The Italian Riviera

Note to self: visit Santa Margherita-Ligure and Portofino before I die. Feel free to add to your own bucket list if you want. In fact, just do it. These places are what I hope heaven looks like! If traveling to Italy soon, this is how you get there: from Florence, buy train ticket to Santa Margherita, about €110.00 RT 1st class, but note, you will bound a train for Livorno and get off in Pisa. They dont tell you this....you are supposed to be born with this knowledge, capiche? Change trains in Pisa, then take two hour ride into the mountains of northern Italy. Lots of tunnels. You will actually go this way if going to Cinque Terra, which is an entirely separate trip altogether. Also note that the trains going this way are very old and dirty. We did 1st class and were glad we did because we walked through 2nd class and it was packed, hot and grimey. 1st was slightly better, emphasis on the word slightly. Also, plan to spend the night. We did this in a day, a very long day, but the 20 room Helios Hotel looked nice, includes breakfast and sits right on the beach. Once there, cab rides down the hill are expensive, but worth it if trying to get your bearings. Santa Margherita is small, right on the sea and flat for the most part. Dress is very casual, but chic. Lots of money here as it is not far from Monaco. After stolling S. Margherita, take a ferry to Portofino. They leave every hour and cost about €8.00 RT. Its only a 15 min ride and 5km by car. But the views of these seaside towns from the coast are worth a ferry ride for sure. Once in Portofino, you will be distracted by the color, glamour and yachts. Stroll the little village, take lots of photos and then have a little hour of happiness with a glass of wine or lemon granita. People watching is fun here. We watched tiny sail boats come and go, complete with middle-aged captains in Speedos at the helm. And at the same time, we witnessed ship crews prepare a super yacht for departure. One of the yachts anchored off the coast was all black and called Sea Force One. Look this one up...incredibile. Another yacht had an inflatable slide from the fifth story down to the ocean! That looked like a blast! Oh, note to wear good shoes here. The port's sidewalks are large rocks set into cement and not at all flush with the ground. Portofino does not have a beach so don't plan to go there and hang out; do that in S. Margherita. Overall, the colors, the old homes, and general ambiance of this area is nothing less than stellar. It is on my bucket list for sure! Now if Oregon would create an area like this at Jantzen Beach, then the new I-5 bridge would pay for itself in tourism dollars alone! I will post photos as soon as I can get to my PC, which will be this weekend. Ciao my friends!