Keaton Poppe 10/21/13 Block 2A Descriptive Essay The sun rose from behind the ominous, vast mountains.

A group of locals bustled to and fro not worrying about bumping into one another. As we sat on rocking dock in Cinque Terra, Italy trying not to slip and fall because of the total excitement we had bottled up inside of us. Italians stared at us with their, What are you doing? faces. We were jumping and squealing and going bonkers and there wasnt a care in the world to be had about the stares. As we set sail into the vast, blue Mediterranean Sea, I stared down into the clear water. I was so mesmerized by the clarity, I felt as if I was staring into the deep soul of the water. We sailed fluidly through the rocks that jutted out and the sleek and speedy boats that passed by and I counted over 300 jellyfish in the clear, blue water. Goosebumps and a rush of adrenaline overcame me as I jumped from the side of the boat into the clear yet mysterious waters beneath me. The chill of the cold water spread from my toes to my head as it enveloped me completely. While we were stopped, the captain of the boat had made us an Italian lunch composed of dark, slippery mussels and brightly seasoned pasta. The smell of the mussels and herbs added to the pasta overcame that of the sea salt. The pesto and mussels mixed to create an aroma that awakened my empty stomach and my mouth immediately started watering. As we continued our journey, the salty air-

dried my hair. The salt in my hair and the salt on my hands created a sticky feeling like running my hand through honey. The nights in Cinque Terra are one to record in the books. We camped on a terrace right next to the water. The smell of the pizzeria wafted into our tents as we played dominoes that night. I could have sat on the shore, and watched the sun sink beneath the horizon as the pink, purple, and orange hues blanketed the evening sky. The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks created a peaceful lull in the entire campground. The environment was so peaceful that not even my deepest thoughts would ever reach the surface. The gentle sound and the fading light help me to drift off into a profound sleep only to be awoken by the sun rising from behind me again.