Continuing to Look Back

So to continue my earlier post...

We made it to Vernazza, everybody whole, alive, and happy to be there. There was a potty break fro some, a pizza break for others, a coke and water break for me, and a picture break for everybody. So after about 20-30 minutes, we got back on the trail. This time LC took the backpack, so that made it a ton easier for me.

The hike was once again picturesque and difficult, though I found it a bit easier than the first one. That could be because I no longer had the huge backpack on my back, but who knows. There were probably just as many stairs, though they did not bother me as much. This trail may have been a bit more dangerous in general though, mainly because the trails were wet and slippery and muddy at this point. It was still fun though, and Olivia and I were laughing as we squelched our way through. Andrew almost fell off a cliff, but a mother, she had to be a mother the way she yanked him back, saved him. That was fun. I should also mention, Andrew was the designated photographer in the beginning, as we didn't want to all have our cameras out. Plus, it was raining. We also kept our cameras away most of the second hike as it was threatening to rain and we wanted to be able to have two hands to balance and hold on to things as we were hiking around. I did have my camera for some of it, but I wish I had it handy for more, as I feel like I missed a lot of pictures. It is what it is though, and I still think I got some amazing shots. In any case, this was a fun journey as well, and once again, we cut time off the suggested time for the hike. We totally rocked it.

So we finally landed in Corniglia, the third city, and we decided to get a bite to eat. Olivia and Pat just wanted some pizza, but the rest of us were starving as it was about 230 at this point maybe. So Andrew, Aaron, LC, and I sat at an outdoor restaurant with a grumpy waiter who gave us the stink eye for who knows what. Maybe it was because we were gross and disgusting, but there was no one else in the restaurant, so he should have been happy to have anybody there at all. In any case, we sat there, while Olivia and Pat enjoyed their pizza at a bench right outside of the restaurant, exiled. It was pretty amusing. After that is was onwards and downwards, literally.

Corniglia is one of the cities that you dont have to hike back down to, as it is up on the cliff. So to get down to the trail to continue on to Manarola, we had to go down a ridiculous snake stairway. It wasnt steep or anything, just very monotonous going back and forth and back and forth. And it wasnt a fun thing either, as it was a brick path. In any case, we got to the bottom eventually, asked some innocent bystanders to take yet anothr group picture, and off we went towrds Manarola. This was literally just a walk along the beach, as we didn't have to "hike" for the first half of this trail. It was pretty, though I wish there had been more to it. When we finally got to the real trail part, it was a welcome sight.

So we started a climb again, and got to this really pretty point where you could go down to the water, though it warned of a "dangerous descent," which Aaron, Andrew, and LC did. The rest of us enjoyed the views from up above. Then the others came back up and onward we went.

We then ended up in Manarola, a cute little city in Cinque Terre, that is very colorful. That is one thing that really stands out in my mind, how colorful all of these cities were. It was a pleasure getting there, and then there was no disappointment once we arrived. In any case, we didnt linger in Manarola. We just continued on to Riomaggiore.

Now to get to Riomaggiore from Manarola, we got to walk through the "Via dell'Amore," or Stree of Love. We were confused several times as to where this street began, as it was not very pretty or inviting. However, it was finally clear when we got there, as there was an arrow pointing towards the sea, with two interlocking hearts and a couple of locks attached. It is a very pretty walk, though there is no hiking involved. There is also a tunnel of love, which has been decorated by graffiti of love, as well as a bar or love, etc. Also along the path were plaqes with random Italian names of gods, nymphs, etc. They were kind of cool, so I took a couple of pictures of those. Finally rounding the last bend into Riomaggiore felt kind of anti-climactic, as it was grey and cloudy out, and we were tired and dirty from our long day. It is a pretty city, but the train station where the trail dumps you is not actually in the city. To get to the city you had to hike up a hill (concrete, not a trail). This was not on the agenda. Instead, we all got some gelato, and waited for our train into La Spezia.

