I Think It is Tuesday

My time in the Cinque Terre is proving to be as restful as I had hoped. On the first night of my arrival, there were thrilling overnight thunderstorms that woke me up several times. The hotel electricity kept going out and each time, a bright emergency light flickered in my room like lightening. By morning, the thunder had passed, but it was still rainy, windy and overcast. The hiking trails were all closed, so I spent the day alternately snoozing and reading.

Today was a gorgeous day and the trails were all open. I decided to hike from here (Monterosso) to Vernazza, the next town over, and then decide if I wanted to keep going. This took me a little less than 2 hours and since I wasn't hungry yet, I hiked to the next town (Cerniglia) where I had lunch at a lovely hilltop restaurant with a great view. Since I had completed the hardest two legs of the five town hike, I decided to do the rest, so I pushed on, making it to Riomagggiore (the southernmost of the five towns) by around 3:30. I took the train back, quickly changed into my bathing suit, and spent an hour on the beach and in the refreshing Ligurian sea.

The views from the hiking trails are just spectacular. The Cinque Terre region produces a dry white wine as well as a sweet dessert wine, and the hillsides are covered with terraced vineyards, mixed with groves of olive and lemon trees. The trails also take hikers past private hillside residences with their own gardens of tomatoes, basil, peppers and greens. I've attached a small selection of photos - they speak for themselves.