The pesto is the besto!

Cinque was an interesting place to get to by train, but we made it! They finally checked our eurail pass but didn't seem to know what to do with it.

We got in around 2 p.m. and checked into our room. I originally had tried booking a room recommended by my buddy, RS, but she could only book rooms on a 2 night minimum basis. She did, however, refer me to her friend, Lilli, who we are staying with. We could not be more happier with the place and it has the most amazing view I think we could possibly get here for a very affordable price! Lilli is this sweet old lady who lives alone. She was taken aback that we speak Spanish, as are most people we meet, and did her best to talk to us in Spanish even though she said she was out of practice. She is seriously the cutest.

Here is the view of the harbor from our window.



After checking in, we went to a local restaurant, which is supposed to be the local hip nightlife joint. The owner was this crazy guy who looked at my chest in admiration and said "tetas perlas." Yeah, just a little creeps. The bartender and waiter were easy on the eyes though, so I couldn't complain too much. The door to the bathroom said "Oh no! It's a hole in the floor!" And seriously, that is what it is. Not quite sure how the ladies are supposed to use it...



Here is the crazy restaurant owner with the bartender:



We then headed out enthusiastically for our hike from Vernazza (the town we are staying in) to Corniglia, the next town over. Our first mistake was not taking water with us for the 90 minute stretch, but we were in good spirits and kept up a good pace. This was Katie's first hike EVER, so I am very proud of her for hanging in there. She admitted to me at dinner that she had to do a lot of self talk to get through it. At one point we came to this sign that said "free beach: 20 minutes," and it implied that there I could fulfill my end of the bargain I have with my sister. These two younger kids said it was a great beach and that the hike wasn't too bad, so I made the team decision to go for it. Katie reluctantly followed me, but she took one for the team cause it was a little treacherous and steep. We had to crawl under things, slide down places, etc. Not the best hiking terrain. Finally we came to a point where we decided it just wasn't worth it and went back up.

But fear not! We finished the hike and found the beach we were looking for after going through a buzz in gate and walking through a long, dark tunnel (note: RS mentions this beach and tunnel in his book, so I was sure we weren't in any danger). We paid our €5 entrance fee and walked down to the beach to get my mandatory pics and to enjoy the water after working off a good sweat. All I can say to my sis is, 26.2, my love, 26.2! Pic and allibi to arrive once I am back home.

We just enjoyed a great dinner at the restaurant dubbed by RS as the "finest in Vernazza." It was very tasty and their pesto here is sooo good!

Tomorrow will be a long day of train hopping as we make our way to Venice before departing for Paris on Thursday night! The end of our journey is now in sight.