Wednesday, July 21st
Image by Gregula
Wednesday, July 21- Santa Margherita
Lodging: Villa Gnocchi B&B (phone = +39 0185 283431; email = roberto.gnocchi@tin.it).
This is a bed & breakfast. Breakfast is served between 8:30 and 9:30am. This meant we had to get up earlier than we really wanted to... Gregg got up on the wrong side of his narrow bed and for some odd reason had it in his mind that we had to be there by 8:30am (Gregg is writing this entry by the way, not Erica). After fully stressing Erica out as she was getting out of the shower (at 10 till 8:30am), Gregg bothered to read the kind note left in each room which strangely contained the word BETWEEN between 8:30 and 9:30. Gregg was wrong {take note}. Erica was relieved.
Gregg opted not to take a shower, especially since we are overdue for doing laundry. We decided to ask Roberto about the laundry needs.
We headed to breakfast shortly after 8:30am and enjoyed a nice continental breakfast on the terrace. The cats were out in force. I imagine the word got out how nice Erica was to them the night before. There were cats that other guests had never seen make an appearance. Anywho, after we enjoyed the breakfast, we waited to sit down with Roberto and discuss our plans today.
As he mentioned the night before, he described a possible boat trip to Portofino and S. Fruituosso. He explained how we could take a walking trail down to Santa Margherita in 15 minutes and make it to the boat. With breakfast over, this gave us about 30 minutes to get there. I also asked about laundry facilities and he said wait until we are in Roma. They do not have a dryer and the clothes probably would not dry in time. He also wanted more information on our train from Santa Margherita to Roma. I went to the room and brought the tickets back. He mentioned we should consider going to Cinque Terra tomorrow and catching our train in La Spezia instead. This would give us a chance to see that area.
We decided to do what Roberto suggested and got ready to leave Villa Gnocchi for the day. We left a bit late, but enjoyed the walking trail (lots of fast lizards, geckos, or whatever) and getting more familiar with Santa Margherita. We also found an ATM machine. We needed more euros, since credit cards have not been accepted as much as we had anticipated. I used my card to do a withdrawal. Erica went shopping and found some great deals on some cool clothes. The boat leaves every hour, so we simply waited for the next boat to arrive.
NOTE: We mention euros a lot on these entries. For your information, 1 euro = 1.295 US dollars (roughly). This means that something that costs 23 euros, for example, actually equates to .
The cost of the boat to Portofino and S. Fruituosso was extremely reasonable. It was 23 euros for the both of us for a roundtrip. This also allowed us to stop in Portofino each way, if desired, and stay in S. Fruituosso as long as we wanted (up until 5:30pm). We took the boat to Portofino, decided to stay on to head to S. Fruituosso, and then headed for the beach. This beach was pretty busy and the chair and umbrella rentals cost 15 euros. The sun was hot and we the water was refreshingly cool. We spent several peak hours there. Eventually, we got up and decided to find some food (2:30pm) and headed up to a cliff restaurant aptly named Ristorante Bar Giorgio. They gave us the best seats and gave us a new tablecloth, napkins and silverware. When we looked over the menu, we decided we could wait based on the high prices. Erica decided to have a beer anywho and we had already ordered the water. The waiter got very upset when he found out we were not ordering any food. They actually came to the table and removed the tablecloth! In my own evil ways, it was quite entertaining. Erica had her beer and we finished up quickly. We expected the bill to be 10-15 euros for 1 beer and water (also includes a 2.60 euro charge for table service). We were pleasantly surprised when the bill was only 5.5 euros.
We headed back down and decided to check out the abbey. We have both seen so many amazing things all at once, that we are taking much of these things for granted now. We looked around the abbey briefly, but did not go in (looked similar to what we have already seen) and proceeded to walk around the upper trails a bit. After taking a few pictures, we headed back down to our rented beach chairs and umbrella (we intentionally left our towels there to try and keep our spots) and enjoyed another hour on the beach.
We then packed up and headed for the boat. We sat in the back of the boat on the way back and soaked in the breeze and sunshine. The weather for our vacation could not be better. It seems like everytime we say that, it almost gets better. I have a real love for Italy now. The food... the people... the atmosphere... the language... the boats... the vibrant cities... Villa Gnocchi... wow!
