Day 13 My 75th B-Day Hiking Cinque Terre

My BIG 75 and what do we do - hike 24,881 steps from Riomaggiore to Manarola, then Monterosso to Vernazza.

This was tough hiking, perhaps the hardest we’ve ever done. Like Grand Canyon but on a goat trail. At times we were both scrambling up holding onto rocks. At certain sections they had rails, which were essential due to the narrow goat trails we were on. Fortunately hikers along the route were friendly, and we took turns letting each other pass. A Swedish group in particular was good fun - great senses of humour.

Starting at Riomaggiore we were expecting a nice easy walk along the coast to Manorola, but saw that the gate was locked. We turned around and headed up the hill to try to reach it from on high. At the information booth we told the lady the route was closed, but she insisted it was open - Wrong, totally wrong. She directed us to another route high in the hills warning us there were lots of steps - a total understatement. There were millions of steps all straight up. Looking at the tiny map we noted that the route was marked EE - expert excursionist. Soooo true. 1.5 hours, and 235 meters straight up & down, we arrived at Manarola. Luckily, we found a lovely outdoor restaurant with Forst beer & seafood - exactly what we needed.

From here, though, we were stuck. There was no way we were going to head back over that trail to Riomaggiore, and the trail to Corniglia was also closed, so we decided to take a boat to Monterosso, the most northern city. This was lovely - relaxing & great views of the next 3 cities - Corniglia high in the hill with no port, Vernazza with it’s rocky beach and Monterosso, said to have a sandy beach, but it looked more like gravel to us.

From here we were expecting a calm easy route back - no such luck. First they dinged us 15 Euros to walk the tail, then we found it was almost as difficult as our earlier hike. It seemed up hill forever - 170 meters up and down so the tiny map said - then finally 2.5 hours later we arrived at Vernazza.

From here we caught the train back to Riomaggiore, picked up some pasta & sauce and happily retreaded to our new home high above the crowds - a lovely oasis of calm.

Sipping beer on our tiny patio, I was delighted to read all the Happy B-Day emails our girls had written. So thoughtful. Also loved the FaceTimes - the wonders of technology.

Yes, B-Day 75 was certainly a wonderful, memorable day.Meer informatie