September 1

September 1st (sunny and warm)
I woke up early this morning, put on the coffee as usual, showered, washed some clothes and read while Georg snoozed a little longer. First we had our coffee and then walked to buy some fresh bread for breakfast and to enjoy observing Levanto’s residents begin their day. We both agree that you could spend more time here enjoying the beach and the surrounding area, especially the Cinque Terre towns.
After breakfast, we quickly got into our bathing suits and wandered the short distance to the beach where we planted ourselves for the next four hours. We brought along reading material, but with all the happenings around us, including the fabulous ocean, it was pretty hard to focus on a book. Georg had no problems getting into the water and playing amongst the waves, however I still had the “Jaws” theme-song embedded in my brain since 1975. It took me a bit longer, but I eventually got out to the breakwater and had lots of fun in the big waves. It was especially enjoyable watching the family interaction on the beach. This was not just Italians as there are many tourists in the mix. Europeans, in general, seem to be more family-oriented than North Americans.
We enjoyed a home-cooked dinner of fresh spinach-ricotta ravioli with walnut sauce. The ravioli here is definitely more delicious. We also purchased some prosciutto which Georg likes, but I am not a real fan of, but upon sampling Levanto’s version, it was something to die for. When we return home we will definitely take our time to do daily shopping in the various ethnic areas of Vancouver, including the Commerical Drive area.
We closed the evening by meeting two families from Germany, one from Ravensburg, near Lake Constance and the other near the Algau, where Susi and Seb are from. After exchanging email addresses and notes, we decided to alter our next leg and take in Switzerland before heading towards Spain through southern France. I am obsessed with the chance of seeing the annual migration of the dairy cows adorned with flowers on their horns from the high hills down into the villages. This migration is celebrated throughout the Alpine regions of Europe.