Nina and Tracy blogging together because Internet is really expensive here. Here is Levanto. Nina has fallen in love with this place. It is a seaside town just north of the Cinque Terre. We didn't intend to stay here, but all the cheap hostels in CT were booked. Good 'ole Rick Steeves suggested Levanto as a backup, and I (Nina) think it is the best place we have been so far. I have a new long-term plan. Learn Italian, rent an apartment here during my summers off, and eventually buy a villa overlooking the sea, retire here and open a yarn shop. Blessed!

Nina hasn't tripped, fell or flipped anything in the past few days, much to my disappointment. Though I did manage to make her look like a DAA when I insisted she pose alongside the other dozen or so tourists at the leaning tower of Pisa, making like she was holding the freakin thing up. (Nina: Pisa was a 15 minute pit stop on the way to Levanto. A must do, but overall dull. And it was raining.)

In Florence, Tracy slept in a room with 6 guys and a prostitute/drug dealer. She hung her well-worn black panties on the window above Tracy's bed, drank beer and noshed chips at 4am in Tracy's ear, and smoked a butt that Tracy had to tap out as the "lady of the night" nodded off. We are NOT kidding.

Where was Nina, you ask. She paid 5 more euro to sleep sans hookers in a brighter, cleaner room next door. She feels deeply guilty for leaving Tracy in such an environment. Makes for good blog, though.

Tracy has requested we find a large kid's harness for her to strap in to. Nina promises to hold on for dear life.

Today we went for a two hour, semi-difficult hike from Levanto to Monterossa, the most northern Cinque Terre town. The trail was steep in places, but stunning. Wild flowers colored the terrain, a breath-taking and VERY high view of the ocean and cliff side made the walk exhilarating, and old castles with Secret Garden-like doors surprised us along the way.

We are off to Lake Como in northern Italy tomorrow, then we are taking a scenic train through Switzerland, then an overnight to Venice. Next time we blog, it will be from the city of canals. Arrivederci!