I slept well, despite the narrow, hard bed. Breakfast is up on the top floor of our hotel which is the sixth floor. There is a lovely selection of breads, cheese, cold cuts, fruit and yogurt - my kind of breakfast! And the view from there is also outstanding!
At 9 AM we had an orientation talk followed by a walking tour of the town. We met the owner of the local tobacco shop where you can get cold drinks, train and bus tickets and phone cards.
We also met the proprietor of the laundry, and then the pharmacy. We meandered over to the Castle of Lerici, this time a slower, gradual incline, not the stairs we walked part way up yesterday. The views are wonderful of course.
But all along the way, are many interesting photographs - doorways, stone walls, stair cases, and flowers growing in expected and unexpected places.
Lunch was many courses again - various appetizers, stuffed onions with small fresh anchovies, squid legs cooked in a sauce with green peas (not my favourite), then pasta with oysters and clams, followed by a nice fresh salad (the order in which the food was served seemed strange to us), and finally a most delicious lemon sorbet. It was easily a 2 hour affair and wine was included. I partook but won't be doing that again for lunch. It made me so very sleepy (like Cuba) and a nap was required to recoup.
After, I walked along with my friends but wanted to cool off in the water so we went our separate ways. The beaches, small though they were, were crowded with all sorts of people. Apparently there is a one day teachers' strike on today. They are striking for better wages as they have not seen a raise in 10 years. Most people wore swimsuits which were a bit on the skimpy side, regardless of their body size. T'is a healthy attitude indeed!
The water was quite cool I thought and I was surprised to see so many people actually in the water. Yet on land, it amazes me to see so many wearing long pants and even jackets, some of which were leather.
Upon returning to the hotel, I enjoyed a nap and slept hard. After a couple of hours, I got up and went in search of a diet Pepsi. The nearby tobacco shop was out so I continued further looking for the grocery store. They are small but well packed. The yogurt selection was extensive, and every kind of liquor was sold there too.
On the way back to the hotel I thought I would do the "circle route" thinking I couldn't possible get lost if I just headed towards water. That turned out to be easier said than done. I kept going uphill and couldn't find any through-roads. Eventually I did make my way back to the hotel and enjoyed my Coke (no Pepsi).
It was soon supper time and we walked over to a pizzeria near our hotel on the water. We had various pizza types served to us by the slice - margarita, pesto (my fave), four cheese, and ham I think.
At the hotel I was able to get online for a bit, then back to the veranda to type this as my roommate sleeps.
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