Italian Riviera

    The trip to the UK had been so fun and so tiring. We have gotten use to being crazy sightseeing tourists for 2 days a week and sitting around the flat for the other 5 days. This was a straight 9 days of crazy, fabulous sightseeing and we were worn out. We needed a vacation after that vacation. So for our next weekend trip we picked a non-sightseeing destination. We couldn't resist the opportunity to swim in the Mediterranean Sea so we set our sights on the French Riviera. But the French Riviera was 8 and a half hours away. If we drove straight south from Bruchsal we'd run into the Mediterranean Sea somewhere in Italy. So we turned our sights instead on the Italian Riviera. I asked google maps to plot a course to the Mediterranean Sea to see what town on the coast it would take us to. Well, it plotted a course to the middle of the sea but the route passed through Genoa so I figured that must be fastest one to get to. I found a reasonably priced hotel near Genoa then I started researching beaches. Apparently most of the beaches of the Riviera are rocky beaches ranging from very large stones to tiny pebbles. We like our beaches sandy so I did some searches online and found a couple options. I also learned that most of the beaches are private - where you pay a fee to rent an umbrella and chairs. There are some free public beaches. To find these, you look for the beach without all the matching umbrellas. I was a bit nervous about this trip - we didn't have much time and I didn't have much information. The kids were going to be really disappointed if we didn't get to play on the beach very long. (Have you figured out yet that I am not a fan of the "let's see how it goes" approach?)
     Saturday morning we were in the car early but Gertrude decided to be difficult. She did not like the hotel address that I tried to input. Hmmm . . . . So we drove back to the flat and Andrew had google maps (who accepted the address, no problem) plot the course. We told Gertrude to take us to Ovada, the town the hotel was in, hoping that we'd be able to figure it out when we got there. And we had the google map if all else failed. And we were on our way.
      Our route took us back through Switzerland. We made a WC stop in Switzerland. (I have to remember not to drink a full pot of tea before a long drive.) The WC's cost 50 euro cents but then we got vouchers to use that 50 cents in the store or restaurant. Piper had been pining for a cowbell since our first visit to Switzerland. We hadn't found one yet and our opportunities to find one were getting fewer so we looked at the touristy stuff in the shop. We found a little overpriced "cowbell" and put our 2 euros in vouchers toward that. Piper was happy and we were back on our way.

Gotthard tunnel - 3rd longest in the world at over 16 km

     Just after noon we arrived in Ovada. Gertrude took us to the center of town but there was no sign of our hotel. We drove around a little then pulled out Andrew's computer to see if the google map would help at all. (We weren't too sure where we were at this point. Again, it is hard to figure out which way to go when you don't know where you are.) Luckily, it turned out our hotel was very near the highway we'd exited to get to Ovada. So we backtracked and there it was! Hurray! (I marked the location in the GPS so we could find it again easily.)
     We had a nice big room that was even air conditioned! (I think I like Italian hotels the best. The drivers . . . not so much.) We changed into our swimsuits, packed a lunch, and got back in the car to drive to the town of Celle Ligure where it was rumored the beaches had, if not sand, at least rocks small enough to be called sand-like. It was about a half hour drive but soon after we left the hotel we started getting our first glimpses of the Mediterranean Sea rising up to met the horizon. It was so amazing to think that just across that water is Africa. Taran was sure he could see it out there - he does have good eyes. = )

There it is - the Mediterranean Sea!

      When we arrived in Celle Ligure we found that all the town's inhabitants and quite a few visitors had all decided that this was the perfect day to spend on the beach. And our old problem that has plagued us all trip long came up again - where to leave the car. We drove round and round the town three times before finally happening upon an empty parking space. On the upside, parking was cheap and, after working with the parking machine a little while, we were ready to head to the beach.
     Next problem, which beach? We found the public beach pretty easily. It was a very narrow strip of "sand" packed with towels, umbrellas, and people. It was a very hot, sunny day and, although we were all wearing sunscreen, we were a bit concerned about the sun exposure. Next door was a private beach so we inquired about renting a spot. It wasn't cheap but since it was our only activity of the day and we didn't want to end up sunburned, we went for it. We got an umbrella and three chairs in the third row. Those private beaches make efficient use of all the space available.

Can you find Andrew and Piper in this picture?

