Cinque Terre, Italy

6/24

We are in La Spezia at a little cafe as the rain pours down.  On our walk to a fresh ristorante right on the Mediterranean, the lighting and thunder came at the same time and it started to pour.  I screamed like a girl and Tom wanted to get under something dry.  We then ordered some paninis and using the free wifi, looked at the weather for our Cinque Terre hike tomorrow. I took a screenshot because the forecast is sunny one day this week and that day is our hike :).

We are so glad to be out of the city for a few days and can't wait for some seafood, beautiful natural views, and quiet local places.  We are on the second leg of our trip and I'm reminded that I need to enjoy this experience with Tom rather than count down days to home.  Praying The Lord will grow us in this experience.  The more we travel, the more I realize how blessed we are, how good He is, and how no man-made building or idea could top the hope we have in Him.  From today:

Psalm 52 - "In Your name I will hope, for Your name is good." 

 Matt 12:6 - "I tell you that one greater than the temple is here." ..."I desire mercy not sacrifice."  

6/24 (Night Time)

The language barrier for Tom and I in Italy has been quite hilarious.  For one, we have had a hard time ordering water and found out the best way to order is water "no gas."  It took us a while to understand what "gas or no gas" meant but now we know it is distilled versus sparkling.  "Free," "Tap," and "Cheap," were not options.  While trying to order a fountain drink I was almost given a fanta, which is huge over here.  And perhaps the best was tonight at a little seafood place.  The waiter did not speak a lick of English.  We got water and were not ready to order since we didn't know what we were ordering.  We tried to say "one minute," and "more time," but he said 10 minutes pizza in oven.  He thought we meant that we were in a hurry.  We did a quick on the spot order instead.  I wish I would have brought the camera because Tom's plate ended up having fried squid and shrimp (not veined or de-eyed).  That is right little shrimp with eyes and feet.  I think Germany a may be a tough experience with the language, but great memories.  

PS: Hanna and Erika I will be thinking about you on the Cinque Terre tomorrow.  Dina thanks for the comment :)  Hope you all are doing great,   I don't think I've ever been more thankful for our friends and family!

6/25

Today was much needed and thoroughly enjoyed.  I can't start to describe the beauty that lies in each of the five villages that make up the "Cinque Terre" along the Mediterranean coast.  We started our morning with a train ride to the last city where Tom enjoyed bacon and eggs and I was able to get apples and peaches from a local fruiterer.  We starred out into the water and were awe struck by the blueness of the water, the craftiness of those who built the colorful homes on the side of the mountains, and the greenery that towered above us.  

The hiking trail between several towns was closed, so we trained to town two (Verhazza) which was full of old, but still active fishing boats and a market.  We hiked the hour and a half hike to village three.  It was a good work out and we wanted to stop every few seconds to take a picture of the views.  I'll be on a look out for more places to hike near Ft. Worth, we really enjoyed the hiking.  I had to swallow pride when I saw an older couple finished and my legs were a little uneasy when we got to the destination.  Here we ate a wonderful lunch and I found some fro yo!

The rest of the day consisted of jumping in the water and taking a nap under some umbrellas on the beach back at the first city.  After killing all day there, we trained back to the unseen villages and enjoyed drinks and seafood straight from the water we had hiked along.  I had swordfish and Tom had a fried mix of shrimp and squid.  This was a nice meal and we felt very blessed to get to enjoy it in such a beautiful place.  The Lord knows how to awe his children and to think this is only temporary earth is really incredible.  Tom and I saw several apartments for sale, but seeing that we are not fisherman, cooks, or farmers, I think Texas is still the place for us!  Tomorrow we are off to Vienna where we are staying at an actual HOTEL!  I can hardly wait to use up all those free little lotions, soaps, and eat continental breakfast.