What could motivate a group of tired teens to cheerfully rise before 6:00 am, walk to the train station, board a crowded train, and then make two more transfers before finally arriving at their destination? The answer? Cinque Terre, of course!
At times it was hard to say whether we were just hiking or actually climbing, since the trail had so many ups and downs. Well-traveled, with stairs cut into it, the trail was never truly treacherous, but it did pose more challenges than a mere walk in the woods. Questions like, "Is it this steep the whole way?" came up in conversation more than once. Those questions melted away like cones of gelato in the sun, however, once we saw Vernazza. So lovely it seemed more like a fictional place than anywhere we might actually be, the city sat below us in all its multicolored glory. We didn't rest there for long, though, since our ultimate goal was Monterosso, the next of the five villages. With our water bottles refilled and our spirits revived, we continued on. The next leg of the journey was slightly longer than the first, but our reward for finishing it was nothing less than the pure, warm waters of the Ligurian sea. Whether floating in the water, swimming out to the rocks fifty meters from shore, reading paperbacks on the beach, or exploring the little shops in the village of Monterosso, there was no way not to enjoy this picturesque town. And for hungry hikers, the plethora of seafood restaurants with beautiful ocean views gave ample opportunity to relax and recover from an exhausting day. The train ride home was long, and it was almost midnight when we saw Florence again. Not many of us kept our eyes open the whole way home, but each of us still had the images of Cinque Terre fresh and vibrant in our mind's eyes. Why stay awake with such happy things to dream about?
-Rachel Van Wylen
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