Jet Lagged Gianna

I don’t have much to say about my second full day in Cinque Terre. I was exhausted and sore from all the hiking the previous day. I said goodbye to Troy and Harry, and then hopped on the shuttle.

I spend the majority of the day lying on a beach in Monterosso, switching between reading and napping. I got lunch at a random restaurant nearby. I ordered ribolita (a traditional bread soup).

I don’t care how hot it is, I’ll always want soup. Next was gelato and then back to the beach for another few hours. I took the 6 pm shuttle back to the hostel for dinner. Some of the other backpackers were hanging out and drinking wine. I spent some time with them before going to sleep.

I’d needed this day so much. I love to go go go when I travel. I want to see and do everything. But my body needed a relaxation day like it needed water. 

By the third day, I was ready for some action again. I got off the shuttle and took the metro to a town past Cinque Terre called Levanto. Some people at the hostel had recommended it to me. Honestly, it was only okay. It was dirtier and not as pretty as Cinque Terre. There’s a nice boardwalk sort of thing along the beach, but other than that I wasn’t impressed. 

I went all the way back to Corniglia for my lunch. I got one of my favorite dishes, penne arabiata, from a touristy looking restaurant (oops) where the waiter yelled at me for looking at my phone and then asked me to be his date. They can’t all be winners.

I wanted to do something really adventurous. I kept thinking about the “dangerous” long hike between Corniglia and Manarola. Before embarking on this solo travel adventure, I never would have chosen to do a hike through the woods by myself. By the end of my meal, I’d decided to give it a try. I can always turn back I told myself.

The hike was long, and extremely steep. I felt like I was walking up a 90 degree angle the entire time (I’m exaggerating my math friends, I know you can’t walk up a 90 degree angle). There was a sweet Italian family of two brothers and a sister either a few yards ahead of me or behind me the entire hike, so I wasn’t completely alone. But the solitude felt good. 

I was so high up in the mountain, I think I was in a cloud. Everything was covered in a thick fog, and I couldn’t see 5 feet in front of me. It made the woods seem so mystical.

 Somehow, I made my way to a vineyard run by a very old couple who I saw sitting on their porch. The hike literally took me through their backyard. I had wandered into a dream-like fairytale land. 

After hours of walking, I found myself in a tiny village with a dirt road that led me to a staircase that seemed to descend forever. I almost laughed out loud as I began the trek down. 

When I reached the bottom, I followed a dirt road. Suddenly, I heard two English speakers in front of me. They were knocking on the door of a small cottage.

“What are you doing?” I asked the two young looking men.

“They have peach trees. We’re going to see if they’ll give us some,” replied one of them with a smile. 

Unfortunately, no one answered. But the three of us started up a conversation. One of the guys, Eli, was 23 from North Carolina. The other was Alex from Texas. They were both solo travelers and had met at their hostel. They were on their way to meet up with their new Scottish friend in Manarola. 

A quick friendship formed between the three of us, as friendships do between backpackers. We walked and talked until we found the Scottish guy, Kyle.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” I told him, referring to the recent soccer/football game.

“Wow, thanks for that,” he laughed.

The three boys stopped. We’d reached the place I’d seen the cliff divers jumping the other day. 

“We gotta do that,” said Alex. 

I felt like I was gonna be sick. They wanted to cliff jump.

“I’m out,” said Kyle. I could have easily said me too. But I didn’t.

The three of us waded into the water. Alex climbed up the cliff first. Onlookers gasped as he did a backflip off the cliff and into the water. 

“You ready?” Eli asked me. I nodded. 

We climbed up the cliff together. My entire body was shaking with fear. Never in a million years would I have agreed to jump off a cliff. I couldn’t believe I was doing it now.

It felt even higher up when I reached the top. I couldn’t even fully stand up for fear of passing out.

“I’m gonna go,” Eli said. I could tell he was getting nervous. He took a deep breath and jumped. It was a few seconds before I heard him hit the water. I watched his head bob up.

“You coming?” he yelled up to me.

“Yes!” I yelled back.

Sitting in my apartment, writing this now, I have no idea how I had the courage to jump. I think I was having an out of body experience. The old Gianna never would have climbed up the cliff in the first place. But I was becoming a new person. A person who took risks, a person who craved adventure. I was becoming the person who went on difficult hikes by herself and made best friends with random strangers.

I took a deep breath and jumped. I screamed the whole way down. My body broke the surface of the water with a loud crack. I swam back up, gasping for breath. 

“Nice one!” Eli said, swimming to meet me.

“I can’t believe I just did that,” I yelled with happiness. I, who was too afraid to climb to the top of a lighthouse a few years earlier, had just jumped off a cliff.

“Wasn’t it awesome?!” Eli asked.

“Yes,” I replied. It was very awesome. 

The shuttle was coming soon, and I had to say goodbye to my new friends. I was getting used to goodbyes at this point.

Adrenaline was coursing through me as I boarded my shuttle. I sat next to a man from Argentina and spoke almost perfect Spanish with him. Nobody believes me when I tell them this story, but I swear jumping off that cliff gave me a boost of confidence. I’m terrible at Spanish! But I was able to hold a conversation with this Argentinian man who didn’t know a lick of English for a good hour. 

When I got back to the hostel to shower, by butt was still bright red from hitting the water. I laughed at myself, still in shock from the experience. 

Jumping off a cliff might seem small to some people, but I’ve always had a debilitating fear of heights. I still believe that I have grown so much from that experience. I haven’t seen or spoken to Eli or Alex since that afternoon, but I would love to thank them for unknowingly pushing me out of my comfort zone. I took a literal leap of faith that day, and I am so grateful for that experience. 

Up Next –> The Enchanted City of Ljubliana, Slovenia