Study Abroad Blogs

Vernazza, Cinque Terre

Ok, so I am sure you are all wondering about the significance of my blog title for this post. Normally, you can count on Tam for a pun, joke, essentially any type of humor. And don’t get me wrong, I did have a couple of silly titles in the works, but none of them seemed to reflect my true feelings towards Cinque Terre (my latest adventure). So the truth is this post is a little less Tam the ham and a little more real life.

This trip was my last planned group trip. Anything else I do from here on is either on my own, or will be a carpe diem with friends. After visiting Cinque Terre, a place that I honestly had never heard about before arriving in Milan, I must say I am in awe. First off I must suggest that those who visit should decide to embark on the hike through the towns. In my opinion, and others can fee free to disagree, the beauty, the essence of Cinque Terre can only be found in the hiking. Sure, you can take a train from town to town. But these towns are super small, and they sort of blur together. However, this is not the case if you hike. The hiking unlocks the raw Cinque Terre, and unfolds some of the most incredible views I have ever seen in my life

Manarola, Cinque Terre

Brooke, Heidi, Taylor, MK, Madison, Alissa and I mid hike

This was the biggest group I have done a multiday trip with, there were seven of us, Brooke cleverly named us the Cinque Chicks. Seven can be a difficult number to accommodate, it isn’t even, and it is quite large. We lucked out, this really was never a problem! These are some of my favorite ladies in Milan, and I probably couldn’t have accomplished as much as I did this weekend without them. To be honest, at first I was kind of confused as to why we were going for a whole weekend, but upon leaving I wished we had left for Cinque Terre even one day sooner!

Cioppino at La Cantina di Miky

We arrived Friday in two groups. Brooke & Heidi scouted out Monterosso earlier in the day, and the rest of us joined later. Monterosso was probably my favorite of the towns. It was on the larger side, as compared to the rest. But most importantly to me was the beach. My mother always jokes that she gave birth to water babies. Although I disagree with my mother on many things, this is not one of them. I love the water, it brings me joy, it brings me to life. There is nothing more relaxing to me then soaking up some sun in between trips to the ocean/lake/pool/literally anything. So to arrive Friday and see a beach really made me a happy camper. Upon our arrival we walked around for a bit, and then Heidi and I dipped our toes in the crystal blue Mediterranean. We grabbed dinner, I made sure to have seafood of course, and then we were off to our hostel.

View from 5 Terre Backpackers

Our hostel had the most amazing view, two cats roaming around, as well as hammocks. Plus this was all for a relatively good price. Definitely one of the nicer hostels I have stayed in. I didn’t even realize but we had our own room, which was a nice change of pace. I did not think there would be a room for seven! One great thing about our hostel, was that because it wasn’t directly in Monterosso they provided daily, free shuttles. Everyday I took the 9am shuttle to Monterosso, and the 6pm shuttle back to the hostel.

So Saturday morning we awoke early enough to enjoy our free breakfast of cornflakes and coffee, and then we were off! I won’t lie, I felt like I was in over my head Friday when we got off the train to see how many people had walking sticks in hand. I am not a nature girl. I have lived in New York City for 22 years, and my ideal nature is Central Park. Although hiking isn’t my forte, I knew I could not come to Italy without visiting Cinque Terre, so I figured I would suck it up for one day, and then Sunday, the beach would be my reward.

First off you have to pay to hike, which I found odd. Why must I pay to be at one with mother nature? Oh well, no big deal. We also had to make sure to use the bathrooms in the towns, because there were no bathrooms on the trails. This hike truly is and was meant to be a whole day affair. We were told the first part of the hike was the roughest. In my opinion, we were lied to…

Don’t get me wrong, the hike from Monterosso to Vernazza was without a doubt nearly impossible for me, but I actually found part two of the hike from Vernazza to Corniglia to be the real beast. Maybe most people find the first part of the hike the roughest because it is longer, but man oh man did I struggle. Europe has faced me with lots of opportunities where I have had to push my physical abilities in order to take in all that is around me. I am used to walking, we walk a lot in New York City, heck I don’t even have a driver’s license, but the walking I have done abroad is far more grueling then anything I have ever experienced. Hands down though Cinque Terre was my Everest.

I am overweight, out of shape, and have eaten my fair share of pizzas in Italy. Never, do I think I have doubted myself more so then I did on this hike. I was embarrassed, and disappointed in myself. It did make me feel better to see five of the others struggling just as much as I was (not Heidi, this was a walk in the park for her). But I’m not sure if the other girls were as close to giving up as I was. I just felt like my body could not do what I was asking of it. Which is why this hike truly tested not only my physical limits, but my emotional limits as well. If I was alone, there is NO doubt in my mind that I would have waisted the 7.50 euro, and headed back down to give up. But being with these other girls, all of us motivating each other, stopping for breaks, water, and pictures in between, gave me hope. I just wanted to be able to do what my friends were doing. And spoiler alert, if you have not already gaged this from the title of this blog post, I was able to do it. All seven of us successfully survived a full day of hiking, mostly uphill, on unpaved stairs.

