It was back to the roaming life for me after my week at the farm. First it was back to Lyon for a night (thanks Yacine) and then 6 hours on a train chugging through the Alps, past Torino and into Milan. Milan wasn't originally in my plans, but I couldn't train directly or overnight to La Spezia in one day, so I figured "why not?!"
I had also left my sunglasses at the farm, so my goal of the day was to find a new pair. Being the fashion capital of the world, I knew exactly where I would go to find them:
H&M.
...What? I'm on a budget, people.
It was, however, a three story H&M and I did pick up a sweet summery outfit or two. Swedish-Italian glamour ACHIEVED. Complete with sunglasses.
The main shopping district is also right by the duomo and I have to say its pretty impressive. It's been by far the most modern feeling cathedral I've seen. There is a rear rose window that has almost an art nouveau feel about it, with a swirling rosette pattern instead of the usual symmetrical one. Prettyful!
The next day it was off to La Spezia, a small city near the Western Italian coast. It wasn't necessarily the city I went to see, but the small villages near it: the famous Cinque Terre. These are 5 (cinque) villages that used to be really remote from the rest of Italy and have kept a very old world sea-side charm about them. They are obviously now overrun with tourists, but the houses built into the steep cliff sides still take your breath away. The villages are also close enough together that you can hike through all of them in about 6 hours, which is what I had intended to do. I got my sunscreen on, got some dried fruit, put on my merino wool socks and i was READY. And then I got there. And the only chunk of path open to hike was between the first 2 villages.
...*sigh*.
I didn't want to waste the day completely, so I did the hike between village 1 (monterosso) and 2 (velnuzza). When I got to Venuzza about 90 min later, I camped out on a rock in the bay and cooled myself in the azure blue ocean. There was also another, rockier beach that you could only access through a cave in the town where the waves came in MUCH stronger. I had already spent quite a bit of time in the sun, so I was good for the day, but it was amazing to hear the sound of the waves pulling along the rocks. It reminded me of one of those fireworks that fizzles after the light has disappeared. :)
There was also a really neat mixture of natural stone and terra cotta on the beach. The area had a flood recently that caused many of the houses perched on the rock face to collapses into the ocean. Pieces of the clay roof tiles, as well as chunks of mosaic walls had all been eroded by the tides and now peeked through the natural dark stone, as well as added their own timbre to the previous ocean soundtrack.
I'm beginning to really love being by the ocean. I love the diversity it has, and how one section of coast can have completely different waves, depending on what's around it or what the current brings. But I also love the rhythm. The consistent pulse that beats through each ebb and flow, and brings life to all around it. But perhaps more importantly, it brings change.
Things I have learned:
-that maybe I should be more concerned about ALL the surfaces in my hostels, and not just the beds. The place I stayed in Milan had a sign in the benched seating area that said "no gang bangs." Does that mean they've had a problem with gangbangs before, or is this just a preventative measure? And does that mean couples and threesomes are okay?
-I will have to go back to France as I never did get to see the gorges in Ardeche. Le sad.
-while McDonald's has free Internet in Italy, you have to have an Italian phone number to use it. Also, ALL free Wifi access needs a password from the salesclerk, and you can only get it if you buy something. It sucks.
- Italians LOVE their ray bans. And not just the iconic hipster shaped ones - all Ray Bans.
-Italian croissants (cornetto) are different from French in that they are sweetly glazed like a donut. #themoreyouknow
-I think I've been to too many museums, as I saw a pile of wire and rusted debris on the beach and naturally assumed it was an installation by a local artist.
- I LOVE HIKING. This is thing I need to do more of. Banff shall be my bitch this summer I think (...in all the free time I have between fringe rehearsals...)
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