DAY 14 -18
Cinque Terre
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Tuesday 24 April - Friday 27 April
250 miles (1530 total)
Sunny all day, yes!!
We drove through all the traffic accidents en route from Sanremo (via our failed attempt to park in Portofino) over the mountain passes where we watched another suicidal truck driver do his thing, and finally we approached Monterosse al Mare, our destination after about 5 hours of reasonably stressful driving to cover just 250 miles.
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Just as we thought it was all over, only one mile to our hotel. The lovely Albergo Suisse Bellvue, high on a mountain with invaluable private car parking (at a premium in this location) we were proved wrong.
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The approach to our lovely hotel is up a single track road one mile long. No passing places. Not one! One whole mile up a track that is all hairpin bends that a car can JUST squeeze round, and only just. Visibility via mirrors on each bend.
The stunning view from our hotel balcony
Frankly I don't see why they bother with visibility at all, if a car comes the other way halfway up you are screwed anyway and you might as well just drive off the edge! Did I mention it is a mile of wing mirrors grazing stone walls on each side - with NO passing pace the whole way. We are going back down at 05.00 in the flipping morning on our way out. Until then the car stays put!!!
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On the bright side the place is stunning.
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We find a lovely restaurant and enjoy a tasting menu and some excellent local wine.
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The plan is to chill here for 3-4 days.
DAY 15 Wednesday 25 April
No driving! I'm never going back down that road!
Sunny all day
Basically did nothing. Nada. Zip. I spent all morning updating this diary and Sara walked down into the village and stretched out on the beach. I wandered down around lunchtime. Fancied a beer and something simple. Sara had spotted a restaurant on the front and lo and behold a table for two on the good old 'front line' appeared just as we walked up. Looked nice, sat down, got the menu, and WOW! that's expensive. E15 for a beer to start with. No matter "we're on holiday", so the lunch cost ate up the days budget, but we ate up all the lunch. Honours even!
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Back home for a Zzzzzzz, then walk back down into the village via a tiny and beautiful footpath. Halfway down we spot a car stuck in a dry stone gulch (a western phrase) trying to turn round in a space no bigger that a foot longer than its width. Plain impossible. We stare, as you do. We ask why, as we do. Two Americans have followed their satnav up this rock lined canyon until the car is literally wedged. They were only trying to get to our hotel! We then spend an hour getting good old Frank and Connie to reverse 500 yards in a car with gears and, amazingly, no handbrake, so on the steep slopes he had to contend with no hill start ability. In the photo you can see Frank miming what we actually had to do which was physically pick the car up to keep realigning it on the route back to the actual road.
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It made me feel a lot better after our dramas of the previous day. Frank suffer two heart attacks and a stroke and basically wrote off the car. Clutch burnt out, big dents down both sides. Frank kindly paid for our beers and dinner. I felt vindicated.
Note the right side of the car. It is actually touching the rock face low down. Scrape number 10.
DAY 16 Thursday 26 April
No driving!
Sunny all day
Today is walking day. Monterosso to Vernazza over the mountains. A three hour trek along what is basically a goat track cut into the mountainside. Stunning views and a wonderful walk in the spring sunshine. The views were amazing as we climbed the height of The Shard (50 floors) and then back down again.
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Dozens of tiny vineyards where every grape is picked by hand and then sent down on little single rail that carries a petrol powered engine and a tiny little carriage to carry one man and the grapes.
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Lovely lunch in the picture perfect village and then jump on the train back to our village. Wait for the chemists to open to purchase industrial quantities of Ibuprofen. Take said pills and retire to a sunbed. Job done.
The village of Vernazza,
a welcome sight after 3 hours
Our hotel is the
white rectangle
on the hill circled below
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O
DAY 17 Friday 27 April
No driving.
Sunny all day
Today was going to be train down to the fifth and furthest village of the five, Riomaggiore and then to walk back to the next which is Manarolo, then boat past Corniglia back to Vernazza. Train down was fine and Riomaggiore was lovely. but the path was closed to walkers.
Now bearing in mind The Cinque Terre is basically just walkers, millions of them everywhere, and bear in mind as well that there are little ticket offices at the start of each walk and it's E8 each to use the path, then you do the maths. There must be a 1000 walkers a day on the path in each direction seven days a week from February to October, some £4,000,000 a year lost on one closed path. And its been closed for five years. Because the two town mayors and the regional parks can't decide who pays, so they leave it closed. Weird, especially as it is a goat track at best.
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No matter, we will take the boat. We see the boat. It is a small boat with 1,000 walkers on it, piled three deep. I have never seen a boat so overloaded. One must presume the mayors have shares in the boat but not the paths. Boat way to perilous so we train it to the next village for a long lunch.
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Finally back in Monterosso and for some perverse reason Sara and I decide to race back up the mile long and very, very steep track to the hotel. We come equal first. At least it proves we are pretty fit by now.
Riomaggiore Harbour
The extended lunch spot in Manarolo, marked by a circle. No wonder we stayed for hours!
O
DAY 18 Saturday 28 April
No driving.
Sunny all day
A nice rest and admin day. Planning the way forward. One of our aims was to see if we could arrange a week on a sailing boat learning to sail. The only way to do that without any formal qualifications is to join a flotilla of boats where there are instructors on one of the boats. We managed to locate a British company (www.sailingholidays.com) that operates from just south of the main ferry port where we would arrive in Greece and they had one space left on a flotilla that fitted our dates perfectly. Starting from Plataria and sailing to Corfu and Paxos and back over 7 days. Just one boat left though, the biggest, a Beneteau 40' (use this link to see just how big a boat that is!!! (www.sailingholidays.com - Beneteau 40). Three double cabins, for just us two rank amateurs. Bargain price with 33% off for such late booking. Result!! All we have to do now is learn to sail a boat that normally needs three crew with just me and 'er.
Also booked our hotels in Siena and Rome, both lovely. In Rome we choose Castel Gandolfo where the Pope goes to kick loff his sandals and relax. Then on to Bari where we booked the overnight car ferry to Greece. All done from a seat in the sun sipping a beer. The marvels of the internet.
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We will be sorry to leave The Cinque Terre tomorrow as it has been magical. The hotel Sara choose is the best there is. High up, with a view of all five of the villages lit up at night. If anyone comes here then you really should stay at the Albergo Suisse Bellevue.
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Just don't bring a flipping big car - I am dreading the drive down.............................. "Sorry, what do you mean we should have checked out an hour ago? I am just doing my blog. We are booked until tomorrow morning........... Oh, really? Booked until 10.30 this morning you say............ Ah ha! A mistake on our part you say............. Then I must summon my wife from the beach a mile away up a vertical cart track and try and clear the room in no time flat............. Yes, Yes! I am just closing the laptop down .......................
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