Goggle makes me sad sometimes.......

So sorry we haven't posted lately. We're almost out of free space on our Picasa photos account so I can't upload any more slide shows until I straighten it out. :-(
We'll be back at it soon.

We don't get days like this every day.....

Nothing exciting on this post. We had a very clear day recently so I snapped a few photos of the mountains from the car as we drove around town.

“The view was like a vision described in novels; a tiny town that hovered on jagged cliffs and sparkling blue water, " – Mary Paige Timberlake

On March 12^th, Team Pinkoski headed for the west coast. Cinque Terre (five lands) is a collection of villages perched on the cliffs of the Mediterranean Sea on the western shores of Italy. This area is known for lemons, olive oil and a superior (read expensive) white wine called Sciacchetra. The five main villages – north to south - are Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore with little neighborhoods scattered along the hillsides and cliffs in between the main villages. To get there, catch the train in Le Spezia (which Ron affectionately referred to as the Portsmouth, Virginia of Italy) and ride to any of the five villages or beyond. Other than the DC Metro, the Pinkoski kids had never been on a train before, so this was a treat. The entire area is a National Park (Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre) and there are trails winding throughout the hillside to wander and enjoy. The “blue trail” runs along the waterway from Riomaggiore all the way to Monterosso. Unfortunately, there had been heavy rains a few weeks before we arrived that damaged the blue trail and parts of it were closed. We were able to hike the portion between Riomaggiore and Manarola (called via dell’ Amore). From Manrola, we caught the train to Monterosso al Mare, intending to work our way back to Riomaggiore. However, the kids were satisfied with the views they had already seen and were finished hiking for the day. They spent the end of the day skipping rocks into the Med. So, Cinque Terre became Tres Terre for us and we headed back to Le Spezia and then home.

One day isn't possibly enough time to see everything this area has to offer.

Slide show......