Cinque Terre, Italy
When one mentions Italy the first city that probably comes to mind is Rome, followed by Venice, Milan and probably Lake como thanks to dashing George Clooney. One of my favourite Italian destinations (and one that is starting to get more popular) is the stunning area of Cinque terre.
Situated a 2 hour train ride north west of the famous leaning tower lies 5 quaint towns culminating the Cinque Terre National Park – Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. Being a Unesco heritage listed site, cars are not able to access these towns, in fact the only way to get from town to town is via train, alternatively you can walk from town to town and from the takes 8 hours if you do it continuously.
My itinerary was a 3 day one, during the peak of summer in Mid July. The 1st night I stayed in Pisa, from memory the last train from Pisa central to Monterrosso was at 9.30pm and to be conservative I did not think I would arrive in time to make the train. No matter though, it does give you an opportunity to visit one of the most iconic sights in Tuscany being the leaning tower of pisa!
I opted to stay in a bnb (bed and breakfast). I like the homely feel of a family run establishment. It gives an authentic touch which you cannot get anywhere else. We met a kind lady who I believe ran the bnb with a younger member of her family, however upon arrival, she was the only one there and did not speak a word of English. But to her credit… she was able to work the wonders of google translate and my travel buddy and I camped around her desktop and were able to communicate without issue!
Its moments like these – where you face an obstacle (like basic communication) and persist to find a solution that makes travelling such a rewarding experience. It also makes me regret not learning a second language (Doh!). When things are too easy, you take it for granted, you think you are entitled to it. But it’s not until you are in a situation that requires some thinking outside of the square that makes the end result so satisfying – like being able to check in!
After a quick visit to the leaning tower – off we went to cinque terre. To get there just buy your ticket from the train station should cost about €15 one way and takes no longer than half an hour.
*Mamma Mia* – I almost forgot to mention that Italians are the kings of coffee. Get a cappuccino and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Back home in Melbourne “getting a coffee” can last anywhere between half an hour and several hours. The locals in Italy get the job done in about 30 seconds! Coffees are consumed standing up at the expresso bar in Italy. Sit down tables usually attract a price premium (as it is often in place to cater for tourists).
The trains are actually quite modern and are in fact very similar to the train depicted the classic 2004 movie “eurotrip”
Monterosso
Is the largest and most populous of the five towns. It also boasts a proper beach, which due to size gives it a unique advantage over the other towns. I chose to stay one night here being the farthest most town (from pisa) and another night in Riomaggiore the first town, so Sunday would be an intense hiking day. Over the past few years torrential rain has played havoc with the walking trails. In 2011 or 2012 I believe there was some intense flooding which rampaged through some of the towns. As a result , it is common that not all of the walking trails will be open at the same time.
I stayed at B&B Il Parco (which I highly recommend). The accommodation is split into different private villas. As it is situated quite high up the hill, there are some breath-taking views to be had when either early morning or at dusk. The breakfast provided is pretty tasty as well.
I suppose the only thing to be aware of is that is slightly up in the hills, the walk to the main beach and town did take some time, however there is a free shuttle bus which can transport to and from the town centre and specified. Stay here if you want to lounge around in the sun and having a relaxing experience of cinque terre!
Vernazza
I think this is the prettiest of the four towns. Can be found on many a post cards and if you time it right and hike from monterosso to vernaza and dusk you may be lucky enough to see pink skies in the backdrop. The reward for an hour and a half hike can be seen below. Due to poor exposure settings the photo doesn’t quite do the view justice!
Corniglia
Probably the smallest out of the 5 towns towns, due to time constraints didn’t get a chance to explore the town as much as I’d like. Just as colourful as the others and a little less quaint. Not as many tourists seem to spend much time here. After a quick pit stop, we followed the pack and moved onto….
Manarola
Competes with Vernazza as the most photographed landscape amongst cinque terre. There is a path which leads you slightly out of the town to a small park and you can take amazing photos looking back onto the city. If your game there are also some swimming holes for you to cool off and mix it with other holiday makers and locals. Sunbathers can also be found lying of many of the rocks and stairs during the summer months! Strange but I guess you gotta make do with what you have!
Riomaoggorie.
Stayed at Locanda Dalla Compagnia. Wouldn’t be my first choice of accommodation, but if you are struggling to find accommodation it will do the job. Don’t expect anything above the basics and you’ll be fine.
http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/locanda-dalla-compagnia.en-gb.html?sid=55d90259de8ddce7056c733dd4f99767;dcid=2
Quite a large town with a number of hidden alleyways and paths to get lost it in. Plentiful amounts of decent restaurants with local produce and seafood.
Cinque terre boasts some of the most spectacular scenery that I have seen during my time so far in Europe. Definitely put it on your to do list if you find yourself in Italy. If you are looking for a party vacation probably don’t head here, but if you’re after a relaxing/rewarding weekend away you won’t be disappointed!