Our spot

Where the sand met the rocks

     The sand reached down to about 6 feet in front of the water. Then there was a strip of small stones, then a mixture of sand and rocks beneath the water. After a brief shallow part, the ground dropped away quickly and it got deep fast. Within a couple of yards from the shore I could no longer touch the bottom.
      Andrew took his turn playing in the water with the kids first while I relaxed under the umbrella and read my book. Then he came in for a nap and I went out with the kids. The water was a bit chilly at first but it felt good since it was so hot out. It was very calm, no big waves to speak of. Piper and I had fun swimming quite far and just hanging out in the sea. The water was very clear and we could look down and see fish swimming under us. Taran spent his time close to shore letting the little waves toss and turn his body this way and that.

A wee bit chilly!

   

    (Interesting note: I don't think that is possible to buy a one piece bathing suit or even a tankini in Italy. All the ladies, small and big (and some were very large), wore bikinis. Piper and I looked highly over dressed.)

 
    At 7:30 the private beach closed, so we moved our stuff over to the public beach and stayed for a little longer. Most of the Italians had gone home by that time so there was plenty of room for us. Andrew took the opportunity to skip rocks in the Mediterranean Sea. Last week it was the North Atlantic - this week the Mediterranean! We sure get around, don't we? = )

Piper made a sand spider.

     The sunset was beautiful.

    We decided to call it a day at 8:30. Taran was the only one that had stayed in the water until the very end so the rest of us were dry enough to not need to change. This public beach had a shower and a change room that Taran made use of. He emerged drier and we started back to the hotel.
     At the hotel, we took turns showering off the considerable amount of sand and salt we'd brought back with us. You could even see the salt that had dried on our skin and hair. All clean and tired out from sun and play, we slept well that night.
     Since we had to drive back to Bruchsal that afternoon, we got a jump on the morning and managed to eat breakfast and check out of the hotel a little after 8 am. This time we headed for the town of Alassio, a little further west than Celle Ligure. We didn't bother trying to find a parking spot near the beach but looked for one a couple streets into town. We found a place near an old church with a statue of a bishop to guard our car while we swam.
     This time we decided to hang out at the public beach. We got there early enough that there was still room for us and we were planning on leaving before the sun got too high so hopefully we could avoid a sunburn. This beach actually had real sand that went all the way into the water. It was shallow for quite a ways out and gentle waves rolled over the crystal clear water. Andrew tried to play ball with the kids but the wind kept stealing the ball and running off with it. Piper and I set off to swim to Africa but we changed our minds and just hung out in the deep water, floating in the rising and falling water. We had a lot of fun trying to sit in the water with our toes peeking above the surface and riding over the waves feet first. = ) Andrew was sure we were both going to drown - he's not much of a swimmer. = ) The waves near the shore were great for body surfing. Taran and Piper had some pretty good rides.

The private beach next to us.

Just looks so "Italian Riviera", doesn't it?

Piper trying to ride the waves.

     Too soon it was time to go. This public beach was not equipped with a shower or change room but Andrew found a shower down the beach for only 1 euro. Unfortunately the shower was doorless - and we are not European enough to change in the open. So I had to get clever. There were two doorless showers. We took turns showering in one then going in the other to change while someone held our beach blanket over the door. I was the last to go through the procedure and I was almost done when the owner of the showers accosted Andrew saying that these weren't change rooms - they were pay showers! Andrew stalled him long enough for me to finish and we quickly left. Italians aren't the most generous people, it seems.
     We made a quick stop for gelato then started off for Bruchsal.

Last look at the Mediterranean Sea

     It looked like we were going to get back in good time. Ah, but when does that ever happen? Not far down the road we began to be bombarded with messages of "traffic disruptions on route". It got so bad that Gertrude took us a totally different route home that added 2 hours to the trip. It must have been really bad the other way. It is really depressing watching the ETA creep higher and higher. But we've come to expect it. And I got some pictures of parts of Switzerland we hadn't seen before.

Switzerland - gotta love it!

Back in Germany - another awesome sunset

This car caused Andrew much frustration.
If you're ever driving in Germany, watch out for this guy!

     It was good that we started back when we did because it was anything but early when we pulled up to our flat. But we'd swam in the Mediterranean Sea so all was good. = )