La Spezia

Ok, I am home now, so I realize I am horrible at blogging, but I'll catch people up on my trip and show some more pictures.

In La Spezia (which is a coastal town in Italy), I decided to stay with a family using airbnb.com.  The host was a singer/song writer from Ireland and his wife, a pottery store owner (and artist) from Spain.  They also have an adorable 2 year old, Sophia. 

La Spezia wasn't quite what I expected.  It was a fairly large town that used the coast for primarily commercial use.  But the water was beautiful and there were some cool buildings.

My second day there I went to the Cinque Terre national park, which is really the appeal of La Spezia.  There are five cities along the coast, built into the rocky shore line.  I went by train and rode with Eva, the wife.  It was fun to be able to chat with her on the way and hear about her life. 

The cities of Cinque Terre are beautiful.  They are small and touristy, but it was fun to see them.  Most people travel to Cinque Terre to hike between the towns, but it was incredibly hot, so I opted for the ferry.

My last night in La Spezia, Andrew and Eva invited me to have dinner with them.  It was fun to sit down with them and talk about their travels.  Andrew has spent a lot of time in San Francisco playing music and Eva has traveled all over Asia.  They were such an interesting couple.  It was very cool to meet them.