Day 8- Cinque Terre

When we left Arles it was getting late. I thought we could drive to the Cinque Terre in a few hours, but it took lomger than I thought it would. Even though it is Autostrade all the way, the route winds through tunnels and over bridges, all the way to Genova. By Eleven o'clock we were past Genova, and watching for the exit to the Cinque Terre. Soon there was a sign indicating the Cinque Terre, we exited and began following signs to Monterosso. I wanted to stay in Monterosso so we could just hike from there to the other towns in the Cinque Terre. We were driving on this small winding highway that dropped down to the coast, through a small town, then wound back up to the top of the mountains. Then it would repeat itself going through another town. It seemed like we would never arrive in Monterosso. Finally a little after midnight, we arrived in Monterosso. At the entance to the town was a sign that said "No automobiles allowed in the town except for residents". We parked the car just outside the town, and leaving our luggage, walked into the town to look for a hotel. Monterosso looked deserted. The narrow streets were dark and quiet. I was afraid our footsteps would disturb the residents. As we walked down the main street, we did not see any hotels, but we did pass a bar. Loud rock music and patrons overflowed into the street, and we could hear English being spoken; obviously by American tourists. As we reached the center of town, four men were sitting at a cafe. In English I asked if they knew of a hotel. One man spoke English well. "A hotel? You want a hotel tonight?" he asked incredulously. "Yes, I answered," in a matter -of-fact tone as if there were nothing obviously wrong in trying to find a hotel room in a small Italian town past midnight. He directed us up a narrow street to two hotels. He said that if we couldn't find a room, then to go to the bar, as one of the bartenders also worked at one of the hotels.

Up the street, the first hotel was locked, with no sign of any one inside that was awake. We went to the next hotel, and the front door was open, but there was no one at the desk. A sign indicated that the reception was open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. We were reluctant to open rooms at random, so we decided to return to the bar.

The bar was packed with people two and three deep at the bar, with loud rock music pouring out of it. I looked inside and decided it would be better to drive to another city. I told Katherine "I don't feel like going in there." She replied "Then I will," and she walked right in. Fearing for her safety, I followed close behind. The bartender nearest us, who was wearing a bandanna on his head, pirate style, was handing a small glass of dark liquid to a young blond woman. She smelled it, then tasted it, and made a face that indicated she did not like the drink. She handed it back to the bartender, and he drank it in one swallow. The bartender then mixed three drinks with limes, sugar and alcohol. He handed two to people at the bar and drank the third one himself. Great, I thought, we have been here for two minutes, and have seen him consume two drinks. I wonder how many he has had tonight. Katherine succeded in getting his attention, and began talking to him. I could not hear what they were saying, but he brought out his cell phone and began to call. After a few minutes he motioned us out onto the street. The hotel where he worked did not have a room for three people. However, it did have two rooms, one for two people, and the other for one person. We readily agreed to take them. He asked us to follow him to the hotel. His name was Mario Pirate, hence the pirate bandanna. He spoke good English, but apologized for it. He said his English was usually better, adding "But tonight I am a little drunk." He led us to the second hotel that we had tried, found the keys, and let us into our rooms. It was a nice, small, clean hotel. We were so happy to have a bed to sleep in. We went to bed well after 1 a.m.

The next morning we awoke late, and went to the hotel reception. The manager infiormed us that she had no rooms for the following night, but she did have a friend who rented an apartment to tourists. She called her friend who came to the hotel and led us down a street, and then up 85 steps to her apartment. It had two bedrooms, a bathroom with a washing machine, and a nice kitchen. We were excited. We readily agreed to take it, asking if we could stay two or three night. She said that would be fine. The photo above is taken from the porch of the apartment. It sat on a hill (as does almost everything in the Cinque Terre) and had a beautiful view of the ocean.

This picture is looking towards the town, and the ancient bell tower that rang the time of the day.

Spencer is showing one of the streets of Monterosso. Now you can see why no cars are allowed in the city. There are cars however. There are small cars, and three-wheeled trucks that drive up and down the streets.

The backyard and gardens of the couple that own the apartment.

First on the agenda was to hike the trail fromMonterosso to Vernazza. Those of you who were with us in 2002, will recognize this view of Monterosso. Remember how the trail climbs up the side of the mountain, then winds around the mountain and finally back down again. It is steep, and in some places, they have placed stone steps.

Here is Vernazza coming into view. Look at the stone cliffs of the mountain. It is best not to slip off of the trail here.

Vernazza from a closer point. We are almost there.
We stopped at the same little sidewalk cafe as in 2002, and ate foccacia and pizza. After a stop at the Gelateria next door, we hiked the next segment of the trail to Corniglia (pronounced Corneelia, the G is silent).

A section of the trail from Vernazza to Corniglia.

The trail to Corniglia is similar to that of Vernazza. It climbs steeply, then drops back down. Here is Corniglia coming into view. It sits high on a spur of the mountain that juts out into the ocean.

Corniglia from a point near the end of the trail.

Katherine in the streets of Corniglia.

The hotel where we stayed last night had a dining room. When we had checked out, the manager told us to be sure to come for dinner, as they had live music and dancing. We enjoyed a great Italian full-course meal, then danced to very loud rock music. The white thing in my ear is a paper napkin I used for ear plugs. Katherine had some too, but her hair hides them.