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Cinque Terra - 26th & 27th August
26th August
Back on Busabout from Florence to La Spezia. Stop off in Pisa for a happy snaps on the way. Arrive into La Spezia mid arvo, staying at Hotel Astoria which turns out to be a hotel room with 2 added fold out beds to make it a four bed "dorm". A little awkward but room was decent size and didnt spend much time there anyway.
Cinque Terra is made up of 5 'terres' - small villages along the coast. Heading away from La Spezia they go Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. A train links all the towns and provides a very scenic trip along the coast. The railway stations have prime real estate!
Ventured into Monterosso which is the more popular spot where lots of tourists stay. Lots of people on the beach but the beach is pebbles, dirt and rocks! Doesnt stop people from sunbaking all day. I had a swim in the crystal clear water which was quite cold. Most of the beaches have sections of umbrellas and chairs that were private and you have to pay. Only a small section of "free beach" where everyone tries to squeeze in. I wandered the town and then caught the tain back to Riomaggiore where i watched the sunset which was beautiful and had dinner.
27th August
Up early to conquer the Cinque Terre National Park Track. Started from the Monterosso end and worked my way back to Riomaggiore so that i knocked over the long and hard stretches first.
Started at 8.30 Monterosso to Vernazza. This track took 1.5 hours and was lots of uphill! Within the first 5 mins i was dripping in sweat, so hot and humid!! But all the uphill climbing and sweat was totally worth it. Amazing views! The track was quite dodgy and narrow at times. Would be interesting to know how many peolpe have slipped over the edge into the bushes. Just when you are starting to get really exhausted, running out of water and wondering where the next town is you just have to turn a corner and BAM! It's right there in front of you, an amazing view. Vernazza was lovely, probably my favourite of the villages. It was smaller and peaceful. People sunbaking on the rocks and boat ramps and they had a tiny beach.
Next was Vernazza to Corniglia which took just under 1.5 hours, was equally as hard and only getting hotter. Corniglia was up on a cliff face with no beach. Although coming into town there were specific areas where people were lazing around the rocks and swimming in the crystal clear water. Looked amazing and was very tempting to go for a swim but there were stairs down to the water which just meant having to climb back up - so no!
By Corniglia to Manarola it was starting to get a lot flatter but also hotter. Was only half an hour track. Mararolla had no beach at all so once again the rocks and boat ramps were covered in sun bakers and people swimming in the rock pools.
From Manarola to Riomaggoire it was totally flat and lots of people doing the easy walk. This section of the track has the Walkway of Love which is famous for couples locking padlocks to the gates to declare their love for each other. By the time I got to Riomaggorie i had been going for about 5 hours and was totally exhausted! I made it to the 'beach' where i stumbled over the rocks into the refreshingly cold water. Was the most awkward and un-lady like entrance and exit out of the sea. Waves were breaking and you quite easily step off a rock, stumble or fall. Was entertaining watching others trying to get in and out too!
When i finally got back to the hotel it was relaxation time! Had a bad case of dehydration/ heat stroke/exhaustion so bed it was.
For dinner I wandered to Monterosso but then ended in Riomaggiore where i had dinner with an American lady i met on the train to there. She was here doing Italian classes. Was a little awkward at first having dinner with someone i met on a train 10 mins before hand but turned out to be a really nice evening.
28th August
Explored La Spezia. Wandered to the port and the main street. Its mostly shopping with some cafes. Was larger and prettier than i expected.
Busabout La Spezia to Nice.
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