Well we hated to leave Lauterbrunnen and the Staubbach Hotel, but the Italian Riviera was calling. We left Lauterbrunnen and it was barely showering, but as we headed east and climbed the Sustenpass the rain really started to come down. It was unfortunate that we didn't get to really enjoy the view, but at one point we actually emerged above the clouds and we were able to see the peaks that were higher that that. It was really cool seeing the lightening flashing below us!
Once we were out of the pass we got stuck in some traffic waiting to enter the St. Gotthard tunnel. We had to wait about 30 minutes for our chance to enter the tunnel....which is 17 kms long! Because of the weather, the air temp. was 13.5 degrees at the entrance, but deep I side the tunnel it climbed to 37.5 degrees.....thank goodness for air conditioning.
Eventually we made it out of the tunnel and continued south past Lake Como......both Jo and Delanie wanted to stop and see if George Clooney was hanging around, but I said no! So we crossed the border into Italy and kept going. We wondered if we were going to get stopped at the border, but someone in the back seat flirted with the border guard and we were waived through no questions asked. The rest of the drive was smooth as silk, although Jo and Delanie weren't really keen with the narrow and winding roads leading down to Monterosso al Mare....I thought it was fun :-)
We arrived, checked in to our B & B and went for a short stroll down to the waterfront to look around
Then it was time to find some dinner. We wandered the streets in the old part of town and settled on Ristorante L'Alta Marea....and it was a great choice. Some vino, local cheese with walnuts and honey, bruschetta, melon and prosciutto, fresh meat ravioli.....I will let the pictures do the talking
Then we enjoyed a tasty Italian coffee and watched the world go by. After that we wondered around enjoying the sights and sounds of the old part of town....it really comes alive at night, all the restaurants filling up. People tend to eat much later here, and supper is a real event that just goes on and on. Here are a few shots from our stroll
Of course we had to make a mandatory stop by the ocean
Here you can see the four other towns that make up the rest of the Cinque Terre all lit up along the coast....as well as the sun chairs and umbrellas waiting for tomorrow's beach goers.
A final stroll along the seaside
And a short stop to take in a local soccer game
And then it was back to rest up and be ready for tomorrow. It is so peaceful and relaxing here.....we think we can handle that.....Ciao!
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