Nov 1, 2011

Cinque Terre.

We visited Cinque Terre during in the middle of our trip to Europe lastt summer. Beautiful! The colors were what I loved the very most. Narrow cobblestone streets lined with brightly colored buildings led you down to spectacular views of the bright blue ocean. The towns are all connected via train or oceanside path (some more leisurely than others), & we spent a beautiful + sunny day walking around the villages & eating quite a bit of focaccia al formaggio. 

Have you heard about what happened there last week? A severe rainstorm brought massive flooding to the area, causing absolute devastation to Vernazza & Monterosso, especially (this video of cars being washed out to sea breaks my heart). It just makes me sick.

My stomach has done so many flip-flops thinking about the beautiful places we walked just a few months ago that are now buried under rubble & mud. While we were standing on this hillside overlooking Vernazza, a giant wave came in & crashed over a crowd of people standing near the rocks. A woman was knocked over & down a ledge. A crowd of people rushed over & carried her away, & I knew she was injured. It was scary to watch, & I remember thinking how powerful water is, how unexpected it can be, & how quickly it can cause severe damage. 

I'm praying today that these beautiful places can recover & rebuild.




2 comments:

Jill said...

OH MY. Sadly, I had no idea this was happening. I have been there too and it is the most picturesque place... goodness!

Oslo på svenska said...

It's so sad! I'm glad that you did get to see it before the rain hit!