Monterosso Day 1

Trained from Firenze to Pisa, changed trains and here we are in Monterosso! This is always by far, the best part of our trips. This year we went to a new hotel because our old one wasn't free one of the nights we planned to be here.

Best hotel here that we have stayed in......our balcony opens up with a view of the beach and the sea. We are listening to the surf and can see #4 town, my favorite Vernazza, in the distance.
We walked only minutes from train to hotel, greeted by the manager who took us upstairs to this magnificent room; she told us (one is always TOLD in Italy) to bring down our documents (passports) and she would give us a glass of wine. Nice touch because most hotels want them immediately and one must dig them out of the money belt, getting half undressed in the lobby. It's the law, they need your passport information or they get fined. We did as she said, then were sat at the little bar, given a glass of wine and some Italian bar snacks - pretzels, other crunchy things. We asked for her to make dinner reservations at Gianni Franzi's for us tonight - this is my favorite restaurant in the whole world. It is over in Vernazza. She checked the train schedule to make sure we could get back before last train. The old gentlemen who owns the hotel asked us what time, we told him 7:30 or 8pm - only saying 7:30 because we knew we didn't want to miss 10:30 train. He said "you go at 8". Yes sir, we know 7:30 is too early to eat in Italy. We are going to eat at 8pm as we were told.
We already know where we are going to eat the next 2 nights; even Ella, the manager, told us we should eat the Belvedere on our last night. We have been there before, and plan to mind and go eat there on our last night. That one is here in Monterosso. Tomorrow we will go to Gambero Rosso's, our other Vernazza favorite which is next door to Gianni's on the square.
After our glass of wine, and discussion of next year's plan down to which room we shouod stay in - we went off to lunch at my favorite lunch spotl. Even got to sit at the same table - always ordered the same thing - Insalada Caprese, white wine. Local wine is white, you drink white wine here. A bit of stroll through the tiny town, then back to hotel for a rest, showers and getting ready to go off to Vernazza. 5 min train trip between towns - there is a treacherous hiking trail - forget that! Besides, there are notices around town that it is closed due to landslide. Train if fine - it comes eventully - they do however have schedules!

Addendum to above: Ah, Vernazza harbor and dinner at Gianni's - trofie pesto as primi platti for me, mussels with spahetti for Jim; and he haad the baby octupus and I had the gamberoni. I knew what I wanted before I sat down, my "usual". After a fine meal with 2 bottles of Gianni's wine, we hopped back on the train to Monterosso at 10: 40pm. Not only did we see the sunset over the Mediterranean while at Gianni's, there was a full moon.
Back on our balcony, Jim poured a glass of wine, but I had other ideas. I could through this little computer into the gelati stand outside our balcony. In fact, I could my flavor from here--BUT, already know what flavor! 3 minutes later I was back on the balcony with my cioccolatto gelato. We slept with the balcony doors open, listening to the sea.