Apprehension and Introductions in The 5 Lands

I won't keep you guys in suspense ANY longer. Fresh from my day rolling around in the Tuscan hills, I paid a 3 day visit to Cinque Terre, arguably one of the most beautiful, romantic sights in all of Europe. Located in the northwest part of the country, the entire region is set on a cliff, overlooking the Mediterranean (Yup, still Clint's Mediterranean). Translated, Cinque Terre means "5 Lands", which is appropriate because the region consists of 5 adjoining towns named Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernezza and Monterosso. The reason why the area is such a tourist hotspot extends far beyond its beauty. Each town is so close to the two that border it that it is quite feasible to hike from one end of the region to the other end in a 5 hour long hike. This is why I came to Cinque Terre.

I actually found myself a little nervous on my train from Florence because I was unsure as to how I would react to such a traveler's goldmine. I had heard more positive testimonials and "You Must See's" about Cinque Terre than probably any other place in all of Europe. Not everyone knows about it, but those that do make sure they tell everyone around them. While I didn't question the authenticity of the recommendations, I was nervous that having seen so many breathtakingly-gorgeous views over the past few weeks would make me numb to the beauty of Cinque Terre. I had just recently laid my eyes on the Greek Isles, Positano, Ischia, Rome, Florence and Tuscany.

I arrived early evening in Riomagiorre, the smallest and cheapest of the 5 towns, so my concerns would have to wait to be overcome until the next day. After checking in to my hostel, I took to the streets of the town. About 100 paces to the left of my hostel lay the marina and beautiful views of the setting sun atop the emerald blue waters. About 100 paces to the right lay the town square, abound with quaint Italian restaurants and cute shops offering regional specialties. I decided to venture left for the time being. I sat on some rocks, high above the water to watch another gorgeous day officially pass me by.

After having gotten my daily sunset fix, I walked by my hostel en route to the town square. As it turned out, I really wasn't that hungry.

I'll give you guys a moment to recover from the previous sentence.


...And, we're back.


So I decided to just buy a bag of Italian breadsticks (the most delicious snack EVER. They were simple, baby carrot-sized breadsticks which just so happened to have been dipped in olive oil for God knows how long) and meander on through the town. Along the way I discovered the town has one bar (aptly named Central Bar) and that aside from the lone bar, the town shuts down shortly after 9pm. Realizing there wasn't much to accomplish at this point, I decided to head back to the hostel.

When I returned to my room, I was greeted by a number of roommates, all of whom had been absent when I had checked in a few hours earlier. Everyone had apparently checked in that day, so we had a couple nice conversations where everyone got to know one another. It was fairly pleasant until 3 blonde girls walked in.

Note: Whenever a group of guys are in a room and 3 good-looking blonde girls walk in, it does not matter what those guys had been doing, they're going to immediately stop doing it. We were no exception - our vibrant, lively conversations had morphed into dead silence by the time the door is closed behind the girls. We didn't even mean to do it, it's just one of those things in the world you can ALWAYS count on (You know, like Chipper Jones getting on base at least twice every game or Hillary Clinton dividing the Democratic Party by dragging the election on WAY too long.)

As it turned out, these weren't your normal, everyday girls. Nope. These 3 ended up being 3 of the dumbest people I have ever met in my life. All you need to know about these girls is the following:

While two of them started chatting up a few people on the opposite side of the room, one came towards me and a bunch of other guys in the room. She struck up a 30-second conversation by introducing herself to one of the guys, whereupon she turns to me and says,

"You're not very social, are you?"
(Flabbergasted) "What!?"
"You just don't seem that social."
"Um, I think you're jumping to conclusions here."

We then proceeded to have a conversation which lasted no longer than 75 seconds and ended with her uttering the following:

"You're fun."

At first I found these girls nothing short of an annoyance, but I soon realized few opportunities like these present themselves in the course of our lives, so I decided to take it all in. I just sat back and enjoyed the cheap entertainment of these ridiculous girls who had just graduated from Florida State University (Leck, just know that I gave it to them, and told them that I had just graduated from the U.)

After a rousing conversation with The Ladies, we all decided a gelato run was in order. While I was in line, I struck up a conversation with one of my roommates named Jonevan.

Note: I've given more thought to the following than any other matter on my entire trip. After much debate and deliberation, however, I have decided NOT to include the Stories of Jonevan (who at this point has become a folk hero in many circles) in The Blog. I'm sorry, I just can't do it. Please, though, feel free to ask me of Jonevan. I have much to share.