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Published: August 21st 2008
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On the way to La Spezia we stopped in Pisa, I had a fun time as you can see in the photos. We arrived in La Spezia in the afternoon I thought it was a bit cooler than Florence. Once we ditched the bags we went and found the train station to sort out our tickets for Cinque Terre (the main reason why we were here). To Dales dislike we decided to get up quite early to start the 9km hill top walk , thinking it would be good to miss the heat of the day. In usual fashion as soon as the 5.15am alarm went off I bounded out of bed excited and ready. Dale was not as energetic as me at that time of the morning but with out moaning got up. We got on the train at 5.48am ready for the 25min journey to Monterosso the furthrest village away from La Spezia.
We started the walk at 6.30am, going against the grain of most people doing the walk on the advise from a friend. I was happy to start so early the track was so quiet there wasn't a trace of any one else on the normally
busy track. We both really like Monterosso and realised that there was a stone beach and deck chairs lined up (we will be back). The walk from Monterosso to the next town Vernazza was difficult with most of it being an up hill climb, but it was worth the 1 and a half hours of climbing when we saw a glimpse of the small town though the trees. It was lovely with beautiful coloured houses all stacked up on top of one another hugging the cliff line facing the ocean. It was so nice walking though the small town it was so inviting and had decorations everywhere welcoming us in. It would have been nice to stay but I knew we had to keep going if i was going to finish, so we began another climb out of the town on our way to Corniglia. Ahhh what a mission at the top of this hill we were all sweaty I had to keep stopping, just too unfit. The track soon leveled out and after another one and a half hours we found ourselves in Corniglia the town was perched up on a high cliff face. This was good because I
knew there couldn't be another massive hill to climb so we stopped and rested on a chair for a while before moving to the next town.
More and more people started showing up on the track I felt sorry for them because it was getting so hot and they still had alot of hills and a long way to go. The walk become flat and relaxing and before we knew it we arrived in Monarola, I couldn't help but notice more colourful houses. It was beautiful it had white marble stones out in the water catching the swell of the Mediterranean sea. Only another 30 mins and we arrived in Riomaggiore the finish line. The walk took 4 and a half hours and it was so impressive seeing some of the most beautiful and unique landscapes in Italy. The views from the cliff faces onto the cultivated terraces where amazing.
The next day we decided to go to Monterosso for the day, it was great we hired deck chairs and relaxed. This time I had my goggles ready so I could see some fish but once I got out there, there wasn't as many as Amlfi. Dale practiced
floating (starfish) but still couldn't stay up despite the very, very salty water. We had the best foccossia bread for lunch that we have ever had. The next day we decided to go on a boat trip across to each town so we could get out and explore a bit more. The first town it stopped in was Riomaggiore it was much bigger than I first thought, it would have been great to snorkel at as well because the water was shallow and so clear. The beach was rocky though. At Manarola people were jumping off large rocks into the crystal clear water it looked dangerous but fun, there where a few small restaurants and shops to look around in. Corniglia was the town perched high above the cliff so the boat didn't stop there. I loved the pink and white rocks on the sea side in Vernanzza it just went so well with the colours of the houses. I really love this town it was so inviting and beautiful. I was glad to get back on the boat, wearing a black dress in 38 degree heat was not the best idea of the day.
We cooled down quickly
on the way back to Monterosso and I was excited because the boat dropped us in a part of the town which I hadn't explored yet. We had a nice dinner and relaxed. While people watching I noticed a small child on top of a balcony he threw a peg down to the town below and almost hit someone. The person looked up and I could see the confusion set in, as the person couldn't see the small child at the top. The person was looking all around to try and figure out where the peg come from. It was so funny to watch. We are sad to say goodbye to Italy for now, its been so much fun such a beautiful place.
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Barbara
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Wow
You have described the Cinque Terra amazingly Katrina - that is just how I too felt about it. It is a place I would really like to return to one day. Looking forward to your next update