Think of all the joy you’ll find …….. Update - January 06

[dizneeat]

7

Day 6, August 21

Exploring by train - Part 4

There was a viewing platform and the view from there was stunning. Quite a few people were up there, sitting on the benches.

We just stood there for a while, then a couple left and their bench was empty, so we sat down and took in the view over the sea for quite some time. After some time and some rest we started our walk down,

​

taking the long route along the outskirts of the Riomaggiore. It was a beautiful day and we were walking towards the entrance of the Via del amore, the walk of love, which runs along the cliffs and connects Riomaggiore and Manarola.

It had been closed due to part of the walk breaking off but it had been a few years and I had not found any information on it being still closed. Well, it was still closed and we walked up to where we could see the iron gate that was closed, so we quickly changed our plans and headed for the train, going back to Vernazza and having a walk around there. So to the train station we went.

Trains in the opposite direction towards La Spezia came and went, but nothing in the direction we wanted to go.

When we arrived there were just a few people around, but we had been waiting for about an hour and the platform was super crowded by now. And then a train was announced, but all the noise on the platform made it hard to understand what was said, so we got on anyway, well, at least we tried to get on. Finally we found a door that was still open and we just squeezed in. It was pretty hard standing there while the train was in the station, let alone when it started moving.
But it was only a few minutes to Vernazza, or was it not.
No, it wasn’t, as the train was just going through the station in Vernazza.
We had picked a fast train.
So we prepared ourselves for going to Genova if it came to the worst, but thankfully the train stopped in Monterosso. So we were swept out of the train with a lot of other travelers. We quickly checked the boards if there was a train back to Vernazza and yes, there was, so we hot footed it to the correct platform and when we arrived the train was already in the station.
Again, it was pretty full, but we were able to cram in and this time we even got a spot in the middle of the compartment, so we did not have to be afraid of falling against the door. Just a few minutes later the train doors opened and we got off and after leaving the station we just walked towards our apartment.
It was nice being back there, even if it was rather very warm inside. We grabbed some drinks out of the fridge

and took showers and sat out in our little garden for a while before around early evening we decided to head into Vernazza again for some dinner. We had a look around and decided on a restaurant toward the far end of the main square. We were lucky to score a table without a reservation and soon were brought some wine and a bottle of water and some bread to start our meal with. It did not take long until our pizzas were brought out. Tom had ordered a seafood one

and mine was a

ham and mushroom one. They were both delicious, even more so when you figure in that we enjoyed them with a view of the beautiful harbour of Vernazza. Once we had finished our dinner we slowly strolled back to our place, picking up a few things along the way and we then grabbed another drink and sat outside on the swing watching the sun set.

We made it an early evening that day as we wanted to be out and about early the next morning. We watched a little more computer TV in bed before falling asleep.

To be continued ..........​

 

[momof3princes]

Happy New Year! You will be back in WDW before you know it!!!
The views are so beautiful and the water so clear! Now the seafood cone, I saw fins and eyes on the fish, did you eat the entire fish?

 

[jedijill]

Gorgeous scenery and the food looked so good!

Jill in CO

 

[Pinkocto]

I'm overwhelmed by all the gorgeous views!

The water is so clear, just beautiful.

The buildings that were made around the rocks are so neat. They really took advantage of the landscape.

I'm glad the train situation wasn't too bad.

Another fabulous day!

 

[dizneeat]

Happy New Year! You will be back in WDW before you know it!!!

Thank you!
Our trip is coming up so quickly! 10 weeks and we will be back at WDW!

The views are so beautiful and the water so clear! Now the seafood cone, I saw fins and eyes on the fish, did you eat the entire fish?

It is such a beautiful area. It was lovely visiting the area.
And yes, you eat the fish as it is. They are tiny and melt in your mouth.

Gorgeous scenery and the food looked so good!

Jill in CO

It was so different to what we mostly do for a holiday. We really loved every minute of it.

I'm overwhelmed by all the gorgeous views!

The water is so clear, just beautiful.

It is an awesome place to visit. Wherever you turn there is another beautiful view.

The buildings that were made around the rocks are so neat. They really took advantage of the landscape.

They really made the best of the little "space" they had in their villages. We were so amazed at how they squeezed in so many houses and how they managed to get around those many steps and narrow pathways.

I'm glad the train situation wasn't too bad.

Another fabulous day!

We could laugh about the whole train thing in the end. But when you are squeezed in like a sardine the thought of having to travel to Genoa was not a fun one.

 

[dizneeat]

7

Day 7, August 22

Exploring by ship - Part 1

We were up pretty early thanks to not having AC to cool the room down.
But today we were actually quite happy we were up early. We had thought about having an early breakfast and then heading out, but then in the morning we just decided to skip breakfast at all, so after having showered and having some Diet Coke out of the fridge, we were on our way to the railway station. We were quite stunned at how many travelers there were and it did not take long until a train arrived. Seats were found quickly and off we went.

