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| Leaving around 8:00pm from La Spezia but they popped into the blog at the top and it was just too much work to move them to the bottom |
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| La Spezia outdoor market |
It was so nice to be back in the bustling seaside town which is just a quick boat ride to Cinque Terra. We were all set to do the cruise to the five towns but our ship needed some minor repairs while docked in Marseille but due to some complications it took much longer than anticipated so we did not depart Marseille at the anticipated time around 8:00pm and instead left around 1:00am. The delays unfortunately meant we didn't arrive in La Spezia until 2:30pm which meant the tours to Cinque Terra were no longer possible.
During the evening journey and part of the morning we passed through the 'Sanctuary of the Cetaceans' (whales, dolphins, etc.) a stretch of water which comprises the Ligurian and northern Tyrrhenian seas, an area in which these creatures are protected by international law in order to safeguard their survival.
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| Healthy La Spezia water |
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| Cafe for a snack |
We unfortunately didn't see any but we did look, especially mom who made a special trip up to a higher deck to watch for them.
It was fine although I know mom would have loved to have seen those incredibly beautiful, tiny hillside/seaside towns as well as enjoyed the cruise from Le Spezia past the breathtaking cliffs.
We basically walked and walked through the town after taking the public bus to the train station in the hopes we could do a quick train trip to Cinque Terra but it would have left us about 2 minutes to view one of the towns and get right back on the train to go back.
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| Mom chatting in Italian to the cafe owner |
There was a marcato with lots of stalls selling everything from kitchen goods to all sorts of clothing. I found a nice pair of leggings and two camisoles for just 3 Euros and all made in Italy, you can't beat that!
It was another wonderful dinner with John and Valerie and we said goodbye to our waiters and dinning room staff before attending a fun and whimsical ventriloquist show. And then more goodbyes to our lovely new Scottish friends and then it was back to the cabin to do some quick packing and get our luggage out in the hall as we had a very early departure.
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| Me with John and Valerie at our dinning table |
