Blogs from Monterosso al Mare, Liguria, Italy, Europe - page 3

'Today started with another breakfast in the enchanted garden, we made it for 9am to give us an extra half hour to sleep in. It really is a great way to start the day. CINQUE TERRE ON FOOT – THE BLUE TRAIL Afterwards we wandered down to the train station to buy our Cinque Terre Card. The card gives you access to the walking tracks between the five villages. We bought a 2 day pass; there is the option of including the local train which we also took. It means we can walk one way and train back which we figured meant we would be able to go slower and enjoy the experience more. That organised we headed back through the Old Town to the start of the track. We decided to take the Blue Track ... read more

Today was a very interesting one to say the least, the shackles had been released (in the nicest possible way) from the strict routine required to get 38 people in a coach around 14 countries of Europe in 33 days, and we were on our own! GENOA We still needed our wits about us though as we had to report at Gatwick for our flight to Genoa Italy by 8.30pm (flight left 10.30am). In the end the decision to stay out by Gatwick was a good one as we could get organised, have breakfast and only need to leave the Hotel at around 8ish, although in the end we were a bit before that. Initially everything went smoothly. We checked in, our suitcases only weighed around 17kg each (allowance is 23kg) so questionable if we needed ... read more

Some days are just perfect. We didn't plan much for today, but it all unfolded as though we had mapped it out carefully. We woke up keen to explore, after only getting a glimpse of Monterosso from high up the hill at sunset last night. I threw open the big green shutters on our French doors and couldn't believe how gorgeous the view and the garden was. There were brightly coloured flowers everywhere in the garden, and we were aware of the fragrance of the jasmine before we walked down the path to breakfast and saw it. I can't believe I'm writing this, but I had the best coffee I've had in Italy from a MACHINE at the breakfast buffet! Strong and milky, just how I like it - nothing like the old cafe bars at ... read more

Nasz blog powstał przede wszystkim po to,żeby opowiadać o naszych przygodach w Afryce. Dziękuję za cierpliwość wszystkim, którzy śledzą bieg wydarzeń wyczekując informacji, że Cieśnina Gibraltarska za nami. No więc załoga kolejny raz zmieniła skład. Wbrew wcześniejszym zapowiedziom,Pies( prosił żeby nie upubliczniać jego danych osobowych,nie życzy sobie rozgłosu) zamiast siedzieć spokojnie, w domu na emeryturze (specjalnie dla niego budowaliśmy płotek!) ...dowodzi teraz wyprawą (!) zmierzającą na południe, w stronę Hiszpanii. Aktualnie przesyłają buziaki i pozdrowienia z włoskiej plaży. Podobno pełnię księżyca też tam mają. Reszta drużyny kwitnie w gipsie i umila sobie czas z Panem Kapuścińskim, który zna Afrykę jak własną kieszeń i fascynująco o niej opowiada. ... read more

Finished my stay in Firenze (Florence) last Saturday and headed straight to Cinque Terra - about three hours by train, with a change at the La Spezia station to a local train to Monterossa. It was soooo nice getting out of the big city for awhile and into a small town environment with hiking trails, beautiful vistas, few vehicles (and the ones that are here move very slowly and quietly), et al. Cinque Terra - literally, “five lands” -- a region along the Ligurian Sea (northwest) coast consisting of five small towns, originally fishing villages, but now heavily tourist-oriented and each one accessible to the others by train, boat or trail. The trail-walking is the best and ranges from a fairly arduous trek on the north end to a relatively easy stroll between the two most ... read more