The trip to La Spezia only takes about 20 minutes and soon we arrived and everyone got off the train.

We had walked to the port with Umberto the year before and knew which direction we would have to go, but it was much easier than we thought, as there were plenty of signs pointing you towards the harbour. It was a nice morning and we walked at a leisurely pace and made good progress.

We wanted to pick up some Focaccia on the way to the port, but most of the bakeries in the pedestrian area were still closed. Thankfully we found one close to the port that was already open and we purchased an array of small individual breads with different toppings and some water.
Soon we had made it to the harbour and from quite some way away we saw that a ship was already sitting in the harbour. When we got closer we saw that there was not only the ship, but there were two long lines as well, one for the ship itself and one to buy tickets. We got in the ticket line and bought a day ticket and seeing the long line we decided to walk over to some benches and wait for the next ship and in the meantime we had our breakfast. They were kind of little mini pizzas,

two with olives,

one with just mozzarella,

one with pesto,

one with salami and

one with prosciutto. They were only three bites each, but the perfect little breakfast snack, washed down with

some water. We had just had the first two when we saw that the first ship was now filled to capacity and they had closed the gates and people were forming a second line for the next ship which was already coming in.
So we packed up the rest of our stuff and headed over to get in line. I really wanted to have a seat on the right hand side of the ship on the upper deck to have a decent view so we needed to be at the beginning of the queue. Didn’t take long and another long line had formed and now people were cutting in from the side instead of going to where the line ended. Finally the doors opened and we were swept in with the first 20 or 30 people, showed our ticket and headed upstairs to find seats. Thankfully we really had gotten up there in time as we found seats a few rows back and at the other edge,

just as I had planned.
Score!
So, now seated we unpacked the rest of our breakfast again and munched away on our little pizza breads. Soon after we had finished them, they closed the gates again and a little time later we started our journey. The ship sails along the shoreline and it takes a bit of time to leave the bay of La Spezia. This time we knew what was ahead of us and really enjoyed the ride. It was beautiful to see the scenery glide by

and soon we got a glimpse of our first stop, the seaside town of Porto Venere.

It still took some time until the ship arrived in the harbour and we were able to get off.

Most of the people on the ship did the same and we all headed towards the town. The year before, Umberto had shown us around and we followed in those footsteps again. We entered through the city gates

and slowly walked up the main road. We took our sweet time and stopped to look at shop windows. There are several bakeries which all sell all kinds of Focaccia and we could not help ourselves and had to pick up to yummy looking slices and some drinks. And after our shopping we proceeded along the main road until we got to the large square that leads up to the church on the rock above the sea. There were several benches, but all were occupied and so we walked over to some steps in the shade, sat down and unpacked our snack. We opened our drinks,

a can of beer for Tom and some Diet Coke for myself and shared a

Vegetable Focaccia and a Tomato Focaccia. Both were really nice and hit the spot. And after our short break we discussed where to go next.

To be continued ..........​

 

[jedijill]

Another great day and beautiful scenery! That foccacia bread looks delicious!

Jill in CO

 

[momof3princes]

The views are beautiful! Your different foccacia look wonderfil! It is neat how little they can be

 

[Pinkocto]

This sounds like the perfect start of a day. Relaxing and full of delicious food already and the weather looks gorgeous.

 

[jenseib]

OK, now is the fried seafood a whole fish? I am pretty sure I see eyes on them...eeeek.

How do those people get down on those cliff sides to sunbath. I swear it looks like they may plunge to their death

 

[GoofyFan1515]

Okay, I'm now officially caught up on both of your TRs. Thank goodness for a couple of snow days......................

Tom felt like something sweet, so he had a slice of

water melon, a Panini and some butter and cherry jam, while I went and got myself a

chocolate croissant and a jam filled one.

You had me at croissant..........although the watermelon was a very close second!!!

Gorgeous scenery!!!

I'm detecting a bit of a nautical theme here..............

We still had some time left before we had to leave, so why not have another ice-cream before it would finally be time to say goodbye.

It's always a good time for more ice cream!!!

what the server brought out, was a HUGE binder with about 50 pages of sundaes, coffees, drinks and everything else. Finally I ended up with just picking

That looks yummy..........and you even had it to celebrate my birthday. (even if you didn't know it at the time)

went out into our garden, where we saw one of the vineyard workers using his “transport”.

That looks really cool...........I NEED one of those!!!

We'll stay at Beach Club Villas (because of the easy access to Epcot )
I only have 3 ADRs:
The Wave on March 23
IllumiNations Sparkling Dessert Party on March 25
and
Easter Brunch at The Wave on March 27

You two must really like eating at The Wave...........and I agree with that choice!