Prove yourself wrong everyday. Because this is what I did in Cinque Terre, and it truly impacted me far beyond what I could have imagined would come from a weekend trip.

Selfie time for Heidi, Alissa, and I

And that is the thing, if I was unable to do this hike, I would have never been able to view Cinque Terre with the essential bird’s eye view. I am proud of myself for pushing myself past my limits and completing what I nearly gave up on. Proving yourself wrong is one of the most rewarding experiences you can face. Truth is because of the shuttle we only had time for tre terre, however Sunday before our beach day, and before our train home, Alissa, Heidi and I trained to the other due terre. So I indeed was able to see all cinque!

Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre

I think I was on a high from the hike, so this weekend really was just what the doctor ordered. The towns were adorable, the gelato, delicious, and the beach relaxing. Dear readers, please keep in mind all that I have said in this post. Never give up on yourself, you are capable of anything and everything.

XO
Tamara

Beach day in Monterosso, in the Mediterranean Sea!

PS.

To all of those students (both New Paltz and elsewhere) who graduated this weekend, conGRADS! I am technically a member of the class of 2015, so I guess this makes me a college grad! I do believe this will all hit me a bit more, once I am done with finals. Sure, I may never get to walk across the stage and collect my “diploma,” but I’m pretty sure Cinque Terre was an adequate alternative!

Sometimes you just gotta stop and smell the flowers! Greetings from Corniglia, Cinque Terre

Spending time with my parents in Venice

Ciao readers! It’s been a while since my last post, but I am back to write about my return to Venice! I did go to Venice for Carnival in February, but with the recent visit of my parents in Italy I agreed to face it once again. My dad had already been to Italy years ago, but my mother had not. So although I had visited Venice already, I was willing to back again. I am so glad I went back, this experience was completely different. My visit in February was all about Carnival, whereas this visit was focused on Venice itself. Although this time the weather didn’t hold up. I taught my parents how to make the best of it & we powered through.

For my last visit, Kara & I stayed in a hotel far from the action, whereas this time around the Litts stayed in an airbnb in the hustle & bustle of Venice. I was also stoked to find that our airbnb had a dog! I love animals =)

Our furry friend at our airbnb

I did a lot more sightseeing this time around, which was wonderful. I was able to actually see Venice. The water was so beautiful. However, I can’t lie you WILL get lost in Venice. The water creates dead ends like its nobodies business. Thank goodness for technology! When we really did find ourselves in a pickle, I would guide us in the right direction with the help of my handy dandy google maps app on my iPhone. I really would recommend having a phone plan that allows for data usage because I seem to use it time and time again.

Even bread is happy to be in Venice =)

We visited St. Marco’s square & the Rialto bridge. Both were jampacked, tourists everywhere. In my opinion though I still think Rome takes the cake for having the utmost tourists. We went to a produce market, as well as a fish market near the Rialto. I must say how much I love all of the food markets in Italy. Food is so fresh here, so it is so cool to see row after row of fresh food. As much as I am hungering for some of my American staples, we sure do love to make room for unnecessary additives in our food. So I am enjoying EATALY. This market was wonderful. I even ran into 3 fellow Unicatt students during this adventure!

There are also dogs EVERYWHERE! Italy has leash laws that differ greatly from America.

Another great experience was the Vaporetto ride around the grand canal. It was very lengthy, we happened to somehow take the wrong boats. But it was very relaxing (and cold) along the water. I would highly recommend Vaporetti rides for those who plan to visit Venice.

As a Jewish family I was very glad that we got to visit the Jewish Ghetto in Venice. It was very powerful walking around the Jewish quarter. Italy being a very Catholic country, I felt very comforted being surrounded by all things Jewish. We visited a Chabad, and met the rabbi. Being so involved in Chabad & Jewish life at New Paltz, this was a taste of Jew Paltz for me. There were even Kosher places to eat around the Jewish Quarter. I do hope to see more WW2 sights around Europe with my future travels. Visiting the Jewish Quarter with my parents made that a special experience for us to share together. Judaism has always been a big part of our family, especially having my older sister living abroad in Israel.

My parents & I returned to Milan on Sunday. Now my parents are off in Rome while I continue on with classes. I hope they have a safe trip back to America! Till the next adventure!

Tamara

Litt family selfie!

Prove Yourself Wrong Everyday

Litts > Venice