Cinque Terre

It turns out that our decision of Genoa hotel wasn't quite as crazy as initially thought. It was actually close to our departure station the next morning! We made our way onto the train headed for our next destination; Riomaggiore. The southern most village of the Cinque Terre, it also serves as the start of National Parks walk. The train pulled in and we fought our way through the crowds to get to our accommodation for the next couple of days. A simple yet brand new place situated on the main street high above street level (up a couple of rather steep flights of stairs; which is apparently enough to turn some people off staying there again if Booking.com reviews are to be believed!).

They weren't all that bad and we checked in, dumped our bags and set off in search of what would become, unbelievably, our first swim of this trip so far. A beautiful bay just past the harbour was the place. Beautifully clear waters, fantastic scene looking back from the water, albeit a rather stony coastline. An attempt at sunbathing was uncomfortable at best but enjoyable nonetheless!

More than satisfied with our quick dip in the sea, we were getting hungry and wandered past all of the lovely looking restaurants and decided on take away pizza and a fish cone (an assortment of deep fried fish pieces in a paper cone) on our roof terrace with town and (partial) sea view and a couple of rather refreshing beers (thank you Mr Moretti!). Not content with dinner and views (and my slight ulterior motives!) we set off for a wander back down to the harbour for a delicious gelato and perched ourselves on a secluded rock and took in the stunning night time vista. Little did either of us know at the time that this was to be a particular spot and time that neither of us would ever forget.

The time had come! I had been carrying something around long enough in my bag, trying to keep it safe from prying eyes. Okay, enough of the slightly cryptic references now as we all know what happened next. I proposed - and fortunately Clair said yes! (for more details best to speak with Clair!). I must admit it was up there as one of the most nerve-racking moments! But of course I knew she would say yes, right?! We continued to sit out and chat away into the small hours until tiredness (emotional and physical) finally took hold, also knowing full well we had an action-packed next day planned.

We woke all sprightly and ready to tackle the walk. We already knew that the official path from Riomaggiore to Manarola was closed so we hopped on a train the one stop and took the detoured route on the way to Corniglia. Little did we know that this 'scenic' route would be extremely scenic but also physically rather challenging and extended our route by a good few kilometres. The rise and falls in upwards of 30 degrees heat was enough to almost finish us off before we even made it to the first stop. Weaving through the hills the route continued up and down, stopping off in a slightly inland town by the name of *STOP TOWN*. A quick water top up and we were off again with Corniglia in sight where we would pick up the official National Parks path again.

The walk continued and we strolled onward through Corniglia and Vernazza, stopping for a while at the harbour in the latter to catch our breath and a bite before tackling the final stretch. With fatigue beginning to set in with Monterosso in sight, every bend promised the end but then yet another hill! We finally made it! A little over 6 hours, 14 km walked, many metres climbed and descended, plenty of pints of sweat lost, 9 litres of water drunk, two bananas and two sandwiches eaten and a whole load of unforgettable sights locked in. This will definitely be the first place I call upon whenever I need to leave my mind and recall an idyllic scene.

Words can't really describe how picturesque the Cinque Terre really are. The sweeping hills, the quaintness of the perched villages, winding streets and NO cars, well virtually none, all contribute to creating this most amazing place. I will now also hold the Cinque Terre in my heart as the most special place and memory of my life. We hauled our tired and aching bodies back on the train and retired with a family size take away pizza and a couple of Morettis back on the roof terrace. A fantastic couple of days and I think we both came away with plenty of fond memories along with a great desire to return.