On the way back, we stopped at Portofino. By this time, I was past hungry and looking for anything. Many places were closed (inbetween normal lunch and dinner hours), but we did find a pizza place. We ordered the usual acqua and then Erica talked me into a mashed-black olive pizza (the actual name sounds much better, believe me). It was the best pizza Erica has ever had (I am quoting her). Not being a huge black olive fan, I must admit it was a great pizza and filled my hunger pains perfectly. Afterward, we checked out an art gallery, bought some more postcards and then headed back to the boat for our trip back to Santa Margherita.
Once back in Santa Margherita, we walked towards our walking trail. Erica surprised me by not wanting to take the bus back, but rather wanted to take the trail back. Now, keep in mind this is a 15-minute 1.7 kilometer walking trail that goes straight down the mountain into Santa Margherita. Going the other way... it is a bit of a different story. It is the ultimate stairmaster! To add some variety to our walk, we went back through S. Margherita through different streets and managed to have some difficulty finding the trail. Once we found the ATM machine, we knew we were close. Erica decided we needed more euros, so we went to do a withdrawal. Her card was rejected on the first attempt as not being an international ATM card. On her second attempt, it gave her cash without complaining. Does that make any sense? Once on the walking trail, it was a workout (felt good). We made it back to Villa Gnocchi about two hours before dinner. We enjoyed hot showers and getting ready for dinner. We also took the time to upload new photos and update the journal entries (not online yet, will have to wait until our next Internet encounter).
Dinner was once again magnifico! It was pasta with capers & olives in a tomato sauce, contry-style chicken with tomatoes and vegetables, salad made up of mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and green olives, fruit salad for dessert and capuccinos. A couple from Canada, along with their daughter, made quite an appearance. They seemed well off and we found out later that they had made last minute reservations that day for Villa Gnocchi. They had lucked out and had sat down to a wonderful dinner after driving about 4 hours. Their daughter (estimated age 17) , however, decided to throw a fit. She did not like the meal at all. She was whining a lot. I jokingly said IS THAT WHINING I HEAR? and the mom leaned over and said yes, it is (I believe she was relieved for someone else to notice). The dad held up a glass of wine and said, yes and it is not this wine. The daughter left about five minutes later. She then came back and told her parents she absolutely would not stay here tonight. Evidently, the parents got into an argument as well and (we believe) they departed this evening. So much drama... What a lot of wasted money! They missed so much of the experience...
Afterward, a guest we had briefly met at last nights dinner came and sat with us. She talked about the family I just mentioned above and all the negativity she heard. She ended up leaving for a smoke and came back when they were gone. We had a great conversation. She is a publicist in New York City (lives in NJ) and had some great traveling stories. She, like us, was completely enjoying the Villa Gnocchi experience. She recommended a book to Erica and we headed back to the room for the night.
We are still undecided on our full game plan for tomorrow. The key will be where we can store the luggage for the day. Regardless, we are scheduled for a 1:10am train to Roma in less than 26 hours.
ZZzzzzz....
The carnival is over and the animals are scared..
Image by Distra
I now have some of my photos for sale here: artsimagined.imagekind.com/
and some calendars, cards, and mouse pads here: www.cafepress.com/artsimagined
We Don't Need No Education!
Image by MNKaren
Just kidding or I would be out of a job!
School starts the day after Labor Day but I am already unofficially back to work.
Favorites
Image by Shabby Chic
All of these gorgeous photos are the property of the photographer linked to below. Enjoy!
1. Vintage Floral Cut Velvet, 2. Untitled, 3. Jewelry, 4. Calendar card for August, 5. Bolsa Happiness*, 6. Custom Side, 7. JOIN MY GIVE AWAY!!!, 8. paper heart , 9. a few sprightly..., 10. Wallpaper in My study, 11. granny pillow, 12. Vintage Rose Tray Closeup, 13. colar de menina - girl necklace, 14. Kitchen, 15. Wooden mantle mirror with 3 pieces of cut glass with beveled edges, 16. Le Jardin Chinois Wedding Gift Card Box, 17. flower bird, 18. BARROCA MINEIRA! Flores de seda pintadas a mão Atelier "A MODISTA", 19. Fall Centerpiece, 20. Apple Ornaments, 21. www.flickr.com/photos/annamariahorner/4996079860/in/conta..., 22. tea set, 23. I'll think about pumpkins tomorrow........ I have zinnias to gather today !, 24. Of Cupcakes and Wine, 25. New folklore & fun plates
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Stamps for Matthew Cowan's harker herad calendar card
Image by Topsy@Waygood
A set of pictures on Mat Cowan's photostream from his performance at the time the harker herald billboard was pasted.
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