How do you spell Medditterrainean?

One thing you should know about Italians: Every thing worth saying in Italy is worth saying loudly. They are not yelling AT you; they are merely discussing the weather.

I spent an excellent two days on the Mediterranean in an Italian national park called Cinque Terre. (see pics in earlier post) There was excellent hiking along the coastline, but you had to hunt for something close enough to sand to call it a beach. I, however, managed to find a couple beaches and currently look like a Roma tomato. All my years of perfecting the golden marshmellow have paid off and I managed to toast myself without peeling but (here's hoping) with an eventual almond brown effect (hey, I said I was hoping!).

My hostel in Manarola, Cinque Terre, was run by three fabulously friendly Italian guys. One was an excellent chef - I tried gnocchi pasta with pesto (a local speciality) and enjoyed the delicious local white wine. Also managed to catch a sunset from the olive groves and take a boat on the sea between the towns after frying all day with my New Yorkian friend Jean. (Wouldn't this be funny if I was just making it up to make you jealous?? It's true, honest!) Sadly, I could only stay one night at the hostel as I had not made a reservation. They offered to let me sleep on a dining room table but I thought it was time to move on.