Not wanting to waste away out last morning in Cinque Terre as Karina slept, I decided to get up early and do a little hike of my own (per recommendations of Rick Steve's). At the promontory jutting out into the water between New Town and Old Town in Monterosso, I climbed about a million steps to reach the top. Firstly, the views were obviously incredible. The best part though was encountering the town cemetery, located at the very top of the cliff. What a beautiful place to be buried, overlooking a quaint town, tremendous mountains, and majestic waters. Although one section resembled a traditional cemetery with wooden cross gravestones, my favorite portion was the never ending maze of white marbles walls containing tombs. Each tomb contained a picture of the person buried there, ranging in death dates from the 1800s until present day. Vibrant flowers covered these walls, giving such a clear picture of the love surrounding the tiny town. The obviously wealthy families were buried in huge and ornately decorated mausoleums. As I went to leave, I encountered a church which i concluded to be the monk monastery I had read about. I walked into the church, and actually heard the monks singing in a portion blocked from site behind the altar.. What a beautiful sound! Realizing the time, I hurried down and back to Hotel Souvenir to enjoy a quick breakfast and checkout before rushing off the catch the train. On the way to the station, we encountered one last glance of the breath-taking beach (and even saw some topless sunbathers). Our train on the way back proved to be a bit of a struggle, as we had never before dealt with the hassle of assigned seats! After trying first class and two of the wrong cars, we finally found our spots! Since they weren't next to each other, I plopped myself next to Karina and pretended that anybody who thought my seat was theirs was crazy... But it worked! I think the language barrier helped a bit. I met a cute couple on their honeymoon, who were departing from Cinque Terre en route to Venice. Reaching Milan, we were back at the apartment by three. Buckling down to study for the midterm, I indulged in a bit too much chocolate from stress. We took a trip to the grocery store, and I am finally getting the hang of Italian shopping! I stocked up for the rest of the trip, but it was sad to even think of this trip ending! After my chocolate indulgence, I made a healthy salad for dinner with spinach, tomato, mozzarella, grilled chicken, olive oil, and balsamic vinaigrette. I then studied the rest of the night, scared to get my first B in a summer study abroad class! Take me back to Cinque Terre!!