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Thursday
Woke to a mill pond sea. First stop the Officio Turistico to get the mandatory map. We found the Informatzione which was like a miniature portable class room plonked in the middle of a car park. The windows were covered with posters so you couldn't see in and on one side there was a small sliding window, behind which sat a tall skinny guy in a white singlet with cigarette, gazing intently at his laptop. After the usual expression of disgust at having been disturbed by some idiotic tourist he sauntered to the window and proceeded to respond to all of our questions, like, do you have a ferry timetable, is the walking path around the Cinque Terre open, where do I buy the entry tickets, is there a a laundromat in Lerici, (is there a bike shop in Lerici). We thanked him for his help and before we could ask anymore questions he slammed the window shut before anyone else came by to interrupt him. After all, it was 10:30am.
Lerici is a beautiful place to stay. We have not see one tourist bus, it is very quiet and plenty to see and do, providing all you want to do is climb stairs, explore the incredibly narrow streets and hope the pigeons are not roosting on the roof above, oh, and eat.
I have come to the view that italians do not so much have lunch or have dinner but rather they start to graze around 11:30 and keep it up until midnight!!
Well we found the laundromat and worked out how to use the machines, set the washing for a 30 min cycle and went off to buy some food. After 20 mins of wandering, it was time to head back to the laundromat, so after plotting the most direct route that the map had to offer, we set off. Unfortunately, the map did not show the contours and after climbing upward ever upward, it was time to ask the first person we saw, where we were. Turns out we had followed the series of winding streets up through the old part of town and were now a "considerable" distance from the laundromat and the washing that by now had finished 10 mins earlier. Undeterred, down the path/steps we went until we ended up almost where we started and then it was plain sailing to get to the washing. Out of the washing machine and into the dryer, which after eating €3, refused to start, so into the next dryer which did work, only this time we sat and watched it for the whole cycle, not daring to get lost a second time.
Anyway, later that night we found a nice place to eat and I had the most amazing seafood rissotto and after some trepidation following her ordering a dish off the menu with no English translation available, except for the word "spaghetti", Jean felt the same way about her spaghetti with mussels, clams and calamari.
Friday
Off to the Cinque Terre (5T) today, first stop Vernazza then overland ( over mountain really) to Monterosso al Mare a la pied. This was some hike. For the first 45 mins it was all up hill, 90% by stairs either cut into the rock or roughly made. The path was quite narrow and the hordes of German tourists with walking sticks coming the other way were quite wide, making passing somewhat of a challenge. Once at what appeared to be the top of the climb, the path went downhill at a 20% gradient and it seemed the steeper it went, the narrower it became. The real pleasure was seeing the looks of relief as those coming towards us on the few flat sections who falsely thought that they had reached the top. Little did they know what lay ahead for them.
Anyway we reached the bottom after a couple of hours and found a spot on the edge of the water to break open the prosciutto, cheese and olives that we had bought and have lunch. A delightful way to end that part of the day before getting the next ferry back to Lerici with a brief stop over for an hour or so at Riomaggiorre. Not the most attractive town but worth a visit.
Finally we were back in Lerici on home turf as it were, only to find that a festival of local foods from the sea and the earth had been set up in the Piazza. Lots of little stalls,the highlight of which was buying something that looked harmless enough without knowing what it was. Indeed it was Scarbri farciti con acciuga, a piece of pizza dough, flash deep fried then stuffed with, in our case, fresh anchovies. The anchovy were nothing like the bottled in oil supermarket variety, they were beautiful, so much so we went back for seconds and the woman serving was so impressed that she gave us an extra serving free. All washed down with ice cold beer, followed by a fruits of the forest crepe for me and a Gelati for Jean, we didn't need to find a restaurant for dinner and all for €18!
The highlight of the day was watching, and suffering, the Russian and German tour groups push and shove their way on and off the ferries, as if there was no tomorrow. It is really quite extraordinary as they appear to have absolutely zero spatial awareness. It's as if the "group" is one single entity and cannot under any circumstances be split.
