The biggest benefit of Beth living and working in Amsterdam for 18 months was that we were able to travel around Europe using Amsterdam as a home base. We were able to take several amazing trips over the last year and a half. The best trip though, was our 2 week trip to Italy in May 2008 that included Florence, Cinque Terre and Venice. We visited Cinque Terre over Memorial Day weekend. Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of the coast on the Italian Riviera. Cinque Terre is Italian for "Five Lands" and comprises five small villages connected via hiking trails. Although some are physically challenging, the trails offer stunning views of the coastline and the villages. Hiking between the towns is a big part of visiting Cinque Terre. The four spans of trails between the five villages vary in difficulty, so we decided to split the hike up into two days. The first day, would feature the toughest two trails between Monterosso, Vernazza, and Corniglia. To say the hike was challenging would be an understatement. Brian trained for several weeks hiking up and down Stone Mountain, but the Cinque Terre trails were much more intense than what you'll find in north Georgia. The hike was well worth it though... the views were absolutely incredible! On our second day in Cinque Terre, we decided to take a more relaxing hike and to have a picnic on the trail. We visited a cute local market and bought the makings of a romantic Italian picnic: prosciutto, crackers, cheese, olives, strawberries and champagne. We started at the section of the trail called the Via Dell'Amore ("Lovers Walk"). We strolled along the trail and enjoyed the scenic surroundings and the sound of the waves crashing up against the cliffs. We climbed down off the trail towards the ocean and found a cozy spot for our picnic where we discussed our bright future and how we were looking forward to living in the same city again. Brian got down on one knee and pulled out a black velvet ring box and asked Beth to marry him. Beth was completely surprised! Her first reaction was "Oh my God, is this really happening right now!?!?!" After that, she quickly said yes, and he placed the ring on her finger!! Beth then called a handful of friends and family to share the good news!