A Perfect Day

Man, life is rough – I think I could get used to this. Sean and I spent yesterday afternoon walking along the waterfront and exploring up into the hills of town a bit (and discovering some amazing views!). We also stopped at a gelateria for a scoop of gelato, but it wasn’t really gelato – just icecream (still good, but not the same). We also had our first introduction to the way in which Europeans approach sunbathing – completely topless. That took us both by surprise at first (even though we had heard about it, seeing it is something else entirely) and we spent the first portion of our beachside walk not knowing where the heck to look.


There was a cruise ship in port yesterday, so the town was busy and alive with activity. There was a small street fair set up near the marina with jewelry, sarongs, perfume, and other possible “wants” for the tourists. We meandered through it and also up the side streets of the town, which is built on a very steep hill and goes all the way up into the cliff side. The town itself is really charming and reminds me a bit of the Cinque Terre – though I suppose that shouldn’t be much of a surprise since they are both small communities along the Riviera, and only a few hours apart by train at that. Because the cruise ship was in town, prices had been marked up quite a bit, but that didn’t deter us from finding a restaurant along the water where we could relax with a beer and some grilled fish and calamari.


After a few hours in town, we came back for a mid-afternoon siesta. Sean slept for a few hours while I struggled with our internet connection. I haven’t been able to get online in our room (the only downside to this hotel), so I’ve been checking emails and doing blog updates from the stairwell – that’s why there haven’t been any pictures the past few days, but I’ll get those added later.

Later in the evening we went out again, walking down to the city center and the main beach. We found a perch on the retention wall and people watched. A few townspeople were fishing along the beach and we kept hoping to see one of them catch something (they didn’t). Another group down from us was having a picnic, about ten people with a few children and a small dog that kept running around to greet everyone, but never getting too far from viewing range. It looked like a fun party and it made me think how much fun it would be to come here with a group of friends and family for a week or so, just to relax and dine on the beach.

We headed back to our hotel and the small restaurant next door that the New Hampshire couple had recommended. Sean ordered the ravioli and I went with the steak – Europeans really know how to do medium rare right here – more on the side of rare than medium. After the meal, we came back to the room and sat out on our balcony with a bottle of wine, looking out at our beautiful view of the marina. Some of the boats anchored out on the water are huge – luxury yachts and sailboats – it makes me curious as to who is on them. When researching this area I read that quite a few celebrities vacation along this area in the different cities and villages, so who knows, maybe Leonardo DiCaprio or George Clooney are soaking up the views as well not too far away.