Out of so many itineraries of various tours of Italy, I picked this one because it included Cinque Terre, a place I had always longed to visit. And I mainly wanted to go there for ONE photo, showing all the clustered colorful houses built from the shore level lining all the way uphill. It was a nice day compared to the rainy days I had on this trip, but due to the strong wind and rough sea, the ferries were all cancelled, and that particular photo should be best taken from a boat.

The suspension of the ferry service not only gave me the biggest disappointment of the whole trip, but also caused the overcrowded trains running inside the Cinque Terre (Five Lands). Thousands of tourists from different bus tours plus the cruise ships all squeezed on the narrow platforms waiting to get on the delayed trains.... a horrible scene.

Nevertheless, the strong wind and high wave brought me some consolation - Photo #18 couldn't have been captured if the sea was calm.

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