The boys wandered off while we waited, whil LC and I helped the local economy by getting some shirts. The shirt was most welcome, as when we got back to La Spezia, we went back to our hotel, picked up our bags, and made use of the public bathroom to clean ourselves up and change. After we were a bit more presentable, we wandered down into La Spezia so Pat could get a gift for his wife, Pat and Aaron could get a kabob, LC could get a parfait, and I could get some fries. All in all, it was nice.

Our train ride back to the Villa was fabulous too. Unbeknownst to us, we got our own compartment. We had a door that closed, we could change the volume, lights, and air. It was pretty awesome. There was some political debate and such thoughout the ride, but I mainly did my reading, throwing in my two cents to the convo every now and then. The ride took almost an hour longer than it should have as we had to wait somewhere for something. But the car was so nice, and the company was so good, that it didn't really matter. In any case, that was that. A nice way to end a long day.

We are leaving the Villa now. Literally in about 20 minutes, and I am quite sad. However, new adventures await, so I am trying to think of that instead of the fact that I wont be back here again. The good news is almsot everyone is planning on getting together on the 20th in DC, so I have that to look forward to.

I will write on Venice soon, I promise, and add pictures as well.

Off on another adventure!

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

So yesterday I was neglect in my posting duties, so I apologize :-)

Before I continue, I should share that I was really excited to post yesterday from the patio and tell everyone that I was looking down upon Florence while writing to you all, but the internet wasn't working. So, I took it as a sign and did some reading for class instead. This morning, you will get me writing from the comfort of my room.

So yesterday: We had class all day, and I found the topics really interesting: intelligence, covert action, renditions, targeted killings, and war crimes. Some can be a bit depressing, but all are fascinating to learn about. I really wish we had more time to cover all of the topics in the course. Sometimes I feel like we rush through things because we have so much to cover. Almost like we have the same amount of material as last year, and not the same amount of time. So it can be a bit frustrating, but I still feel like I am learning a lot, and the whole experience has been great so far. For our academic fact, I learned that all covert action has to be sign off by the President, and that he has to tell Congress. Meaning, he has to tell a select group of 8, some of which my professor could not remember, but including the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Intel Committees in the Senate and the House, the Speaker of the House, and the Chair of the Armed Services Committee. Also, while the President has to tell them, it doesn't have to be immediately, it can be after the action has already begun. Interesting stuff.

So anyway, post class I sat outside on the balcony, doing some reading and enjoying the view of Florence. Then, dinner was at 7, and this was the first meal where I really didn't eat much. Usually they have something somewhat plain, but not last night. I survived though. After dinner, we all (7 of us) congregated in the library. I tried to catch up on some US news that had been piled up in my Google Reader (literally, about 80 news articles I had not read), followed the Angels game on my computer (they won!), and just relaxed and talked with everyone. I also made an imovie for one of the guys here. It was my mitzvah for the day as he is not one of my favorite people in the program. I did it though, and am quite proud of it actually. Anyway, after the time in the library, we (Pat, Aaron, Andrew, Kel, LC, and I) decided to head up to Fiesole at about 11pm to get some gelato. So we meandered up the hill, ate the best gelato I have had since I have been here, and then we sat at the pub J.J.Hills while the boys all drank their beer. After that it was homeward bound and bed time.

I think I mentioned earlier that my total number of bugbites had not been too bad, or that I had yet to have a bad reaction. Well, I spoke too soon. Literally the next day I was bit on my thigh and elbow, and bother are pretty bad, with the one on my thigh about 5 inches in diameter of readness surrounding the bite. So I used some hydrocortisone cream and took some benadryl last night, which seems to have helped. I will take some more today and hopefully it was get better soon. I hate being allregic to the bugs that bite me.

Anyway, on to today. We are going to Cinque Terre, catching the 157 train hopefully. We were going to leave earlier, but then we were told we could have lunch here first, so we decided to take the free lunch before heading out on our travels. It should be a fun adventure. We will get in tonight, wander arund La Spezia, and then hike the trails tomorrow before coming home. Then Sunday should be relaxing and a good time to further explore Florence. Hopefully it will all work out.

Next week we have our simulation, and I was picked to be attorney general, so that should be interesting. We shall see how it all goes.

Time to start packing and then off on my travels! I will write again on Sunday and be sure to take a ton of pictures :-) Ciao!