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If you have already read Scott's most recent blog, then I do not need to relay to you the frustrations and disappointments we have been through. I don't need to tell you about the Friday the 13th Italian train strike--about running back in forth in Venice between the train information desk, the ticket window, and calling and emailing hostels. You don't need to hear about Scott spending whole nights awake in the bathroom, or about the train delays and French train strike that caused us to spend 4 days in transit to Barcelona, 3 nights in unplanned hotels, and many hours simply disappointed, weary and wishing for a shower.
All that is a comedy of errors for another drama. Instead of dwelling on the present (I am actually writing this blog on Tuesday the 18th, stranded in Nice, France), I choose to remember the glorious recent past of Cinque Terre:
We stayed in Riomaggiore, a romantic little town--its 100 houses are crammed together, crawling up a steep hill to compete for the most beautiful view of the vast ocean far below. Riomaggiore is one of the "Five Lands" up in the mountains, each charming in its own way, all connected by one incredible hike. Rick Steves, European travel writer extraordinaire, claims this hike should take 5 hours, but Scott and I made it last 8. We started at a slow pace, amazed by the Italian countryside surrounding us (full of vineyards, lemon trees, and lizards) and fighting the vertigo in order to stare down at the enchanting ocean. We continued at a slow pace, taking pictures at every corner, and exhausted by the noon heat and the steep steps. And we finished at a slow pace, to stroll hand in hand and watch the sun set over the Ligurian Sea. My 34 photos over the course of that day do not proper convey the beauty I encountered, but I will upload them as soon I as I can so that you can get an idea of what I'm taking about.
That brief but spectacular reprieve puts all my worries in perspective. I am certainly feeling sorry for myself these days, but I am not depressed. Many many things have gone wrong, but nothing is ruined. We need only be flexible, and wait until our karma points are cashed in.
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