Until next time

The good byes have begun. The many "this is the last time we'll..." instances. We find our selves nostalgic about things we never cared much about before, sometimes even the things that drove us nuts we feel a sadness at leaving behind.

One thing about living in an international community is that they are used to good byes. There are so many get togethers, BBQs and picnics to say good bye. Sometimes the goodbyes are in large groups and loud, and sometimes is getting away with a special friend for a quiet moment.

And its strange. Because for each party, there is a group that you won't see again but there is also a group who will be at the next party. So the good byes are mixed with "see you next week". The process is long but thorough.

The Five Lands

As our time in Europe wraps up we took advantage of one last long weekend to (finally) visit Cinque Terre. We have almost made it here several times but always decided against it because of high season tourist traffic. Well, that was the right decision. The towns that make up Cinque Terre are small, connected only by rail and hiking trail, and even in the shoulder season they quickly became overwhelmed with people.

That aside, the towns are picturesque little Italian towns with pastel coloured houses and small rocky beaches. We even took a day to explore outside the Cinque Terre park to visit a more local vacation town,  Camogli.