The rest of the 3rd was spent exploring Vernazza and Monterosso. Monterosso is very much a resort town, and Gibson did not like the look of it one bit. But there we had some great foccacia and beers in a little park and then headed for the beach. We found out that the city’s commerce is all mostly aimed toward people paying 50 cents for a bathroom to change in, 9 euros for a towel and then 5 Euro for a beach chair. Troppo costo! We went back to Vernazza where the water was perfect and the rocks to sit on were free. We spent hours swimming and lying in the warm sun. God, is this vacation or what?
For dinner, we wanted to try the restaurant by our hotel as it is way up on this hill and out of the way of tourists, but it was closed on Mondays. So we went back down to the bottom of town and found a restaurant that had tons of fresh seafood.
Our meal included: Whole fish and shrimp (heads, tails, skin, eyeballs) floured and fried in olive oil. Stuffed muscles in their shells filled with parsley, garlic, breadcrumbs and cheese, a stew of whole shrimp and something tricky and delicious that looked like Giger’s Alien in a clay pot. Roasted, sliced cuddlefish in a simple olive oil and fennel salad. Tiny gnocchi in a meat and tomato sauce. Pesto spaghetti with anchovies and a gorgeous vegetarian platter with roasted zucchini, potato and tomato and three kinds of baked savory tortes. We topped it off with two great bottles of local wine. Freaking fantastic.
Jon and Gibson’s meal went something like this:
Gibson: Jon, this fish head is for you.
Jon: I can’t eat that. It’s looking at me.
(Gibson stabs out the eyeballs of the fried fish.)
Gibson: There.
Jon: Still, no.
Gibson summed up the meal perfectly: You just put it in your mouth and see if it works!
July 4: Hey, it’s my birthday! Up around 7:30 to type and make coffee. The rock mover is moving rocks. We’re heading to Toscano today… renting a car and braving the roads. Time to wake Jon up and get moving!
05 July, 2006
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