We had arrived early at the ferry dock, which was really about 10 square metres of concrete at the foot of a very steep set of rock stairs down a cliff to the waters edge. Anticipating that people would be getting off the ferry before we could board, we sat perched on a rock to the side of the path at the bottom and waited. Then the first wave of Russians arrived followed by the Germans. Well, with at least 30 mins to wait, they surged forward to completely block the only way off the incoming ferry as well as the stairs up the cliff. The ferry duly arrived and the Russians trumped some but not all the Germans . Then the entertainment really started. As the tide of people surged forward it was past the point of no return when the German tour guide realised that this was the wrong ferry, it was going back up the Cinque Terre and not back to the main town, where in all probability they were all staying. Well after much calling and wailing, which intensified as the ferry pulled away from the shore, she went up and down the cliff steps countless times, trying to get a headcount of her charges that matched her clip board and judging by the "Gott in Himmell" or similar, I assume she didn't make it. Sweet irony I thought. The two Canadians who were sitting next to us were in equal disbelief. I only hope that the Russians were on the wrong ferry as well.
So having "done" the 5T, we fell into bed ready for the next day.
Saturday
A quieter day in store today. A 30 min ferry trip across the bay to Portovenere, to an almost flat little town, except for the church and the castle perched on top of the hill above. With surprisingly few people around, especially given it was a weekend, and no tourist buses, we spent an enjoyable few hours just wandering, and climbing stairs, oh, and eating.
So it's back in Lerici, which after having seen what happens in the main tourist track through the 5 towns of the Cinque Terre, has proven to be a very wise choice to stay for these 6 days.
Dinner tonight was at the Golfo dei Poeti di Toortuki, an amazing restaurant at the water edge right under the shadow of the castle. We both had a baked sea bass with mediterranean vegetables. The fish was so fresh it was still flapping when it hit the table and tasted fantastic, which all in all added up to a pretty good day.
Sunday
Our first rain day since we left Melbourne, so we sat in the hotel lobby and caught up with the world via the net before the sun broke through around midday. Then it was off to La Spezia to check out the shopping, which turned out quite good for me but nothing for Jean. La Spezia is a port city and shows the sign of wear and tear or at least the areas that we saw. Arriving back at the hotel for a quick makeover before heading out for dinner. We had previously eaten at a ristorante that was a little off the beaten track, that we found when trying to navigate back to the laundromat a few days earlier. Anyway, on our first visit when we were there we had a good chat to the owner who was ex Italian navy and had visited Melbourne for the bi centenary celebrations. We had also bumped into his daughter and boy friend down in the Piazza the night before, So on our second visit to the ristorante, it was like being part of the family. Borrowing an umbrella from the hotel we set out. Before we were half way, Jean's shoes were full of water and she was sloshing with each step she took, making walking up wet cobblestone streets and stairs a little challenging. Anyway, we arrived a bit bedraggled and ( bare footed) had a full Degustazione then staggered back to the hotel to sleep it off.
Monday
Woke to leaden skies and rain, but it was Monday and that meant Portofino, a little rain was not going to stop us. Suitably dressed for a day in the rain, we took the bus to the station. While we waited we debated whether to buy a €4 umbrella from the multiple umbrella sellers that magically appear minutes before the skies open.
Finding a guy with his folding umbrellas neatly stacked like a wood pile, Jean started negotiations, asking to see the blue one that just happened to be three or four layers below the top. After a quick inspection, she decided that it was not worth the €4 investment as it was not quite family heirloom quality.
By the time we reached Portofino, I was shopping for an ultra lightweight tee shirt. The skies had cleared and the sun was out in full force making it a beautiful day to explore. Catching the small bus from Portofino to the station with upwards of 50 Italian and German school kids who had clearly already learnt their parents behaviour when there is a seat to be had, was yet another reason to hire a car next time.
Coincidentally arriving back in La Spezia just when the shops were waking from the siesta, what else was there to do but soak it up. With another couple of wins for me, but nothing for Jean, we left La Spezia with a completely different opinion of the city. La Spezia is a very large port city, with a large naval base and the city buildings reflect a considerable wealth of by-gone years. The streets are wide with colonnades on each side and big Piazza around each corner. The centre is very much a pedestrian area which made it even more pleasant to stroll. We have just about got the passeggiata down to a fine art.
Arriving back in Lerici just before sunset, we had our last meal under the trees right on the water front, another great way to end our time here in this lovely quiet spot.
Tomorrow, it's off to Siena and the Tuscan hills!
Ciao
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