Rain Here, Rain There, Rain Everywhere

Saturday, June 4
The weather is nothing but consistent...pouring rain. But I keep thinking of those poor souls in Paris. The flooding there is out of control. They've had to close the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay. No boats but police boats are allowed on the Seine. I feel sorry for the tourists arriving there with plans for the great museums and a dinner cruise on the Seine. We may get wet but we aren't in a life threatening situation!  Poor Paris...still suffering from the terrorist attacks, and now this!  To think...I could have easily reversed the order of this trip and we could be ending it in that location. Thank you, God, for your travel mercies.
Well what is one to do when it is raining?  Shop!  You can always shop!  So we enjoy the shops of Santa Margherita.  Jacque wants us to see Portofino because it is charming also (and very close), and she thinks we'd really enjoy it, but....how much rain can we enjoy???  Will the rain be any more beautiful in Portofino than it is in Santa Margherita??
So, we take some time to rest and enjoy the view…of the rain…from our room.  But even a rainy scene is a beautiful one with the beach in front of you (especially if you're staying dry!)
Later we head to dinner at the same neighborhood trattoria that we went to last night.  After all...the food was great!  We're celebrating Jacque's special birthday and having a generally wonderful time.  Larry and I enjoy our last tastes of the Ligurian sea's fresh seafood with fritto misto (assorted fried seafood) and spaghetti con vongole (with clams) while John and Jacque enjoy the veal marsala.  We all love our food.
After dinner we notice that…believe it or not…it's not raining!  So we take a beautiful stroll along the harbor to enjoy the lights of the city from the end of the harbor and to see all the yachts.  Jacque picks out the one she wants to purchase.  It's about the size of a small town.  Santa Margherita is so gorgeous tonight…with the lights on the church, twinkly lights on the stores, lit up yachts reflecting onto the water, the lapping of the waves, and the warmth of a non-rainy June evening.
Santa Margherita, you will always own a piece of our hearts!