We're hearing the church bells ringing throughout the day here, starting at about 7:30.
Our plan today was to do some hiking on the trails connecting the Cinque Terre. Our host at the hotel said there might be a train strike though. He had heard that the regional train was on strike from 9:00 p.m. last night until 9:00 p.m. tonight. They're making a statement, but they don't want to inconvenience people for too long. Unfortunately, since we only have one full day here, it changes our plans.
Mark, Becky and John headed out on the trail from Monterosso to Vernazza, said to be the most difficult of the trails between the villages.
Hikers Marco, Giovanni and Becky on the trail from Monterosso to Vernazza
Flood damage along the trail
The view of Vernazza from the trail
Another view of Vernazza, from farther up the hill
Seeing Vernazza like the pirates saw it
Vernazza from the boat dock
The non-hikers wandered through the streets of Vernazza up to the top of town. Rick and I had previously stayed in a room rented from the two Sicilian brothers who own Il Pirata restaurant. We wanted to see what had happened to our building in the horrible flood of 2011. The building was still standing, but obviously condemned. Very sad.
Our B&B, after the flash flood of 2011
We sent a scout to meet the hikers down at the waterfront and they walked up to Il Pirata to have a beverage too. They said the hike had been somewhat difficult, but not too bad, and the trail wasn't crowded.
We all had a snack at Il Pirata, and some of us tried the cannoli, which is their specialty. It was very good, indeed.
Famous cannoli at Il Pirata in Vernazza
The whole group took the boat back to Monterosso, and we had a nice Sunday lunch at Ciak. We could see the cooks through an open window as we walked by on the street, and it looked like a great place.
We ordered 3 servings of spaghetti with seafood and 3 servings of risotto with seafood to share, and the waiter nicely portioned and served each dish to all 8 of us.
Today is Palm Sunday. We saw people walking by with olive branches. We wondered if they call Palm Sunday something else in Italy?
The afternoon was spent shopping in our little town, the train strike putting a damper on further exploration of the coast. The weather wasn't that great, so a boat ride down the coast didn't entice us.
We all walked up the road, to the new part of Monterosso, and up to the edge of town. The statue of Poseidon, on the edge of the cliff, was imposing, although it seems to be crumbling away.
Statue of Poseidon on the edge of the cliff in Monterosso
We checked out the menu at Miky, one of the nicest places in town, and decided it might be a bit pricey. On the way back through town we had drinks on the terrace at the Cantina di Miky, which is run by Miky's son Manuel. It seemed like a great option for our last dinner together.
Dinner was great. One of the specialties of this area is the fresh anchovies, and we've tried them a few different ways - marinated in lemon, or preserved with sea salt. They're nice and fresh here, as is all of the seafood.
Notice how the spoon is bent to sit on the edge of the glass?
After dinner we walked by the train station and stopped to buy our tickets for tomorrow, when we leave for Milan (Becky and John) and Varenna on Lake Como (the other 6 of us). We all agreed we'd like a few more days here.
The church bells heralded bedtime.
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