Not sure if YOU ever went through a time, when YOU felt like nothing really made any sense and YOU started questioning your being….Oscar Wilde thought, most of the people are just existing…I think the clue is to define yourself. I really want in the end of my days to be able to say, well I have lived a great adventure – I made many mistakes, seen many places, experienced many things and all of that made some kind of sense. I am terrified just to be existing much more then dying one day.

“To live is the rarest thing in the world, most people just exist, that is all.” – Oscar Wilde

“It is not uncommon for people to spend their whole life waiting to start living.” – Eckhart Tolle

I just woke up and realised I’ve had enough! Enough of WANTING to visit places but always finding a reason for it not being today. Sometimes postponing things because we are busy, sometimes because we don’t want to make a trip alone…….and one day I just wake up and realised, I am no longer willing to wait for anything! So I took my camera bag, check out the train and teleported myself directly in the place, where I wanted to be 3 years ago!

Monterosso

Conquering Monterosso was like winning one of the silent battle with my own soul.

I took a train from Camogli to Monterosso, direct, 51 minutes. 5.60 eur. I went there without knowing much about the town just the fact that it is a part of Cinque Terre and it should be small, colourful and beautiful! And that Cinque Terre towns are – Monterosso, Riomaggiore, Manarola, Cornelia, Vernazza. But I wanted something without hiking and climbing, that’s why I have chosen Monterosso, especially because it is the only town in the Cinque Terre with a proper, sandy beach – Spiaggia di Fegina.

So I went to anIce cream place and talked with an Italian lady to ask what to see, where to go, what to eat and what to do, to be able to explore and experience this town like a local.

Because I speak Italian, they immediately took me in their circle. I got all the tips and started my adventure….I loved all the little colourful houses, narrow streets. This little town had 4 maybe 5 churches…I walked into a church, sat on the bench and tried to think about my life…..I think it is healthy to stop for a moment, take a deep breath and just rethinking our being.

“Everyday is my best day; this is my life; I am not going to have this moment again.” – Bernie Siegel

And then kept walking and I reached the stairs. I had no idea where I was going, but I saw an 80 year old lady walking ahead of me, up to the stairs with ease…. I asked her: “Is this walk going to be rewarded with some really nice views?” She just smiled and while I was breathing like I am going to die because I am not a really sporty woman..She smiled and said, yes something good is waiting at the top for you I think you might enjoy it…..which calmed me down until I saw a sign – Cemetery….well I was so out of my breath and I felt so bad deep in my soul so for a moment, I wasn’t sure if she wasn’t just messing with me, when she said, that’s the perfect place for me! 😀

I immediate thought, what the heck, this really is just a perfect place for me! Anyway I kept walking hoping to be rewarded with some outstanding view…and I finally reached to the first amazing view – the sea view, and the garden with a swing….

Then again what a surprise – more stairs were awaiting for me!

I reached to the doors of the first church….beautiful. Then I reached the most amazing entrance to the cemetary and another church……there was a statue holding flowers and looking out for all of the town, of Monterosso.

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential…” – Ashley Smith

I sat beside the statue and shared the same view…and I felt such a peace in my soul…I explored the cemetery and especially the top of it…..where I found the most important people resting there with the sea view and many flowers and I just sat on the stone and felt the energy…

In the particular moment all my human problems seemed so small and unimportant…I just felt internal peace…..then I found out the grave of the most important and oldest family of Monterosso – Family Saporiti and from their resting place, there was a little window with the view on all the town…the best place ever!

“Some people seem to fade away but then when they are truly gone, it’s like they didn’t fade away at all..” – Bob Dylan

There is so much what Monterosso can offer YOU!

On the way back I popped in a bar and enjoyed the white wine – Vermentino from 5 Terre, very yummy and fruity wine.

And as a snack I had Bruschetta with tomatoes and pesto.

It was the perfect end to my trip. In a minute I was surrounded with locals and they all were very happy to share with me more storied and history of Monterosso. People are very sweet and friendly there. I can’t wait to come back to say hello to everyone! Next time I will take a train to Monterosso and then the boat to Vernazza, the little perl of 5 Terre. And I have to see “The Giants” – statues craved in the rocks, this time I have missed them.