calling from some city...

Today was sadly our last day in Cinque Terre. I absolutely love being here- it was the perfect place to relax and chill out after all our hectic traveling. The towns were incredibly small, but offered exactly what I want in a beach getaway- great weather, cheap or free access to beaches, and good restaurants nearby. Cinque Terre is definitely a place where one could get bored in (there is not much to do outside of beach and hiking) but it would be the perfect location for a 1-2 week vacation.We also got what I consider perfect weather- It was sunny and in the 80’s. Overall, I’m so glad that we came here and I definitely will make it a point to return someday..
 Anyways, I got woken up by Scott at around 9 am. We let Sara sleep in because she didn’t feel well the night before. We quickly got dressed for the beach, and had staked out a spot on the free sandy-ier beach by 9:30 am. We got cappuchinos and pastries at a bar close by and then settled in for a day of relaxation and sun. We had considered doing more hiking because we had a 2 day hiking pass, but I was perfectly content to stay on the beach and rest. I was a bit sore from the hike the previous day, and the weather was perfect- sunny, warm, and no clouds threatening overhead.
Sara joined us about an hour and a half later, and we basically were beach bums for the day. We spent a lot of time reading and swimming. Unlike other beaches we’ve visited, the water in Cinque Terre was a bit cooler and refreshing. While I prefer my ocean water to be warm, it was nice to actually get cooled off by going into the water. There was a rock close by that you could swim to, and Scott was quickly doing backflips off of it. In the late afternoon, I even jumped the 15 feet off of it. My bathing suit bottoms definitely came off underwater, but I managed to catch them around my knees, so that was a big crisis averted.
We stayed on the beach until about 5 pm. It was quite crowded because the beach itself is really small. So there is not a lot of room for all the people that want to come to the free beach (instead of paying for a beach chair/umbrella). Nevertheless, I was able to work on my tan and enjoy a relaxing day. After showering, we headed to a restaurant for one last dinner in Italy. I just got pasta with bread, and it was fine- though definitely not one of the better meals I had in Italy. But we got gelato afterwards, and that was naturally delicious. We walked back to the hotel, and packed up to check out in the morning.
Tomorrow we are heading out of Italy to Nice. I’m sad to be leaving Italy- it remains my favorite country. I just love the culture, idiosyncrasies and all. I will dearly miss the food; even though everyone knows how to make Italian food, it just tastes different and better in Italy than back home. I now know NEVER to visit Rome in the summer, unless you want to be suffocated by the crowds and the heat. I’m also eager to return to the Amalfi Coast and explore more towns there, and there are countless other places I need to visit. I know I will be back someday soon, though, and it’s time for a new adventure- France!