Cinque Terre - Manarola

Trying to get the night time shots last night was a bit tricky - there were lots of photographers all clustered onto a small section of the rocks all vying for space, tripods all cheek by jowl, and as the sun only sets at 8.30pm the blue hour did not take place until after 9pm - which meant we got to a restaurant for supper really late. So this morning we decided to sleep in. However were awake by 8am and after getting showered and dressed we went into the village to find breakfast. It seems it is common to stay in a 'affitta camere' (a rented room) as we were, so there were many places offering breakfast, some even trying to provide a full English! After breakfast we packed our bags, left them with our lovely landlord and set off to do the hike from Riomaggiore to Manarola.

Unfortunately the coastal path has been closed for a while now, due to landslides, so the route was a very extreme hike up and over the mountain to the next village. Despite doing many hikes in the Alps I found this to be a very tough hike - it was straight up the mountain, on a path with steps hewn out of natural rock which were about half a metre to a metre high - what a workout for my legs! It was drizzling and so they became quite slippery. If I thought the ascent was tough the descent was even worse! There were some American girls in front of us and they were scrambling down on their bottoms, it was so steep and slippery at times - everyone tried to help everyone else, and people were very encouraging along the way, reminding us of the large cold glass of prosecco waiting at the bottom of the mountain for us! It seems we are in prosecco country and everyone is rather keen on the stuff!

We got to Manarola without any mishaps - I did have visions of slipping down the mountain side with my camera bouncing after me! It was definitely not a hike for the unfit or those with bad knees! Manarola was a charming little town, and after wandering around for a while we decided to get a light lunch and eat it on a bench over looking the bay. The local speciality is farinata, a sort of focaccia bread made with chick pea flour so it is gluten free - and it can be filled with anything. I had one of those followed by a lactose free cherry gelato! The Italians certainly are aware of food allergies which is a delight for someone like me.

We then caught the train back to Riomaggiore - a 4 minute journey along the coast, compared to our 1 hour 45 minute strenuous hike over the mountain! Our delightful landlord was waiting for us at the station with our baggage, which we relieved him of and then we caught the next train to Monterosso which is our base for the next 4 nights. The journey between the villages by train is only a few minutes long.

We had a walk around Monterosso which is much larger but also charming. We are staying in a well located small hotel, which faces the sea and has a balcony - quite delightful.

My blip is of of Manarola, and although the rain had stopped it was not a bright morning. I have added extras of the view on our hike looking back down to Riomaggiore, one of me in Manarola, a charming Entoteca in Monterosso, and a street scene in Monterosso.

Tomorrow morning - back over another mountain to Vernazza - if my knees can take it!

Thank you for your generous hearts for yesterday's blip - it is sitting on the first page of 'popular' for which I am very grateful. I apologise for my lack of comments but it is not possible at the moment with our busy days.