Visiting Italy and especially Cinque Terre were very near the top of my bucket list and I made it there this week!  I visited four out of the five villages.  The only village we did not visit was Corniglia because it requires a fairly lengthy hike and climbing many stairs to get there.  The tour lasted fourteen hours so it was quite a long day already. Cinque means five and terre means land.  I must say that this enchanting area is just as beautiful as I imagined and looked just as magnificent as all of  the photos I've seen! Cinque Terre became a national park in 1998.  Fishing was what sustained their economy until that time and then they needed to find new sources of income.  Cinque Terre's current number one source of income is from tourism and the second is from the incredible white wine they produce.  More than 3 million people visit Cinque Terre each year.

I know many of you have seen some really beautiful and incredible photos of this magnificent place.  Hopefully mine will share a slightly different perspective.  I'm just really happy to have some of my own photos and memories of this experience.

I couldn't get enough of the beautiful scenery!

  A very out of focus shot of a very jet lagged yours truly :)

This was one of my my favorite areas of the tour:

The beaches were a little rocky but nice and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Are the kids on top of that BIG rock crazy or just being kids and having fun?

The above is a VERY large statue stone carving in the cliffs high above the beach

Flowers everywhere - especially framing the windows.

  I loved the brightly colored houses perched on the cliffs

As in most of Italy there were several lovely cathedrals.

Looking down on the busy town

The structure which is built into a cliff above was built to help prevent landslides which have been a problem in this area.  It has helped a little.

As you can see the land is terraced for growing crops such as lemon and olive trees.

These final three photos were taken in the village of Riomaggiore

I am debating staying in one of these gorgeous villages for a few days this summer.  Do you think you would enjoy being in such a remote area with so many tourists or would a day trip be enough for you?

 Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you have a nice week!

~Michelle

"I don't think there's much point in bemoaning the state of the world unless there's some way you can think of to improve it. Otherwise, don't bother writing a book; go and find a tropical island and lie in the sun."

Peter Singer

 As I was saying in my previous post I do not live on an island, but I have and do travel to many.  Here are some more photos of the islands I have traveled to including Cancun, Bermuda, Maui, Kauai, Malta, and Gozo.  I do NOT like public transportation and would rather walk literally hours than get on a bus or subway.  I feel like I get to see more that way plus get a little exercise :-)  The first two photos were taken in Cancun, Mexico.  I have visited there many, many times and love it.  There is definitely plenty to do, and every where you look is like a postcard!

The following two photos were taken in Bermuda.  I thought I had found paradise when I went there and can't wait to go back!

The following two photos were taken in Puerto Rico.  The first photo was taken at night during a thunder storm from my balcony.  It's not a great photo (out of focus, etc.), but was one of most popular photos on Panoramio.  Here is my account where you can see all of my photos:  http://www.panoramio.com/user/7406641

The following two photos are of Maui.  I have been to Maui two times and was fortunate enough to spend a month there for my advanced Yoga teacher training

The next two photos were also taken in Hawaii, but on the island of Kauai which is probably my personal favorite.  In the first photo, I'm hiking the Kalalui Trail which isn't easy AT ALL, but the views were spectacular.  The second photo was taken at a beautiful area on the island called Queen's Bath.

 The final two photos were taken on two tiny islands in the Mediterranean Sea named Malta and Gozo.  The first photo is of a famous rock structure named "the Azure Window" on Gozo. 

Thanks so much for stopping.  I love to hear your comments and questions and please remember your e-mail address will not be published.  Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you all have a nice week.  ]

Until next time ~ Michelle