Cinque Terre (da beach), Shopping, etc...

One of our few days of real vacation was at Cinque Terre where we spend the day at the beach. I stayed in the water for a while, then explored the town we were near, Monteroso al Mare.

The private beach (where we weren't):


The public beach (where we were):


People in my group:


At least one of you is curious about the shopping options.

The theme song for this section is Fashionista by Jimmy James. It goes something like this:

Who are you wearing?

Sean John, Kelvin Klein, Donna Karan’s fashion line, Valentino, YSL, Ferré, Camal, and Channel, Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci, Don’t forget my Pucci, Fendi, and Armani, God I miss Gianni. Kenneth Cole, Michael Kors, Mr. Ford I can’t afford, D&G and BCBG.

Looking good is never easy.

Here are a few stores. I typed the names for ones that are too hard to read. I only went to two of these stores and spent money in one... guess which ones are which:


Dolce & Gabbana:



Emporio Armani:


Swatch:


Fendi (which is next to Louis Vuitton):



Gucci:


Hugo Boss:


Does anyone wear Nautica any more?


There were about 3 different Guess stores. Guess, Guess Kids, and Guess by... um somebody (I forgot who). There are also tons of European brands and at least one large department store (called Coin).

If you guessed I went in Puma and Swatch, give yourself a gold star for the day. If you guessed I spent money at Puma, give your self an extra gold star. 3 gold stars if you guessed i bought a pair of shoes, a pair of flip-flops (for the beach), and a souvenir Puma Firenze t-shirt (but who would guess that). If you guessed they were on sale and I paid €90 for the whole lot, I guess you get 5 gold stars and I need to call the cops because you are stalking me.

Buying fakes is HIGHLY illegal and they will fine you dearly (€10,000+). "But I'm a (stupid) American tourist," will not get you off the hook:


This is one of the various markets selling tourist items and leather goods. Florence is known for its leather. It's scratch resistant, water proof, and as soft as a feather.


Just for fun, I made the postcard pic into a bad post card:


We leave for Rome dark and early Monday morning and I probably won't be able to post again until I get home, so please check again Friday for another update.

Oh, and I'll post eventually when my book is ready, so check occasionally for that, too.