Ken and Elise's trip

Day 24: Relaxing in Cinque Terre

Well, the train wasn’t running so there really wasn’t anything else to do but relax. Yeah, we’ve had to face some tough times :).

I have to say this was a fantastic day and it was all due to the fantabulous, fantastic spectacular Hotel Bagni Arcobaleno. This place is a dream spot for a beach stay. The hotel fronts a gorgeous beach and actually has it’s own private beach. When you walk out the front door, you walk onto the beach. There is a delightful terrace overlooking the beach with a number of table and chairs. The free breakfast is served here as well as lunch. It is open for guests to just bring a book and relax and watch the waves come in too.

Below the terrace are rows of beach chairs on the beach. There are bathhouses should you decide to go for a swim and want to change.

Our room was one of the privileged ones with a view of the sea. It was a side view (all the front views are used by the terrace, etc.) but the balcony is slanted in such a way that you basically are looking at the ocean when you sit there.

Between the hotel and the next property is a dry riverbed. Ken and I suspect that during heavy rains it probably is full and runs into the ocean, but while we were there there was only a little water in the middle where there were many many ducks making their home.

Words cannot express the beauty and peace of the place. We were there as their season was winding down and we got to watch the men roll up the beach walkways for the winter and store them away. There were about 30 beach chairs in front but we were told that during the summer season there are more like 200. We would not like that--we are so glad we were there when we were with just a few people and so much peace.

The hotel is family run. We had little exchange with the men of the family (although one of the husbands came to the room to help Ken with the safe), but oh, the women! They treated us like family. The word “warmth” seemed to define these Italian ladies. I know it sounds sappy, but I felt as though I had been hugged every time I had a communication with them. What lovely people they were!

As I said in an earlier post, most of them did not speak English and had to express their concern for our well-being in warm, expansive gestures. However, one of the younger ones (daughter or daughter-in-law we never learned) spoke English quite well. And it was she who unraveled for us one of the mysteries of the place that we were dying to get information on.

Shortly after we arrived I happened to be standing on the balcony when I saw a sight my eyes could hardly believe. Stalking along on the other side of the riverbed, onto the property next door’s private beach was an emu!!!! A real live emu. What the heck was an emu doing there???

Eventually we got the chance to as our English-speaking friend. “Oh” she laughed that is a bit of a funny story, There are actually two of them! The people next door brought two of them home. They planned to breed them. However there was a big mistake. When they got them home, they discovered they were both males! Actually, I think that was probably a very good thing. I don’t know what we would all do with a bunch of emus wandering around. But everyone likes them here. The locals throw them food from the bridge---salad type stuff. They have been here about seven years now.”

So we learned the story of the emus and later confirmed that there really were two, although one seemed to stay more in the greenery along the riverbed most of the time. But it just added to the charm of the place.

Anyway we relaxed on our balcony that day. We walked down the road by the beach and watched some waves crash against some big rocks. It was such a wonderful, easy-going day. I was in love with this place and absolutely did not want to leave the next day. In fact,, had it been possible, I would have cancelled the rest of the vacation and stayed right there. That night, after Ken fell asleep, I went out and sat on the balcony. Although it had been a lovely day, for some reason the ocean seemed a bit wild and the waves really crashed as they rolled onto the beach, I love wild oceans, so I sat there for probably over an hour watching the waves. I love, love love this place!

End of Day 24