and down with the press of a button, just like a garage door opener.
I don’t know why, but I find that enchanting.
This time, we didn’t win the room assignment sweepstakes. Our balcony overlooks the parking lot, while those on the other side view the rolling hills. But no matter. Our bus rides offer us views aplenty.
The first half of our trip focuses on hilltop towns of Tuscany. First up is the lovely hilltop town of Radicofani, a stopping place for pilgrims enroute to Rome.
Here’s Anna, our wonderful guide, pointing out the Pilgrim icon on the side of one of the buildings.
Ghino di Tacco, Radicofani’s most famous resident made his living robbing those pilgrims, but he did it with class. He made sure he left the poor ones enough to eat. But still, he was a robber. So how come he is immortalized with a statue on the outskirts of town?
Ghino di Tacco
All was forgiven after he kidnapped an Abbott, who had digestive problems (perhaps on his way to Chianciano Terme to get a liver tune up?). Instead, after living on bread, water and dried beans, the Abbott was miraculously cured of whatever ailed him, was released, made his way to Rome, and convinced the pope to make Ghino a knight of the Order of St. John. Who says crime doesn’t pay?
Here are a few more images of this hidden gem of a town.
One of the many reasons I’m loving this tour with Grand Circle is because of the experiences I never would have had if we were on our own. Silvana is one of those experiences. We stopped for a snack at her shop. Silvana not only fed us, she kept us entertained with a monologue (translated by Anna) that Jerry Seinfeld would have envied.
Anna with Silvana, Radicofani’s stand up comic. Check out those pastries!
Silvana is the youngest resident of Radicofani. Her 78 year old mama is still working, taking care of 5 of her “elderly” neighbors.
Mama, saying hello from the window over the shop.
Our trip to the sheep farm will have to wait till tomorrow, or I’ll never get this post finished!
Our first trip with Grand Circle is off to an amazing start! After an uneventful flight (and these days, uneventful is about as good as it gets), we were met at baggage claim by a Grand Circle representative who escorted us through the airport to meet our driver. What a pleasure not to have to hang around the airport waiting for other travelers to arrive.
Although we hit big city morning traffic, our driver took some “sneaky roads” that not only got us to the hotel quickly, but also gave us a little extra tour of the eternal city.
Anna, our tour director, was waiting in the lobby to greet us. When I expressed surprise at her American accent, she explained that she learned English in the USA. She IS Italian (and Greek), but it turns out her dad was a “rocket scientist” who worked on the lunar rover in Huntsville, Alabama. No, she did not have an Alabama accent. And despite graduating from Harvard, she doesn’t have a Boston accent.
Before the trip began, Anna had communicated with us via email, asking what we particularly wanted to see and do during our time in Italy. Although the group is big, (42 travelers), we are already experiencing the kind of attention you get with a much smaller group.
Much to my amazement, we weren’t tired after our overnight flight, so Anna gave us a map, marked the places we wanted to visit, gave us great directions and off we went.
The Hotel Albani is close to the Borghese garden, so we strolled through it on our way to the Museo Dell’Ara Pacis, one of the “not to be missed” places on Mike’s list.
The birthday boy, doing his Borghese prince imitation.
Anna directed us to an overlook that provided a fantastic panoramic view of the city.
A small slice of the panoramic view
And now a close up of the statue in the square
But today wasn’t just museums and statues. We also people watched. I continue to be fascinated by the ability of women to navigate cobblestone streets in unbelievable footwear.
After a late lunch at a sidewalk cafe, and a detour to the Spanish Steps, we hiked back to the hotel for a quick nap and a peek at CNN for an update on the pope’s visit in Washington DC. Time to meet the rest of our group for an introductory drink.
Mike has a milestone birthday this year, and what better way to celebrate than with Italian food, wine and scenery? I couldn’t quite get the trip scheduled so that we would be in Italy on the actual date, but then we have never been good at following calendars.
In the past, I just used to declare that according to the Mayan calendar, the date was really—-and fill in the blank with whatever date we were celebrating.
But then I thought why not start for a new tradition? Instead of Birth Day, why not celebrate Birth Month? Think about it–you would have a full month to schedule that special event. The odds that you could find a day that would allow everyone to attend just increased 30 fold, except, of course, for those born in February. Sorry.
