(From Jach) (Road Trip #2): I opened my eyes to a soft blue morning sky. As I lay in bed and look out, all I can see is sky -- blue sky. I smiled. Yesterday we had a splendid time. We were in the car by 9:30 and didn’t get back until 10:30. That’s 13 hours later, not one hour. :) We drove to Manarola, the second town of Cinque Terre. It may be slightly less picturesque than Riomaggiore, but the resonance feels more peaceful, warm, inviting. The walk from the permitted parking area down into the center of town is longer and steeper with more ramps and fewer steps, but the walk is beautiful and rewarding. We hadn’t had breakfast yet so we stopped at a little café, Aristide, for scrambled eggs and bacon. Italian bacon looks the same but it tasted deliciously different than American bacon. The eggs are yellower too. We crossed the flat plaza. These small town build in the ravines create flat plazas so that the children have a place to play. They can play on the slopes and at the rocky shores, but it’s hard to play football (soccer) there. Beyond the plaza, we continued down to the shore. There is no beach. Steps down to a huge rock. A very wide concrete boat ramp. People are sitting and lying on that huge rock and the sloped concrete is the beach. It’s covered in beach towels half naked people, young and old, taking the sun. This may not sound at all appealing, but it is. It is very appealing because of the water. The water is crystal clear with varying shades of blue and green from aqua to aquamarine. The pebbled bottom is colorful: browns, terra-cotta, greens, and the shore drops off fast. It’s very deep and beautiful. Just beyond the shore, there are two huge rocks. Kids, also young and old, climb the rocks and jump or dive into the deep from 20 maybe 30 feet up. As we stood looking over the railing down at water’s edge, there must have been 30 people in the water and as many on the rocks. It was lively, colorful, and incredibly inviting. We had left our towels and suits up in the car. I seriously considered walking all the way back up. We didn’t. Instead, we walked around and up and further up to stroll past the cemetery and through the terraced vineyards. The steep hillsides of the ravine of Manarola are complete covered in terraced lands. They remind me of the tea plantations of Colombia. At first view, they look like endless steps climbing from the base to the top. Upon closer view, they are all long narrow gardens: grape vines, peach and pear trees, vegetables, and flowers. As we walked between the terraces, there were tiny gates with even small stone steps that lead either up or down to the gardens. The path twisted and turn around the upper town giving us amazing views of the entire town and of the garden rooftops of many of the buildings. The trail ended at the church, about half way up from the shore. We walked the rest of the way and drove on to the next town, Corniglia. It is the only town of the five with no beach access. Well, if you are willing to walk down 313 steps there is access to the boulders and the sea. But then there are the 313 steps back up. We walked the town instead. Of the three towns, we both liked Corniglia the best. The streets are sweetly narrow; you can touch both walls as you walk. There don’t seem to be any hotels but there are plenty of rooms and apartments for rent. Corniglia reminded me of the Greek Island with incredible sea views, breathtaking sea views. Again, it was the peaceful, easy-going, sit down and just relax resonance that made this third town so appealing. I could come here and stay a month to sit, to think, to write, to explore the wonders, and to just be without obligation or pretense. We stopped for homemade gelato. Amazing. We stayed in Corniglia for only 3 hours. At 5:30 we headed back to Manarola and the shore. It’s hard to call it a beach. :) We parked. Changed. Headed back down, down, and down some more, past the plaza and down more to the shore. We stepped our way around people spread out taking the late afternoon sun. We found our spot, spread our towels, and I headed to the water. Enrique eyed the sun. The water was even more inviting than it looked. It was refreshingly cool and the clarity close up was astounding. I swam between the rocks and around the huge one where people were still jumping and diving. They I ventured around another huge rock and out into the open sea. Such freedom. I loved it. I swam back to the far side of the rock where there was a ladder. I climbed out. Balancing my way on the sharp stone, I made my way back to the concrete beach and to our towels. Enrique was asleep in the sun. It was after six. We stayed until almost 8:00 p.m. We stopped at an elegant restaurant and I had the most delicious lasagna. It was creamy, softly seasoned, and it was so light. I have never had lasagna that was so almost feathery light. Enrique had a seafood paste and he was also amazing by the taste. Delicioso! We walked the full hill. It took about 25 minutes. We drove home and unlocked our door at 10:30. It was an astounding day. It was a rich day filled with beauty and wonder. I cherished it; I will continue to cherish it. We are packed and heading up the coast to Monterosso al Mare, the fifth city. We will pass through Vernazza, the fourth town and the most difficult town to get to by car. I will let you know how it goes.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 07:23:11 +0000
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