John & Laurel’s website

We have been here in Cinque Terre now for two nights with our room in Manarola.  Tonight is our last.  The view from our window is spectacular, any time of day.  We are at a high point in the town, right next to the church, and stretch our calves each evening on the way up the hill.   We are happy we stayed in a small town vs a larger one.  Manarola has such charm that is missing in Monterossa, the largest.  Monterossa has beach, the only one of the five.  Vernazza is also a beauty and we really enjoyed time spent there.  We met another Antonio there and have run into him a few times now.  He drives the town ambulance for his job.  The train in between each town is so fast, so on time, and very appreciated so we need not walk the trail every time we want to visit. 
 
John is uploading more pix now, we haven’t been able to because not all internet places are set up to do so.  Also, these keyboards are set up for our language and they are clean – a bonus thus far.
 
Today is an easy day and then we get all packed up again and off on the train to La Spezia tomorrow.  By easy day I mean we are not hiking our legs off !  Yesterday’s hike was really something.  Thankfully we stopped at a town in between legs of the hike for a little rest and some water and I think a gelato – our saving grace.  It is all so beautiful.  The pix definitely do not do justice to many places.  
 
Manarola is sweet and slow, much quieter and doesn’t seem wake up until 9:30AM or so (when the sun climbs up over the hill and hits the town) vs Florence who wakes up and is ready to serve cappucino before 7AM.  We so enjoyed Florence and all she has to offer.

Not great luck with phones and my call to Mom the other evening (evening here – morning for her, nine hours difference with their recent switch to daylight savings) was short because John wanted to catch his Mom, too, and we were on our way up our hill and stopped at the only working phone.  Could not get through to Helen so will try agan.

We had sun today and yesterday, but yesterday turned chilly quickly and a freak wind storm blasted through the narrow streets of Vernazza forcing everyone and everything not attached to something substantial inside for a few minutes.  The town residents were a bit upset by it, that never happens – but not us, we are used to wind !  Then the rains came for a while.  At least it was after our big hike.  The trail is very steep in many places and the views are spectacular.  We made a Xango marketing video along the way !  I hope the pix will be posted soon.
 
Tonight it’s get packed up and then in the AM the train to La Spezia to pick up the car and drive to Montisi.  Not sure how far from the station the car pick up is, that’s the part that’s rarely clear in my literature, how to get to the next place once we’ve landed at one.  We are finding our way !  We’re very pleased with our walking shoes and really glad we have two pair so we can switch off.  We are counting on nice weather so are planning to take the scenic route to Montisi which is about an hour and a half longer than the other one.