Cinque Terre 3

 Friday, October 10

RIOMAGGIORE

Cinque Terre 

 

consists of 

 

The 5 Fishing Villages.

 

So ...

 

We hiked from 

 

Manarola to Corniglia,

 

visited Manarossa 

 

and Vernazza.

 

All in one day - 

 

yesterday. 

 

Today, we will visit the last

 

fishing village.

 

Riomaggiore. 

9.22 am. In Manarola.

Checking out by 10 am.

Let's sit here ...

and enjoy the scene ...

one last time.

As we look ...

at the hiking track ...

before us ...

we saw the structures that we passed on our hike.

If you can see an orange dot in the middle ...

that's a hiker doing the same trail as we did.

It was fun watching him move ...

on the same trail as we did, before our eyes.

Bye-bye Aria di Mare (Manarola).

Slowly does it.

Happy morning.

10.07 am.

We passed by a church.

Chiesa di San Lorenzo.

Opened in 1338.

Imagine. 687 years ago.

How rich ...

is the ...

history ...

of this ...

charming ...

little ...

fishing ...

village.

Souvenir shop at the corner.

We got a sandwich from here, for dinner last night. 

Grocer on the opposite side.

More souvenir shops.

We are ...

walking ...

to the ...

train ...

station.

Taking a train to ...

La Spezia. About 10 - 13 minutes.

10.35 am.

Arrived at La Spezia station.

Check out ...

the scenery.

We had breakfast in the La Spezia station.

Mc Donald's double cheeseburger with bacon.

Burger and cheese wrap.

Something new. The bacon burger was delicious.

Received a code from our La Spezia ...

accommodation owner.

Key in password.

Code : 2014

 

Decode :

 

21    4

 

Nice. 

To the left of our accommodation.

Our home ...

for the night.

We passed this in the hall.

21 ... always nice.

Awwww. So very, very clean and nice.

Would you look ...

at this cozy ...

little ...

room.

The wife of the owner is a former lawyer.

RIOMAGGIORE

1.23 pm. (8 mins from La Spezia by train)

This is the view that you see ...

immediately, the moment ...

you step out ...

of the ...

Riomaggiore ...

train station.

See the tunnel.

That's the station.

Looking down ...

from road level.

Here is ...

a little path way ...

for visitors ...

to ...

walk across.

The view is simply breathtaking.

We walk ...

on.

Wow!

How ...

gorgeous.

The ocean ...

looks so ...

inviting ...

with its ...

 gentle waves ...

lapping softly ...

in the ...

background.

It is a ...

sunny day.

I should have ...

brought my sunglasses.

Here are ...

steps ...

going up.

Their structure ...

is very firm and steady.

We admire the scenery ...

from ...

higher ground.

Another flight of steps ...

going up.

Amazing view.

We took so many shots from all angles.

Up up up ...

we go.

On an even ...

higher ground ...

looking down.

Riomaggiore ...

is famous for ...

its stunning coastal views.

Not only that, ...

it is also famous for its colourful houses ...

clinging on to the edge of cliffs.

How a structure like this, is built upon a rock ...

fascinates me.

This fishing village ...

was founded in the 13th century.

This is the road level.

Looking down from road level.

Bryan stayed down, as I climbed up these stairs ...

to check out the road level. Look to the right,

the front ...

and the left, from the stairs.

Looking down to the sea, from where I was ...

standing, at the top of the stairs, on road level.

We are heading ...

to the ...

beach.

See the steep steps on the left ..

going ...

down.

About 6 flights down ...

before you reach ...

here. 

One level ...

above ...

the sea.

We took ...

several ...

photos before ...

we walked on.

We are getting ...

nearer to ...

the beach now.

We see some boats ...

and people sunbathing on the rocks.

We could tell the water ....

would be cold ...

even though ...

the sun ...

is shining ...

ever ...

so ...

brightly.

I asked Bryan to take the colourful houses.

I should have added - in full.

Never mind. Look at the boats.

Calm down.

Take some ... 

more selfies.

Ah, here is one. Just a portion of one house ...

Only one? Not a cluster?

Gimme the ...

camera.

Aiyaa. Just as bad.

Looks like ...

all my ...

colourful houses ...

are somehow cropped out.

Finally. Here is one showing the iconic ...

feature of a cluster of brightly coloured homes ...

stacked carefully along the steep hillside.

Looking at the village ...

from ...

the harbour.

Riomaggiore ...

is known ...

for ...

these ...

charming ...

quaint ...

 houses.

Truth be told, ...

we added Cinque Terre ...

into our Europe plans ...

simply because of its ...

beautiful, colourful houses.

The steps here will lead to the beach.

This is not a sandy beach.

You will require sturdy footwear  ... 

to step on slippery rocks. 

The water here is crystal clear.

2.34 pm

We are taking ...

a rest at this ...

nice cafe ...

by the ocean.

We ordered one ice cream coffee (mine) ...

and the other, iced Italian coffee. 

It is here at this cafe that ...

I told Bryan ...

we should just go swimming ...

since it was ...

so hot.

Bryan said, "We didn't bring ...

... our swimwear."

I replied, "Turn around, please."

I took off my pink t-shirt (I really did!) ...

and said, "I can swim in ...

this black top."

Bryan swiftly ordered ...

a second ice cream coffee ...

for me ...

to distract ...

me ...

from my ...

"crazy idea." Haha.

Don't you just ...

love the cute little houses ...

in the ...

background?

I bugged him again here.

"You can wear your boxers and ...

 the inner t-shirt."

Nobody cares.

He said to give him ...

a minute.

I'm not sure where he went to.

He came back with ...

a large serving of mixed fried seafood snack.

The crazy idea of jumping in 

 

the icy, cold ocean 

 

was once again dismissed.

 

This time, never to return. 

 

I saw down on a bench outside

 

the snack shop. 

 

It was here, I saw the words.

Die Young.

I looked up at the shop number.

208

Decode : 4

Nice.

More snack options available here ...

 in case I bring up any other ....

swimming ideas.

Oh, did I mention that Riomaggiore is ...

also known for its wine produced by ...

its own vineyards? True story.

While strolling around, we saw a little church.

We walked in. Built in the 16th century.

Free Entrance.

Oratory of Santa Maria Assunta.

"Take a nice photo ...

of me ...

in front of the church ya ..."

Click.

 

Click.

 

Click. 

 

Okay, good.

 

Let's have a look.

 

Pause to view. 

 

Good thing I checked.

 

Look at the photos.

  

Seriously, 

 

just -- the -- door?

 

That was his whole understanding 

 

of my request for a nice photo 

 

in front of the church?

 

You can't even tell if that's a church

 

in the photo. 

 

OMG.

 

And by the way, 

 

do you really have to start clicking 

 

when the object is not 

 

even at the intended position? 

We have to ...

take again.

Awwwww. 

Nice. The church is so nice.

Souvenir from ...

Cinque Terre.