6/20/14. The post where we take a day trip.

6/20/14:  during the night and early this morning, my foot tried to reason with me.  It explained that it felt like it had been more than accommodating over the last two weeks, but it was time to stop all this foolishness.  So I used some of my prescription cream.  Then I did my best Edward G. Robinson impression.  (Or at least my best Bugs Bunny cartoon version of an Edward G. Robinson impression.)  "Now see here, Rabbit...er, I mean, Foot.  Here's how it's gonna' be.  I'm running this show now.  I worked hard for this vacation and there's nothing you or anyone can do to keep me from enjoying it. So, if you know what's good for you, you'll shut your pie hole, because otherwise things are gonna' get ugly real fast. Got it?"  At which point, my foot went off into a corner to sulk (and probably plot its revenge).  

We planned to take a ferry today that goes by all the Cinque Terre towns so we could see them from the sea, but the weather was not cooperative.  It was cloudy and windy, which made the water just choppy enough to keep the ferries from running.  Not to be deterred, we quickly settled on a plan B and took a day trip to Portofino instead, about an hour to the north.  It was a beautiful drive through part of the Cinque Terre National Park and the clouds disappeared quickly as we headed north.

We got into Portofino in time for a late lunch at a restaurant right on the harbor.  It is a beautiful town full of high fashion shops, nice restaurants and yacht clubs, for the owners of all the fancy yachts in the harbor.  It was actually more like what I had expected Monaco to be.  The people-watching opportunities were fantastic.  And while we try to be discreet in our people-watching, we have found it is much more socially acceptable here to blatantly stare at people.  Not a good habit to form, though, so we continued to be discreet.  Which made us stick out in this crowd.  Most people appeared to be dressed up and coiffed like they wanted to be watched, even the elderly men, and they were all certainly watching everyone else.  They were probably disappointed that we did not appear to be interested.  But I can assure you, we were.

After the long lunch, we did our customary passeggiato, wandering through the streets window-shopping with our gelati.  We also visited an old mansion on the highest point of the peninsula with incredible views of the town and harbor, not to mention a very pleasant cool breeze.  I guess in the days before air conditioning, that was the next best thing.  We made it back home just in time to watch the sunset and enjoy a glass of the local wine while we listened to Signore Rooster.  We had supplies to make dinner, but after days and days of too much delicious food, we decided to take a pass on one meal.  My first exercise in self-control since we left, and it was not through any virtue of mine, but only because there was no room for another thing in my stomach.

During the evening, we watched the clouds move up the hill and felt them pass right through us as they went through the villa and the surrounding property.  It looked like mist or fog, but felt like Heaven.   Could we find a place closer to our home where we feel this kind of peace?  Maybe.  But sometimes you just need to go far away.

The clouds have largely disappeared, so we hope to try the ferry again tomorrow.  It should be a fairly easy walking day, but don't tell my foot.  I'm hoping I've scared it into submission for at least a few days longer.