Day 8: Viva la Huelga!

This morning we thought we were clever to wake up at 5:30am to catch an early train, haha were we wrong. As we waited near the large train departures screen in Rome's Termini, we watched our train get delayed again and again until it was cancelled. After some panic, we realized there was a train at 7:15 and would get us to Pisa in time so that we could catch our connection to La Spezia. We were just saying how good and efficient the Italian train system has been...anyways, it gets better.
Once in Pisa, we realize our first train to La Spezia was cancelled. Then we grew more suspicious. I waited in the help line for a while and found out that the Trenitalia workers were on strike for 24 hour- with which I thought might have been in protest to tourists after the 1-1 tie with the US, but this was not funny to the help lady in my broken Italian.
Anyways, we had about an hour in Pisa to figure out what to do. We were stuck between running over to see the leaning tower and figuring out the trains. We chose the latter because of the crazy day we had been having and we wanted to make sure to catch any train to La Spezia because this was also not our final destination.
Finally, in La Spezia, we were thrilled to find out that all trains from La Spezia to anywhere were cancelled. With no other way to get to Cinque Terre, we decided to taxi to the Southernmost Cinque Terre town, Riomaggiore. Once in Rio we walked through the gorgeous, tiny sea town down to the water so that we could catch a ferry to the town we were staying in, Monterosso. Finally all of our troubles had payed off; the ferry ride between the towns was incredible.
In case you don't know, Cinque Terre means "five lands" and they are five small fishing villages only several miles apart and are hikeable by cliffside trail.
Once in Monterosso we checked into our place- a very old apartment-like building turned hotel. The small town was very quaint and there were quite a bit of tourists, but not too many yet. We had dinner along the beach and searched for internet and happy hour specials but decided to just take a freezing cold shower (most of the showers in Italy were cold) and go to bed, thus ending our crazy adventure to the coast of the Italian Riviera.