Italy Trip 2004
(Sept 21st - Oct 3rd)
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2004
Since we were up late last night, we decided to sleep in a bit and take an early afternoon train out of Rome.
When arriving at the station, we found we had an hour wait until our train would leave. We went to a restaurant in the station called Roadhouse Grill. It was VERY strange there. It was basically a Montana's type of restaurant. There wasn't a single Italian dish on the menu. Everything was 100% American there. Neither of us were very hungry, so we each ordered a small Caesar salad.
At the tables, they had a pale of peanuts along with a basket of tortilla chips with salsa. The salsa was different as it was very sweet, yet still had some spice to it. Upon receiving the bill, we found they automatically charged 3.20 Euro for these. I read about such automatic charges, but this is the first time we've experienced it.
I picked up a bag of Biscotti for the train ride from a store in the station, along with a small bottle of Limoncello.
Before getting on the train, we stopped at the money exchange booth. We wanted to see if they'd lower their commission any further. This time, they wanted to give us 127 Euro for 200 Euro in travelers checks!!! We just walked away in total shock.
On the train back from Naples, we were surprised when we got a train car with individual compartments. We has the same today.
From what we've been able to tell, there's no real difference between 1st and 2nd class seats. Only that the 1st class cars are at the front of the train.
The view on the train was incredible. The beginning of the trip was right along the water. We also passed multiple hill towns and farms.
We arrived at La Spezia station and jumped on a local train to take us to Cinque Terres. We purchased tickets for the local train and went to the platform. The train wasn't anywhere to be seen and it was supposed to leave in a few minutes. Suddenly, there was an announcement on the PA which was not repeated in English. Practically everyone at the platform rushed from our platform and got on another train. Apparently the track was changed for the train. Unfortunately, we got there too late. We caught the next train which came 30min later.
We decided to stop at the south most town of Cinque Terres call Riomaggiore. It's pretty much a postcard hill town.
When we arrived, I got this shot of the sunset.
We started looking for a place to stay. Walking around, we found a sign listing apartments for rent. We went to the office, only to find they were fully booked. A waiter at a nearby restaurant suggested we speak to the owner of the local bar.
When arriving at the bar, the owner approached us and asked if we were looking for a place to stay. When we said yes, he called over an older Italian man. The man's name was Anthony and he rents units in his house to travelers He showed us one unit where 4 people were already staying. We asked if there was a private room, he said yes and he showed it to us. Since it was only 10 Euro more per night, we took the private room.
The room was a nice size and had a terrace which overlooked the town. The washroom was shared with the room below us. The toilet was extremely awkward to use as it was crammed in a very small corner.
Anthony suggested a family owned restaurant for dinner, so we went there. I ordered Penne with Scampi and was surprised to find 3 COMPLETE scampi on my plate. When I say 'complete', I mean they were still in their shells with all appendages still intact. The dish wasn't my favorite so far. It was very salty and the scampi were nearly impossible to eat.
Walking around this town, I find myself being slightly turned off. There's a 'fake' feeling to this place. Tourists have taken Cinque Terre for themselves and left little for the locals. Anthony was telling us how the population of Cinque Terres is less than 1/3 what it was before the tourists started coming.
Don't get me wrong though, it's a very beautiful place and I'll definitely have some great pictures tomorrow. I'll save my final judgment until I see the other 4 towns. For now, here's a night shot of Riomaggiore.
