Last day In "5T"

September 13 Our last full day in Cinque terre

We had great plans to rise early and hike over to Monterosso today, early, before the crowds hit...Once again great plans gone awry. The festival lasted well into the night last night, and although we were not present, we could hear every note, song, cheer, etc until very late last night. As a result, we were not up as early as we had hoped. We sleep with the windows open to catch the fresh air which also means being able to hear just about every conversation/song/etc within 200 meters!

Quick cup of coffee, a banana on the road, and we were on our way. After having read many accounts of the hike from Vernazza to Monterosso we thought we were about to climb Mt Everest if not Mt Washington. Basically, it was not any more difficult than the hike from Vernazza to Corniglia, a little shorter, a few more stairs, and narrower trail at times, but not too bad. We both carried hiking sticks today which we would recommend to anyone. They helped the climbing down and the balance on the narrow parts. Many people utilize them so we did not feel like wimps.

Once again, it was amazing to see the variety of hikers we came across. One young woman was dressed in a lovely skirt and top with matching purple ballerina flats to match. I am sure by the end of her hike, they might have been candidates for the trash bin! We wonder if hiking all the trails of the Cinque Terre is some sort of rite of passage or pilgramage for the native Italians. We have defintely encountered many from all age groups. There was one runner today who basically bulled his way by everyone. As there are certain spots where only one person can pass, everyone tends to be quite curteous about letting others go. He, however, just blew on by all of us waiting for our turn...oh well.

Monterosso was a bigger town than the other towns of Cinque Terre. There is the longest beach for swimming with all sorts of umbrellas, bathing huts, and lounge chairs to be had for a few Euro. We checked out a recommended restaurant but decided against it as we were feeling very healthy from our hike and didn't want to overindulge. A half carafe of wine, an incredibly light seafood tempura, homemade pasta with seafood was the perfect meal.

At this point, Bruce and I parted ways...I to hike back to Vernazza and he to take the train back. There is only so much stress we want to put on this new hip. My return was uneventful but Bruce had a few interesting encounters. (Bruce here) Having left Gusta for her hike back, I headed back to the other side of town and the Statione, which would deliver a train back to Vernazza. On the walk back (maybe 400 meters) I came across an elderly couple - the woman in her late 70s I would guess and dressed as my mother would -- creased white pants, ironed shirt and not a hair out of place3! Her husband was gasping "how much more to the train station?" Hearing that I jumped in and pointed out the pinkish building about 200 meters away. At that point he collapsed. I caught him as his wife tried to not be embarassed (PROBABLY CALLING LAWYER FOR READING OF THE WILL) and checked for pulse -- YES -- and got water from a passing stranger to throw on him. The WIFE did not want that as his shirt had just been pressed. I waited for emergency to come and as he came to he said "I hope your aren't a Democrat" With delight I told him that was the LAST thing he should be thinking about AND JK had been my best man.

Bruce and I decided we could not leave the area without at least one swim, so we went down to the town beach and had a lovely dip. Not used to salt water so it was a bit of a shock to my eyes as I forgot to close them when I dove in. The water temp was cooler than I had expected by defintely enjoyable. On our last night we had a glass of the local wine at our favorite little spot. I managed to slip and fall on the stairs, and twisted my knee. This was a terrible blow to my ego having survived all these other hikes to end up with a sore knee from one of the many steps in town...as Dad always said, ice the first 24 hours (hope to find some)...

We have been in sporadic communication with Julia Stanbrook. Will have dinner with much of their gang tomorrow night when we move on to Santa Margherita for the wedding festivities. Meanwhile, we dread the dragging of the suitcases back down all the stairs to the train in the morning, but know we will do just fine.