The stones were pretty slippery and there were steep hills going up and down and since we did not have chosen hiking shoes in the morning we gave up after a while and slowly walked back into Vernazza.

I think you made the right choice.

a beer, while I opted for an

ice-cream

Beer vs. Ice Cream..........Beer vs. Ice Cream...........

a cone of fried seafood. Happily we made our way outside and were faced with the fact that there were no tables or anything nearby to sit and eat. But then something hit our eyes – there was a really high spot on the sidewalk at the edge of the street where we could sit.

Wait...........the first thing that hit your eyes was that high spot to sit...........and not the EYES!?!?

We just stood there for a while, then a couple left and their bench was empty, so we sat down and took in the view over the sea for quite some time.

I can plainly see why you sat for a while and enjoyed THIS view.............fantastic!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Karin! All of those quaint villages are so beautiful! You got so many nice pics!

I'm with Jenseib- I don't think I can eat whole little fishies, especially if they are staring at me gĺad you enjoyed it!

 

[Poolrat]

And yes, you eat the fish as it is. They are tiny and melt in your mouth.

I am with them ^ Eyes..... {{{shudder}}}}

I am loving the sights and the wonderful tours. Good thing you did not panic on the train as it passed your station. I do not think I would have been as calm.

 

[dizneeat]

Another great day and beautiful scenery! That foccacia bread looks delicious!

Jill in CO

The area is just so beautiful, wherever you turn there are more beautiful corners. And they are famous for their foccacia. And they don't lie when they say it is delicious.

The views are beautiful! Your different foccacia look wonderfil! It is neat how little they can be

Even though we had been to the area the year before, it was stunning. And I wish we would have had more time to try more of their foccacia creations. They were all so good.

This sounds like the perfect start of a day. Relaxing and full of delicious food already and the weather looks gorgeous.

We were SOOOOOO lucky with the weather. I don't even want to think about the fact that it could have rained.
And yes, we travel for the food too. We both like to try new things and there were A LOT of yummy things to try.

OK, now is the fried seafood a whole fish? I am pretty sure I see eyes on them...eeeek.

Yes, they are all very tiny fried fish, whole fish. There are not enough hours in a day to fillet them to get a meal. They were soooo good, eyes and all. But I do understand that some people are not fans of whole fish - I feel the same way about escargot even the thought of eating slimy snails makes my stomach turn.

How do those people get down on those cliff sides to sunbath. I swear it looks like they may plunge to their death

Jen, we asked the same question! There is a very steep path going down, but you have to climb over to those rocks and I would never ever try to do that - I am sure I would fall and break every bone in my body.

 

[dizneeat]

Okay, I'm now officially caught up on both of your TRs. Thank goodness for a couple of snow days......................

I am happy to hear that you are all caught up - I do know how easy it is to fall behind. Happens to me all the time.
Snow days ...... if it means you do not have to leave the house - yippie. Snow days ........ and you have to go to work (like here) NO thank you.

That looks yummy..........and you even had it to celebrate my birthday. (even if you didn't know it at the time)

I KNEW there was a reason I wanted that sundae! YOUR birthday!! Happy VERY belated birthday.

That looks really cool...........I NEED one of those!!!

Boy those things looked so scary! No way would I ever ride on anything like that.

You two must really like eating at The Wave...........and I agree with that choice!

We really love their lunch/dinner menu - a bit different from the usual Disney fare and we had brunch there last Easter and it was AWESOME, so that was a sure thing we wanted to repeat.

Wait...........the first thing that hit your eyes was that high spot to sit...........and not the EYES!?!?

I needed somewhere to sit to stuff myself with the eyes.

I can plainly see why you sat for a while and enjoyed THIS view.............fantastic!

It was lovely taking the time to enjoy the day and the views. Very different kind of vacation to what we usually do.

Hi Karin! All of those quaint villages are so beautiful! You got so many nice pics!
I'm with Jenseib- I don't think I can eat whole little fishies, especially if they are staring at me gĺad you enjoyed it!

Every little village had its own unique charm and it was really wonderful to have the time to enjoy the sights and views and the yummy food. And believe me, once you would have tasted those little fishes, you would not have cared about the eyes any more.

I am loving the sights and the wonderful tours. Good thing you did not panic on the train as it passed your station. I do not think I would have been as calm.

The two of you NEED to take that trip to Italy rather sooner than later. It is a beautiful part of Europe.
I might have panicked on the train if we had not had those special tickets that allowed for unlimited use of the trains between Genoa and La Spezia. But we were still happy we only had to turn around in Monterosso.

 

[franandaj]

Looks like I got behind with commenting on your report too! I know I read all these updates but never said anything. All the little snacks look delicious but I am getting scared just by all the cliffs and things. In America, they would probably come in and condemn all those places due to the sheer cliffs! Have you seen the pictures of the houses south of San Francisco that are now cliffside due to El Nino and the cliffs collapsing into the ocean. They remind me of those!