It is especially helpful for those of us that left the Homeland (Massachusetts) for the Hinterlands (New Jersey). My family has sorta gotten used to my inability to be calendar bound, although I DO usually get the month right. Anybody ready to join the Birth/Anniversary Month movement?
To celebrate Mike’s birth-month, we will be wandering through Tuscany, ending up in Sorrento. This will be our first trip with Grand Circle, a sister company of Overseas Adventure Travel. Although the group is a bit larger than we normally choose, we liked the itinerary, which has us plopped in two towns, each for one week. Another selling point was the number of optional trips, so we can stay with the group, or choose to strike out on our own, should we feel the need.
The best part? Our good friends, Shirley and Owen, will be on the tour.
We arrive in Rome, then head for a town I never knew existed, and whose name I am probably mispronouncing: Chianciano. It will be our base for a week, as we explore the other Tuscany towns shown on the map above.
Our second week will be in Sorrento, a great base for all of the incredible area attractions.
We already received a lovely welcome note from our guide, Anna (pronounced like Donna, without the D) Costes, full of helpful information. She very kindly responded to my questions about our day trip to Florence. We are off to a great start!
Today’s snowfall looks like it could actually amount to something. The trees toppled by hurricane Sandy, lying every which way on the ground, might create some interesting sculptures.
Mr. and Mrs Cardinal are wisely loading up at the bird feeder. If the flakes keep falling, it might be a while before the feeder filler (otherwise known as Mike) gets back out there.
So, what’s a girl to do as she hunkers down for some serious indoor time? Why, start looking through photos of days filled with sun and fun. And, having just seen several of my Villa Buddies over Christmas –Diane, Karen, Denise, Emily, Wayne and Sandy– (We missed you, Greg and Sally!), I decided to take a trip down Memory Lane, all the way back to July, by reliving one of our day trips.
We had heard so much about Cinque Terra, we decided to venture forth from our villa to explore a couple of the five seaside villages.
The Lucca tourist office offers a series of regularly scheduled day trips, however the Cinque Terra trip wasn’t scheduled for the day we wanted. Instead, the tourist office helped us find a far better alternative: a private tour. Our driver, Wolfgang, picked us up at our villa, drove us to the ferry in Portovenere, got us our ferry tickets and an itinerary, then met us at the end of the day in Monterrosso, to return us to the villa.
Of course, we COULD have managed this on our own, but that would have meant driving in two separate cars, figuring out parking, the ferry schedule, taking a round trip ferry ride–nothing tremendously difficult, but the driving had fallen to the one person willing to brave the Italian roads, and it was time to give Diane a break.
We drove through La Spezia, the cruise ship port for those cruisers bound for Cinque Terra, on our way to Porto Venere, a cute little seaside town. We had just enough time for a cappuccino and pastry before boarding the ferry.
Portovenere
It was the perfect ferry ride: warm, with a cool breeze, clear skies, with spectacular views along the way. We could see the cultivated fields stretching up the side of the mountains.
On the way to Manarola
I wouldn’t want to have to plant and weed THOSE gardens!
As you can see, stone was quite plentiful, and incorporated into the seaside buildings.
Why is it that even laundry looks picturesque in Italy?
Manarola’s bathing beauties
There was only time for a quick stroll up into the town, (and I do mean UP), then it was time to board the next ferry for our last stop, Monterrosso. We were told there is a hiking trail between the villages, but given that we were now in our lazy phase of the trip, decided to take the easy method of transportation. The trip UP into town may have helped us make that decision.
This village had an actual beach, with umbrellas and chairs for rent.
I, however, was more interested in this lovely alcoholic version of iced coffee. I got all of the benefits of the beach, without sand in my seat, or sunburned shoulders.
And since today is a day for looking through photos, I decided to include a couple from a trip Mike and I had taken in 2004 to Portofino, another seaside village further up the coast. Like Cinque Terra, the houses were sherbet colored, built tightly together.
It too was lovely, and for THAT trip, we actually DID stroll along the hillside trail. Take a look.
Come a little closer…
Although it lacked a beach, there was plenty to see on that day trip.
Destination NOW 