FROM THE GULF OF POETS
[Sit back, this will be almost as long as the day was]
“Ding Dong Ding… Ding Dong Ding”
“Bzzzz… Bzzzz…Bzzzzz”
“No…Not yet!!!!”
“Ding Dong Ding… Ding Dong Ding”
“Bzzzz… Bzzzz…Bzzzzz”
“Nag!"
“Bzzzz… Bzzzz…Bzzzzz”
SLAM…THROW… BANG...
A annoying alarm rousted us to an excellent sunrise over the Golfo dei Poeti and an adventure in another miniature shower… remember the small one in Desenzano? This must have come from the same place. One turn in the shower and its, water on… water off. Loads of fun.
A quick final pack and we check out, store our bags in their luggage room till we get back and check that Ramona had e-mailed our tag to the Polizia, [of course she had]. We grab a great European style Breakfast of meats, cheeses, a variety of breads, fruit, yogurts, juices, cereals, café, etc. before heading to the boat for the Cinque Terre.
We trek around the shore passing the morning beach exercise squad on our way to Piazza Garibaldi [OK… she’s over it… I think] and arrive just in time at the docks of Consorzio Marittimo Turistico "5 Terre Golfo dei Poeti" for the 6+ hour round trip on one of the only 2 boats to and from one of the most visited areas of the Italian Riviera. The 5 hamlets of the Cinque Terre, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore either cling to sheer cliff faces or are concealed in miniature inlets perfectly blending into the unique unspoiled landscape. There is a trail through the The boat arrives and after we’re under way we’re advised that when we arrive in Portovenere, we must change boats to go to the Cinque Terre. Ok… no problem, this boat’s half empty so a good seat on the next boat should be easy… WRONG!
Docking in Portonevere 30 minutes later, the boat there is jammed with a French/German tour group and we can only find 2 broken seats in the rear, at least they’re on the aisle and Chucky spends most of the trip bouncing back and forth, up and down the aisle taking pics of damn near everything [the advantage of a digital camera… shoot it all and delete what you don’t like at the download.] The boat stops for 5 minutes at all but Conrniglia and there's an hour layover in Riomaggiore before it snakes its way back to Portovenere for another 1½ hour stop before the 30 minute Lerici shuttle ride back across the bay.
In Riomaggiore, we did the usual tourist thing wandering around town taking pics etc. We found a couple of churches, one under renovation and another, apparently used for Baptisms, weddings, and funerals that was slightly macabre - sorta like it was a set for a Halloween Spook flick complete with what appeared to be a permanent coffin on the alter. Creepy - but yielded some great pics. A little Tchotchke shopping and a quick Café, and we’re back at the dock waiting for the return boat.
Back on the boat, this time with an Italian tour group taking most of the upper deck seats, it was Chucky B DeMille, here there and everywhere snapping pics of everything from houses on a cliff to sailboats on the horizon… you would think he was getting paid by the Photo!
Arriving back in Portovenere we grabbed una piccolo spuntino [little snack]then did the tourist thing up the local Tchotchke alley including the obligatory "Illy in a Hat" pic, till the Lerici shuttle docked for the trip back across the Golfo dei Poeti.
A leisurely stroll back from Piazza Garibaldi [at last… no gnashing or hissing] to Hotel Florida, to pick up the LUGGAGE, load the car and find our way to Milano Malpensa Aeroporto… but not without more pics galore.
An arriving guest who took our parking spot as we left gave us great directions to hook up with the Autostrada to Stopping for fuel, we easily follow the signs to Malpensa Aereoporto, making only one girare-U at the entrance roundabout and slide into a spot in front of Avis AutoNoleggio.
Emptying the Roller-skate was a minor production, with charge cables here, jackets there, map folders, LUGGAGE etc, much to the amusement of the check in dude who circled the car like he was gonna buy it. Finding no dings or blemishes, he gives a thumbs up, prints out our receipt on his belt mounted device and directs us to the counter who printed out another receipt [lots of paper work] but I appreciate Avis efficiency.
A long haul out of the garage into lobby connecting Terminal 1, the Express trains to Milan
The apologetic bellman frantically calls the front desk...and we’re ushered to room 2190 which IS ready, he leaves us his pass key to keep the lights on and returns with a new key card.
A quick room check and we’re headed back down the looooonnngggg walk to 1 of 4 reallllllyyy slow elevators to get to the 1st floor for a quick bite in the bar…WRONG.
After waiting for 20 minutes in a nearly empty lounge to be acknowledged by a limping bartender, we order a mixed antipasto of meats, cheeses and breads and an entrée of Penne con Pesto along with a bottle of the house Vino Bianco. It takes another 15 minutes to get the wine and after ½ hour I track down gimpy and he apologizes… there was a foul up of the order in the kitchen and it would be another 15 minutes for the antipasto to arrive. It finally does and it is a great presentation of Prosciutto, Brasiaola, 3 cheeses, tasty currant jam, and Focaccia wedges. Chucky has to go find the Olive oil and we nurse the wine, waiting on the Penne… which never arrives. Chucky catches the a waiter on the fly, cancels the Penne and asks for the check.
After calling a manager to void the order, Gimpy the bartender apologizes again, taking the wine off the check as well and we head back for a short night of NOWAT and a fitful nights rest before our day in Milan
More to come on our last day in Bella Italia - a stunning visit to the Last Supper… and a little late drama involving Chucky’s signature black hat.
Ciao 4 Now
Uncle Chuck & The so happy we made it through the mountains, Dragon Lady
Finally enjoying Fine Tuscan Wine, Aged Sharp Cheese & Great Crusty Bread
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