Chapter 101 - Cinque Terre

The next day Ren took Fae to travel to Eze. This quaint medieval village tucked away on a cliff, overlooking the ocean on the French Riviera. There were many beautiful ancient buildings there and made Fae feel as if she had been transported back in time.

Ren drove the car himself. During the trip, Fae felt that their connection was growing deeper and deeper. This made her chest filled with happiness to the brim.

They stopped at a lovely restaurant in the center of the village and had a nice lunch. After that, they explored the village on foot, enjoying the cool autumn breeze.

From Eze, they continued on to several other small villages and took in the scenery while holding hands. Fae had never been so happy all her life.

She happily chatted with the souvenir merchants in perfect French, and they all loved her very much. In the evening, they arrived back in Monte Carlo and were packing for a sailing trip for several days.

The next day, Ren and Fae went down to the harbor and set sail on a yacht to enjoy the sea view. Both of them spend a lot of time relaxing while sunbathing when they were in the middle of the ocean. Their ship arrived in Cannes, and the two sightsee in the resort city, which was renown for the Cannes film festival.

They took a walk along the boulevard by the sea in Cannes. They then enjoyed dinner at an Italian restaurant overlooking the sea. Here, Fae could use her fluent Italian to chat with waiters and order their food.

"Tomorrow, we will sail to Cinque Terre. Those are five cliffside villages in the Italian Riviera, which are very beautiful. You will be amazed by the colors of the buildings," said Ren while cutting the steak for his wife. His actions toward Fae were very affectionate and made so many women in the restaurant wish their dates also treated them the same way.

"Really? I've heard of Cinque Terre. People said it's stunning," said Fae enthusiastically. "Have you been there before?"

Ren shook his head. "Not yet. I'm too busy, but I've always wanted to go there."

"Ahh .. so, it will be the first time for us both. I can't wait!"

Fae had seen so many beautiful photos of Cinque Terre and couldn't wait to visit it. Cannes, where they were now, was quite attractive with its warm weather and relaxing atmosphere, but for her, Cinque Terre was more fun and beautiful.

In Cannes, as far as the eye can see, there were only beaches and resorts. Cinque Terre offered adventure, and Fae wants to go on an adventure with Ren there.

Cinque Terre was a series of centuries-old seaside villages on the rugged coastline of the Italian Riviera. In each of these 5 villages, there were various colorful houses and vineyards attached to steep terraces. The harbor was filled with fishing boats and cruise ships.

There was various trattoria (restaurants) producing seafood specialties along with the pesto sauce that the Liguria region was famous for. Visitors could go on a hike on the Sentiero Azzurro route connecting these villages and see incredible views of the sea.

Riomaggiore

This village was the first village to visit if the tourists came from La Spezia, a town very close to Cinque Terre. They could enjoy various cafes and restaurants in Riomaggiore. However, they must be ready to wear rubber shoes and prepared good stamina because the roads in this village were full of steep inclines.

Manarola

At the second stop, there was Manarola Village. In the vicinity was a vineyard. It was this vineyard that produced Cinque Terre's signature wine, Sciacchetra.

Apart from enjoying the beautiful sea view from the top of the cliff, tourists could also admire the beauty of the Gothic Nativita Church in Maria Vergine or also known as the San Lorenzo Church. This church, which was built in 1338, was famous for its beautiful rose-shaped windows made of Carrara marble.

Corniglia

Standing on a cliff as high as 100 meters, this village was the only village in Cinque Terre that did not have direct access to the sea. However, visitors could still enjoy walking in this village because the rows of small shops offering souvenirs and seafood still charmed the tourists who came there.

Vernazza

This was a village located right on the edge of the port. The distinctive feature of this village was the caruggi or narrow road, which was filled with rows of small stalls, stone steps, and ended with a beautiful view of the blue sea.

Monterosso

The fifth village was Monterosso. It was the only village in Cinque Terre that had a beach. This was where the tourists loved to spend their time basking in the sun and playing on the beach.

When compared to other villages, this village didn't have many interesting photo spots. However, visitors could still enjoy various typical Italian culinary delights, from gelato ice cream to delicious seafood pasta.

"You look really excited," Ren commented. "Seeing you excited makes me excited too. We can stay in Cinque Terre a little longer before returning to Monte Carlo."

"I'm so happy to hear that..." said Fae enthusiastically.

"You can speak Italian to your heart's content too."

"Ah .. that's right." Fae nodded. She never spoke Italian in Moravia because no one she knew understood the language. So far, she only spoke German and occasionally English.

"If you want, you can talk to me in whatever language you are comfortable with. We don't have to speak German," reminded Ren. "You don't forget that I also speak many languages, do you?"

"Ah, you're right. I'll do it," said Fae. She felt very fortunate to marry a genius who spoke so many languages.

They then discussed a little about their plans to visit Cinque Terre, and in the future, several other cities in Italy. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, they had to return to Monte Carlo in 4 days to attend Johann's dinner invitation and finally return to Moravia.

"We can go back to Italy again. There are several interesting cities that I also want to visit," said Ren. "And don't forget, you also want to visit Romania."

"I understand. You're very busy and don't have much time. I also have to find school and study. We can come back later during the school holidays," Fae agreed.

"I'm glad you understand.." Ren smiled and kissed his wife.