| The Sunset from the trail just outside of Manarola. |
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| Glenn's Cinque Terre Journals 05-25-02 (Continued) We left Monterosso around 6:30 pm and took the train to Riomaggiore where we would hike the trail back to Manarola. The section of trail from Riomaggiore to Manarola is called Via Dell Amore or Lover's Lane which we thought appropriate as we strolled the casual walk for 30 minutes along the coast. We didn't spend much time in Riomaggiore as we didn't want to hike at night and we decided to dine in Manarola with time to catch the last train back to Vernazza. We did not want to miss the last train as it was a 4 hour hike back to Vernazza at that point. Once we arrived in Manarola we went in search of the port and dinner. We walked by a few restaurants that sounded good but we continued on to the water for the view before the sun had set. Along the way we passed a restaurant and who did we see but Becki and Taylor enjoying a nice meal. They had already been home as they were nicely dressed for a romantic dinner along the water. We waved at them from the street and ended up stopping in to say hello. Upon talking with them they mentioned a bar around the corner that had singing and guitar playing by the locals. That sounded enjoyable and we said that we would see them there after dinner. We then continued on around the bend along the trail as far as we could go (remember the trail along the water was closed) and watched the sunset. Once the sun had set we went back into town to get dinner. We tried one of the restaurants that we prefered but they were full and didn't know how to deal with anyone that wanted to wait. Most restaurantrs were not prepared to deal with more clients than the resturant held as once they were full they never knew when you would be done (meals last 2+ hours here) (On a positive note they treat you like family with plenty of time to truly enjoy each part of your meal) and there were plenty of other restuarants within a few feet that were not full. We ended up at a pizzeria that was quaint and pleasant. After dinner we ran back to the train station to verify the time of the last train out. Once we knew that we went back into town to catch up with Becki and Taylor at the local bar they had mentioned. We shared some wine (Thanks Becki and Taylor!!) and some good conversation while listening to some singing and guitar playing by some locals. We traded e-mails before we ran off to catch the last train. No worries as we arrived home around 11:00 pm. Once home there was a band set up in the plaza (from the wedding) that was still playing. We listened to them until they closed down around 11:30 pm before heading off to sleep. What an enjoyable day!!! |