Riomaggiore - Monterosso - Corniglia...

We decided that "Here Comes the Sun" was the theme of this little month rendezvous in Euroland.

We heard the song everywhere, we were walking down to the ocean and heard as we walked by a restaurant. In the morning we had a "circle dance party" (Amanda and I danced in a circle and ate pizza while liz got ready) and it came up on my shuffle. One time on the train we heard someone else's iPod playing it. As well as in the tube in London, and multiple other times.

We never wanted to go to bed. This is Riomaggiore at night, from our post overlooking the village/bay/ocean.

We woke up in Riomaggiore and wanted to venture to the other cities. We took a train to Monterosso because we had heard it was great. Unfortunately we chose the weekend of the official Italian Holiday. EVERY Italian was in the Cinque Terre. Therefore there was not a single vacant place. We even went to one of those hotel booking places - there was NOTHING.

This is Monterosso.

Monterosso Mainstreet. Much more established than the other villages.

We went around the corner because we were hot, depressed, looking at the ocean, and tired from our packs. As we sat there we contemplated just leaving the Cinque Terre and wanting to call home and go home. We were that miserable that while we were in paradise we wanted to go back to America. This is when we decided to try Corniglia.

It looks pretty, but it's the devil.

We went there. Contemplated sleeping on the bus bench. Gave up and went to the water.

Of course our trip would not be complete without a trip to the hospital.

As we're swimming out in the ocean and are so happy liz starts FREAKING out and swimming toward shore. She is screaming "OUCH Ouch! Ouch!!" and I'm thinking "CRAP SHARKS AHHH!". Amanda is clearly thinking the same thing since she and I are the first ones back to shore.

Once Liz finally gets there we find that she has a HORRIBLE sting from a Medusa! (Jellyfish, for you not-so-experienced Italy travellers)

I run the bajillion feet back to the train station to see if there's anything at the ONE little shop for Medusa burns. They say no, but some nice lady at the beach who speaks no english somehow tells me we need to go to the doctor (she saw Liz's burn).

This is the same day, at night. That medusa really got her good.

So the guy working at the train station hears this and we go get Liz. He whisks her away on his scooter to the doctors in the maintown Corniglia. I wait in the blazing sun for like 40 minutes as Amanda is with our stuff on the beach.

Liz comes back with some prescription and is totally fine! Just can't let it see the sun for the next 4 days or it will scar... yikesss.

The only actually Pharmacy is in Vernazza so naturally we head there and find the most wonderful place ever.