So back to the beginning. We probably got up the earliest we have in a while, and started our day with some focaccia from a local bakery before beginning our hike. Since the coastal route from Manarola to the next village, Corniglia, was closed, we had to hike the mountain route, which was probably WAY more difficult and also longer. T__T It was pretty much just an ascent up the side of the mountain for the first third, which left us sooo tired. But the views over the village were amazing! And we were walking through rows of vineyards! Finally, we got to a little village on the hilltop called Volastra, where we took a quick break then started our hike down to Corniglia. The total hike took over 2 hours, and left us pretty sweaty and gross for the rest of the day :(
You can see Manarola in the distance!
The coastal route from Corniglia to Vernazza was the only one open, so we hiked that one next. Unfortunately, it requires a 5 euro fee to access these roads, and it was kind of a ripoff that we had to pay even though there was only one open >.< But the views of the coast were worth the hike! This one was much easier, and only lasted about an hour. We ended up arriving in Vernazza around 2:30PM, and the first thing we did was get gelato, and then a late lunch! We went to this restaurant called Il Pirata (what's with pirate-themed things here?) which was really good, and the waiter was super nice! The only downside was that they didn't take card (due to the landslides taking out the phone lines) so we had to pay in cash. And me being stupid, I totally forgot to refill my wallet today, and literally used up all the cash I had left T__T (Good thing Stephanie spotted me for train tix later!)
That's Corniglia on the cliff!
Cannoli with chocolate and almonds! (Apparently the ricotta filling was better, but I don't like cheese >.<)
Since there was only another intense mountain hike open, we decided to train to the next Village, Monterosso. But we literally had to kill time for like an hour to wait for the next train, and then it was late >.< Monterosso is the only village that has a real beach, so there were a lot of people swimming there, but we just walked around. And we found this awesome landscape photographer and bought pretty postcards from him: http://www.digigraphie.com/profile/1197/mauro-fioravanti.htm.
Afterwards, we tried to take the next train to head back to the last village, Riomaggiore, but we learned it was cancelled. T___T Luckily, it was only 20 min until the next train, so we just waited at the platform. And with that, we had officially visited all 5 villages! I have to say, I actually think I like Manarola the most, just because you get such amazing views of the village without having to hike super far. In Riomaggiore, we initially tried to rush to take photos because the next train was in 25 minutes, and we didn't want to risk the later train being cancelled. So we ran up a hill to try and find a vantage point, thought that looked crummy, then ran back down to the train station and managed to find a nicer viewpoint near the marina. (And I exaggerate, we didn't really run except in a few parts, but we were speedwalking throughout. I'm sure we looked ridiculous) And finally, when we get back to the platform, we find that the train has either been cancelled or just left T___T So we had another hour until the next train.... But at least that meant we got to watch the sunset over Riomaggiore, and get some neat photos! Alas, my phone ran out of battery so I couldn't take any for this blog :( You will have to wait until I upload on FB!
A few pics of Riomaggiore before my phone died...
When the train finally came, we were so relieved! And glad to finally be back in Manarola. We walked along the coast to get some amazing night shots of the village, and then it was back to our hostel! Also, our hostel is the jankiest one we've stayed in yet. Everything has been downhill since Barcelona... :( I'm sure it's mostly because of the location (how can you expect 5-star treatment when the village is tiny and isolated) but the bathroom stalls and shower stalls are super cramped :( And the wifi doesn't work unless you go out to the lobby or 1st floor landing.... So I'm frantically trying to finish this blog post before we have to check out today haha. Oh another piece of ridiculousness: Postcards to the USA cost 2 euros to mail from Italy!!! Wtf?! So if you receive a postcard from Italy several days late, and from somewhere random like Greece, you'll know why ^_^
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