JD
Riga, Latvia
Known for: Having a currency stronger than the British pound ) GBP
This week see me in Riga, the capital of Latvia in eastern part of Europe. Sadly this city has been hotspot for Brits who visit this city for their Stag do’s / Bucks parties as alcohol is quite cheap and local women are drop dead gorgeous. I had also read that the Latvians aren’t as found of Brits, as the Brits are of their women and as a result some bars do not allow tourists in (Even if you are of the Asian persuasion in my case lol).Unfortunately for me, I was stuck in a plane with at least 3 different stag groups. One of the groups were extremely rowdy, trying to create what they called a “party atmosphere” with their slurred northern English accents, unfortunate looks and lack of respect of other people. One of them even had the nerve to tell a Latvian man to his face “we’re going to F*** up your town something stupid this weekend …”. There were also young children within earshot of this bell end. For those don’t know what a bell end is… check it out on urban dictionary 😛
I don’t normally speak negatively about places/people but this kind of behavior has to be publicly shamed and discouraged. I’m all for stag do’s but being a public nuisance is a different thing altogether.
Plane ride aside I quickly (along with my travel crew of 3 other people, Ann, Ada and Kev) navigated our hotel in the city of Riga. My initial perception of Eastern European cities was one of war torn cities in the rebuild stage…(damn that Eurotrip movie!) however to my surprise Riga City’s centre was very clean, modern and quite pretty with the mix of old and new architecture throughout the city. As we landed on a Friday night, the locals we passed were extremely well dressed and you could have easily been mistaken into thinking you were in Paris or Stockholm or some other cosmopolitan city.
Our Friday night landed us in McDonalds satisfying our hungry bellies (yes Big Mac’s tastes the same in Riga as it does in London and Melbourne!) and chatting about why the local kids we’re staring through the window at us. We deduced that it was either
a) They thought PSY and his crew were in the house and wanted us to “Gangnam style“ (so 2012)
b) A little curious – as not too many Asian peeps pass through the city.
c) Combination of both!
The Following day we took a bike tour around the city to see the sights both around the city centre and also the surrounding suburbs to see the “Real Riga”. The bike tour was more bike ride than tour so I cannot unleash too much trivia knowledge for you this time round! The one thing that was explained is that Art Noveau is very popular in Riga, so much so the city centre (Albert street) is a UNESCO heritage site celebrating the collection of Art Noveau buildings. I think the distinguishing feature of this art style is the decorative pieces on windows & balconies which differ from traditional architecture. Ok you got me… I got no idea on art… but at least I tried right?!
The other main site is the Freedom monument which pays tribute Latvia’s independence from Russia (Geez I hope I remembered that correctly!) Sitting atop the monument is ‘Milda’ holding three rings representing the three regions of the country. The Opera house is another landmark building in Riga. It is a majestic building which sits next to one of the city’s park and on a summers day it is a popular venue for newlyweds (wedding photos) and sunbathers/people watchers alike. We watch about 3 different newlyweds take photos in the same spot within an hour!
We also managed to eat some traditional Latvian grub which was described to us as pork and potatoes! Nonetheless we tried the local food at a traditional “pub” which had let’s just say a very unique atmosphere to it (smelt too much like tinkle for my liking!) but the locals there were HUMONGOUS! I guess the pork and potatoes must work after all.
The nightlife in Riga is surprising diverse and we didn’t come across any stag groups at all. I’m guessing they must have been busy exploring the seedier side of town! Riga has numerous hole the wall bars and some very plush clubs. We checked out “The Club” (original name right!?) I must add this place had THE BEST music I have heard in a club for awhile and it was good the ENTIRE night. It played commercial house/party anthems… the kind of songs where everyone has heard it on the radio and probably know the words too. We met a few locals, who were very friendly, but the music was kind of loud (and damn catchy!) so we figured it was more fun to speak a little less and dance & drink a little more!
After a serious zumba-type workout we slowly stumbled back to our hotel… but something was a little different with the night sky… it still looked like 9pm! Either way it was a good opportunity to take some panoramic photos (at 3am) and some selfies for good measure!
After almost missing breakfast the following morning what better way to recover from a slightly boozy night but to head to the local beach!
Jurmala is the town’s local beach with its own outdoor beach bar and some of the best beach shore I have seen in Europe. The water was a tad murky but it was too cold to swim anyway! To get there it’s a short 20 min train ride of the city’s central station (near the opera house). Ticket costs around £1 one way. Almost everyone who catches this train is a local so it’s fun mixing in and amongst the local crowd. Turns out the day we went it also coincided with big cycling event which gave the beach town an awesome buzz.
Riga has opened my eyes to how beautiful and underrated Eastern Europe is. Of course when people think Europe its more the western countries in the spotlight, but for those who have time and are a little curious definitely check out Riga! I hear the neighbouring country of Estonia is just as pretty and I one day hope to check it out for myself.
Paldies!
JD
The JD Chronicles 