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| One of Glenn's trail-top shots of Corniglia |
| Erin's Cinque Terre Journals 5-26-02 Sunday we woke up to the sounds of the church bells ringing and the surf crashing. Glenn was up and ready to do the last hike, from Vernazza to Corniglia, but I found myself extremely tired. I could barely make it down the stairs from our 3rd floor room to go for breakfast! Thinking that this was not a good way for me to feel even before starting a 2 hour hike, we agreed that I would stay in town and have a reading and relaxing day while Glenn went for the hike. After we found a bowl, some cereal and milk, and a couple of drinks for the day, we had breakfast before Glenn set out, and then I took a nap! Quite the lazy day, but I guess I needed it. When I woke up a couple of hours later, I felt much refreshed and went down to the square to read in the sunshine. Glenn got back after I'd been there for only 45 minutes or so, saying the hike was gorgeous and not as hard as the Monterossa hike the day before. We went and found some lunch together, then set ourselves up on the little beach to get some sun. As we lay there, the clouds started rolling in, and eventually we gave up on it. The waves were starting to roll in more fiercely, and there was a breeze picking up. We noticed that some of the locals were pulling their boats out of the harbor and storing them in the village square, using a pulley hooked up to one of the walls. Over the next few hours, more and more boats were removed until there were only about 4 left in the water. The local cats were loving it, as they immediately began exploring their temporary luxury homes. We went up to our room to read and relax together, watching with interest as the town tied down its umbrellas and got ready for a storm. For dinner, we decided to splurge on a nicer dinner at one of the local cafes overlooking the cliffs. We climbed a couple of flights of stairs toward the tower, found the first place fragrant but full, and went up a few more flights to a restaurant near the top of the hill. It too was full, but we were assured a table within 5 minutes or so. We sat down to wait, and 30 minutes later had our choice of about 4 tables that all cleared out at the same time. We shared a seafood & rice dish and a bottle of local red wine, for a delicious meal. By the time we left, we were almost the last customers there. It was time for bed, as we planned to leave the next day for Spain. |