I Heart Cinque Terre

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We have taken so many photos, all of which we can't wait to share with you all. The problem is that these photos won't give the beauty of this place the justice that it deserves. The other part that is missing from the photos is the scent in the air - it's nothing like Florence here. Frequently while we are walking we are surrounded by this lovely fragrance coming from the beautiful flowers. Flowers are everywhere here so you can imagine how lovely it smells. Our B&B that Rudi described earlier has the most beautiful flowers and gardens and 2 terrace to relax and enjoy the view. Our room has a beautiful view of the sea below and breathtaking views of the mountainside. Rudi's right, our hotel is not right on the water but rather a climb up the hill, but there is a short cut of stairs and the climb is doing us some good.
Speaking of climbing ... today has been a very active day!! Cinque Terre (5 towns) has a hiking trail that connects each one and we had planned all along to do this hike. We are staying at the northern most town called Monterosso and the trail between here and the next town called Vernazza is the longest, but also the only on that is open today because of the rain we had last night. Actually, that is a lie, the trail connecting the very last 2 towns was also open but it was very flat and nothing like the first one. We read that the first trail was challenging but really, how hard could it be? Oh my goodness ... it was a challenge that's for sure! I sure do hope that the pictures really prove me right in your eyes. The trail was made up completely of stairs going up, more stairs going up, and a few stairs going down. Don't get me wrong, it was beautiful beyond words and we felt a great sense of accomplishment when we finished (2 hours later) but man, it was tricky at times. When I say stairs I am not talking about even stairs - they were all different shapes and sizes, slippery, VERY narrow and super duper steep. "Feel the burn" was our motto for the day.
After lunch in Vernazza we opted to take the scenic tour to the other coastal towns and go by boat. It was lovely and the water here is truly magical. It reminded me a lot of the water in Brazil ... very deep blue, almost dark aqua and not like that of the Carribean. I only wish I had my bathing suit on so that I, like everyone else, could just jump in after the long hike. That water would have cooled us off perfectly! But we didn't have our suits on so we watched. The hike between the last 2 towns was flat (thank god) and really picturesque. The trail that connects these last 2 towns (or first 2 depending on which direction you are starting from) is called Via dell'Amore which translates to Pathway of Love. Back in the day the Cinque Terre were not connected by any paths or tunnels at all. People that lived in each town only married people from that town until a pathway was created between Riomaggiore and Manarola. After this the pathway became a meeting point for lovers from the 2 towns. They wrote their names on the walls of the tunnels much like graffiti and even today there are signatures of love on the walls. At several points along the pathway we saw padlocks, and combinations locks. These locks are attached to walls, bridges and fences to symbolize the commitment between 2 lovers. We saw them in Florence and Paris as well so this tradition isn't limited to Cinque Terre or Italy. Nonetheless it is very romantic.
Rudi and I decided that we would spend tomorrow relaxing (a.k.a recovering) in the town that we liked the most from todays travels. We both decided that the town we were staying in, Monterosso, was our favourite because of it's beautiful beaches and delicious restaurants. So tomorrow we will finally crack the spine of the books we brought and we will enjoy some fun in the sun. I will finally get in that glorious water!! We have been truly lucky with the weather that we have had so far. Italy has been really warm, probably around 30 degrees. Thankfully the only rain we have had was overnight last night. Hopefully we will continue to have nice weather right through to Saturday when we fly home (P.S. we don't actually get in to Toronto until 7pm - a little later than I thought).
As the time here now is 7:30pm we will find a quaint place to eat before making the trek back up to our hotel. Perhaps the incline of the streets and 75 steps or so up to the hotel won't seem so bad after the hike today. Tonight we will enjoy our balcony and maybe play a few games of cards and very likely fall asleep early 😊
We will write again tomorrow night before heading to Rome on Wednesday morning for the final leg of our trip.
Ciao!

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