A Year Later: Varazze, Italy (Part 2)

 

 

After a great day lounging on the beach and imbibing in some Birra Moretti, we headed out for some seafood...

 

 

 ...because where are you going to find fresher seafood then on the Riviera? (Spoiler alert: not many places.)

 

 

Want to know one thing I love about traveling? More than anything else in the world? The lovely and the random. It seems like we find the most lovely and the most random while traveling in Italy, and Varazze was no different. After dinner we decided to take a stroll, and stumbled upon a Queen Tribute band called "Queen Mania" that was just taking the stage.

 

 

I love Queen. I love Freddie. I love Italians pretending to be Freddie. And I love Italians singing Queen.

 

 

And strangely enough, this is the second Italian Queen tribute band that we've stumbled upon in a 6 month period in Italy.

 

 

It was surreal watching the concert in Varazze, because all of the songs that we knew well, the ones that we thought of as popular, the Italian crowd didn't know the words to - but the ones that were more obscure (to us), they were all over. Funny the differences of what becomes popular in one place compared to another.

 

 {Great spot for picking up pizza to bring to the beach}

 

 

The following day was our last in Varazze, and we intended to get the most time on the beach that we could.

 

 

Overcast or not, we couldn't care less. I'm definitely more of the beach person than Doc (he is from Nebraska after all), but I know we both enjoyed relaxing with our feet in the sand and swimming in the Mediterranean.

 

 

It has always taken me awhile to leave the beach, ever since I was a little girl. My mom used to give me the "five minutes to go" warning for about an hour before we actually left, and Doc has to do the same thing. "Just one more dip! It's my last time in the Mediterranean this year! Just ten more minutes! Ok I just want to collect some sea glass..." and so on and so on. I guess certain things we just don't grow out of.

 

 

We grabbed a gelato to go, and started our trek back from the Ligurian coast to the Jura Mountains. We did however make a pit stop at one of our favorite places on the drive back, for one last Italian pizza before heading back through the Mont Blanc tunnel.

 

 

 A year is far too long to be away from you Italy. Les Duggans need to right this wrong, and soon. Let the 2014 trip planning begin!

 

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey



A year later: Varazze, Italy (Part 1)

 

 

After finishing up our day of hiking on Mont Blanc in Chamonix, France, we drove through the Mont Blanc tunnel into Italy. We had a long weekend planned on the Italian Riviera, and after having spent so much of the months prior training for Bikram Yoga Teacher Training, I was really looking forward to it! We made it into town at about 10:00 PM after stopping off on the way for some pizza and about 5 espressos each, and were pretty tired (despite the five espressos). All of Varazze seemed to be just getting started for the night, but we went to bed so we could head out and explore early in the morning.

 

 

After some Italian pastries and cappuccinos for breakfast, we headed down to the beach and were met by a surprise: not only did you have to pay for the beach in Varazze, but it was very expensive. As in 50 euro expensive for two people for two days. And I'm pretty sure we got a discount from staying at the hotel we were staying at. However, with the most expensive beach badge we've ever paid for (I have spent half of my life in New Jersey after all) came two chaise lounges, an umbrella, a game area for kids, and a bar/restaurant.

 

{Umbrellas and speedos as far as the eye can see...}

 

 

After the beach we went for our first (of many) gelato of the weekend...

 

 

...followed by some aperos and snacks before heading back to the hotel.

 

 

Not a cloud in the sky or a worry in our hearts.

 

Check back tomorrow for the next installment of our trip a year ago to Varazze, Italy!

 

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey