The day started out like any other.....a yummy breakfast overlooking the Ligurian Sea
Jo's artsy shot of the pool and the wind swept drapes
After breakfast we decided to hop on the train and do a bit of exploring. Even though our park and train pass is for the Cinque Terre, it actually lets you travel as far north as Levanto and as far south as La Spezia. We decided to check to La Spezia first as it's the bigger city. We think we must have been spoilt in the Cinque Terre because as we pulled in on the train we just didn't get a good vibe, so we just stayed on the train and went back the other way to Levanto.
Levanto is smaller than La Spezia, but still bigger than the towns of the Cinque Terre. We made our way to the sea to have a look around
Then we wandered around the town a bit
By now it was getting close to 30 degrees so we decided it would be nice to go for a swim. We planned on hitting the beach, but by the time we got back to our B & B we were too hot to walk to the beach so we hopped in the pool for a cooling off dip. It was very nice. Then we headed to the boardwalk for a snack before hitting the beach. Who knew there was Nutella bruschetta?
Then we hit the beach and all the fun began. Jo and Delanie hit the water first, then Delanie came out and I jumped in with Jo. The water was great and there is so much salt that you can float without any effort. We were having a great time
We had just decided to head back for some sun, and I was just wondering if they ever had any sharks here when Jo started screaming. I asked what was the matter and she said that something was biting her. Shark was my first reaction, but I swam towards her to try and get rid if whatever it was. By the time I got beside her she was in a lot of pain and told me that she thought it was a jellyfish. I told her that we needed to get to shore right away, but she couldn't use her arm, so I helped to get her to the beach.
Fortunately I had spotted the small lifeguard table when we made our way down to the water, so I got her there right away. I know enough about jellyfish to know that some are harmless, and some can be deadly.....they took a look and right away took her to a shower to rinse her arm off, and then they put some kind of cream on it. They didn't seem too concerned, but it was obvious that Jo was in a lot of pain. Once she was treated they told her what to do and not do, and we went to tell Delanie what was going on.
We headed back to our room and I pulled out my first aid kit. We gave her an antihistamine and put on some after bite. By now it had swollen quite a bit
Fortunately my years as a scuba diving instructor had taught me the danger signs to watch for, and she wasn't exhibiting any of those.....so we knew that there wasn't anything seriously wrong. And the cold beer probably helped a little as well. Some more after bite and we decided to hop on a train and head to Vernazza for some wandering and some supper.
Just after arriving in Vernazza I spotted a Farmacia and suggested that we see if they had anything for the sting. The pharmacist was very helpful, and he gave Jo some medicated cream for the sting. He said he gets many requests for jelly fish sting medicine. We laughed when he showed her the other plastic applicator that came with it and told her that she didn't need to use that one.....he explained that the cream could be used for many different things......we laughed really hard at that.
By this time we were all a little parched so we picked a great spot by the harbour to enjoy a few frosty ones. The view was fantastic
It wasn't long before the beer goggles came out
We went for a short walk taking in the sights
Focaccia fish
We finally decided that we better get some supper and we found a great little spot on the breakwater in Vernazza. It had a fantastic view of the ocean, and we were able to eat as the sun slowly dropped in the sky and eventually set on the horizon
We watched the sun set as we enjoyed our cappuccinos, tiramisu and limoncello, mmmm
A short train ride back and so ends another fabulous day in the Cinque Terre.
P.S. Jo's arm is doing well and the swelling is already starting to go down. She should be good as new tomorrow. Not sure if she'll venture into the sea again though. Ciao!
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