 

[dizneeat]

Update time!!
I am sorry I have not been around much lately, but back since I went back to work in early January it was a bit hectic and even today I have to take a break from marking tests to come here. (2 big tests in two classes resulted in 141 essays which I need to read through - let me tell you that it sometimes is no fun to go through so many essays in a foreign language. )

Other than that I was able to make all our FP+ for our upcoming trip. I tried the day before (without actually booking) as a trial run and then got up at 5 to 6, started the computer and while Tom made breakfast I made reservations for all 10 days. Got EVERYTHING we wanted and at the desired times. I was VERY happy. So, thinking about which ones to book took a bit of time out of my schedule as well.

The other thing that really took up most of my "non school" time, was our summer trip. There were a few loose ends that needed to be tied up and I thought it would be an easy thing to do, but in the end I started over and we came up with a totally different plan, with the main parts staying where they were (WDW, DL and Panama Canal cruise).

So, if you still care to read, here we go again........

This is what we have planned for summer 2016

Let me say, it's 5 1/2 weeks

And here are our changed plans

Fly to Orlando (takes 12 hours, yikes!)

Stay at BLT for three nights (mainly for the fact that it is EMH the day we arrive and we won't drive to the MK after that long a flight for EMHs, but if we stay just opposite it is okay to just pop over!)
Knowing that we would have to be careful on how to spend our points, I was happy to see that they had standard view studios available!

After those three nights we will then move to

a studio at OKW for 4 nights. If you have read my previous TRs you sure know how we love OKW and so this won't come as a surprise. After those 4 nights we will move again. This time to

Kidani. Another studio, another 4 nights. And after that we will head back to

Old Key West, this time staying in a 1br for 3 nights. Will give us room to organize things and throw all of our laundry in the washer/dryer before moving to

BLT for one more night. Why move the night before we head to the West coast you ask? Because there is an EMH at the MK and knowing us we would not even give it a thought if we stayed somewhere else than opposite the MK. And it worked out well as we only had very few points left over.

And after EMHs at the MK the next day we will board a plane and fly to Las Vegas where we will stay at

Caesars Palace. Haven't stayed there before, so we thought it would be a nice place to stay, especially since we won't have a car and this is in walking distance to the High Roller and there is a Gordon Ramsay Restaurant inside CP. We will stay for two nights, then pick up a rental and drive to Anaheim. Well, originally I wanted to try for a studio at the Villas at the Grand Californian. I kept looking at the availability site on the DVC site and it looked good. Then two days before we were able to book two out of the four days we would have needed were booked. And day of, 3 out of 4 days were booked. I waitlisted the whole stay, but am not very patient, so after a few days and more days filling up, we decided to stay elsewhere. We both are quite happy with Best Western and decided on the

Best Western Anaheim Inn where we will stay for 5 nights. We will spend the days at DL and DCA as there are a lot of new things to see for us. Our last visit was exactly 10 years ago.

Then after those 5 nights we will drive to San Diego, spend the day sightseeing (haven't been there in more than 10 years) and spend the night at the

Wyndham Bayside. The next day we will board the

Disney Wonder for a 14 night Panama Canal crossing. Once we arrive in Port Canaveral we will rent another car, drive to Walt Disney World and play for the rest of the day. We will spend the night at

and this will be the last night in the US during this vacation. In the evening we will need to get on board a plane that will bring us back to Europe.

Oh, and btw, we will be able to make ADRs for this trip in just 9 days!



​

 

[dizneeat]

Looks like I got behind with commenting on your report too! I know I read all these updates but never said anything. All the little snacks look delicious but I am getting scared just by all the cliffs and things. In America, they would probably come in and condemn all those places due to the sheer cliffs! Have you seen the pictures of the houses south of San Francisco that are now cliffside due to El Nino and the cliffs collapsing into the ocean. They remind me of those!

No problem, Alison. I seem to be behind on everyone's TR all the time.

To be honest, I was really scared, just looking down at the cliffs, but I guess if you grow up in the region it looks different and you know your way around.
And yes, I have seen the photos of the houses near SF. SCARY!

 

[dizneeat]

7

Day 7, August 22

Exploring by ship - Part 2

And after our short break we discussed where to go next. We had been up by the church

and while one was rewarded with an awesome view we had something different in mind this time. There are several viewpoints in the area, so we walked around to check them all out

and then we walked up to a church we wanted to check out. The path up there was a bit steep

and since the stones are marble it was a bit slippery as well. And soon we had made it up to the church. It was beautiful.

They still offered long white candles to light and needless to mention, that is what we did. When we were done we walked up to the castle which is on top of a hill.

To be continued ..........​

 

[Flossbolna]

Fantastic plans! I am still so happy that I gave you the decisive hint for this vacation! And I hope you will live the PC as much as we did!