5 towns, 4 hikes, 3 hours baby

Since we will be hiking from one end of Cinque Terre to the other (and we've pretty much done the train thing) we decide to go to Monterosso via boat and hike our way back. Besides, even though we've eaten there several times now, we still have yet to do the self-guided tour.

So we set out to put our plan into action and discover we've just missed the boat and it's an hour until the next one. D'oh! So we tell Patrick, we'll meet him in Vernazza for lunch in two hours. (As it turns out, this is common practice for Philip and I: we make a plan, congratulate ourselves on said plan, then realize it doesn't jive with the train/boat/bus schedule and have to wait. Boooo!) When the boat finally arrives, we're rewarded with some pretty sweet views of each city.

We hop off the boat and begin taking our sweet time on the Rick self-guided tour. Unlike the other cities, Monterosso actually has some sites to see, including a Church of Cappuccin Monks. I kid you not, when we went inside to sit down and take a breather, we could hear actual monks chanting. (Dad, this made me think of you.) It was pretty amazing. But soon we realize that we’re not going to be able to hike it all the way to Vernazza AND meet Patrick for lunch. (Again, with the schedule we're so proud of and not considering the actual time it will take...) So we resolve to take the train to meet Patrick, have lunch, take the train back, then begin the hike. (Silly, but...well you know how it goes sometimes.) So we finish the tour at a leisurely pace, pre-funk our lunch with some gelato (vanilla for him and nutella fo me) and take the train to Vernazza.

This new plan works great and we share some excellent wood-fired pizza while enjoying the best weather we've had yet. (Yay for sun!!) Again though, we have again neglected to consult the train schedule and must wait for our respective trains for nearly an hour. Fortunately we were able to do this in the sun. Finally we are able to head back to Monterosso, let the hiking (finally) begin!

It’s our last night as a group (Patrick, Matt and Ellen are heading back to Switzerland – Philip decides he needs one more day in CT before he can go) so we make a pact to eat together and hang out (since that has hardly happened since they got here). We check the train schedule and the one we want is in 20 minutes – eke! So we bust it back to our rooms for a quick shower and agree to meet at the train.

I’m at a slight disadvantage because my room is much further into town than everyone else’s, but I give it my best effort anyway. When I get back to my room, I discover I have roommates (figures). Fortunately they aren’t in at the moment. I fly in, shower and peace out as fast as humanly possible, literally sprinting (in my black boots nonetheless) all the way back down to the train, nearly killing myself with a mighty stumble and miraculous recovery* down the stairs.

When I reach the station, the train is already there (ack!) and I have to book it down the stairs, under the tracks, and back up the stairs in order to get on. As I tear up the last flight two at a time, I see the train pulling away – nooooo!! But then I hear Philip call my name and everyone is standing there, patiently waiting. What good friends! I was so relieved (and out of breath) I had to sit down, or risk passing out.

We revise our dinner plan and head to Monterosso instead (mostly because that is where the next train was headed and we were hungry). We had a great dinner of steaks for just about everyone and black and white pasta for me (I’m addicted!). After that we head to Vernazza for a little night life action. After a round of drinks we decide to head back to Riomaggiore, because we didn’t want to miss the last train and find ourselves in a pickle. We had another round of drinks "at home" before finally calling it a night. All in all a slightly hecktic, but very fun evening.

*Honestly, I can't account for how I didn't fall down. I just keep replaying it in my head - and there is no way. I trip, have the sensation of falling and even the capacity of mind to think "this is gonna hurt" and then manage to stay on my feet and continue running. I wish I could have seen it for someone else's point of view, because it is entirely inexplicable to me.

**99% of these photos thanks to PBJ (again).