Monday 19th June 2012….Brilliant and brutal!!!

Happy father’s day Malc for yesterday and of course yet another scrabble win!!!!

Now a job for you please…goggle Cinque Terri in Italy and read about this amazing area……

We walked down to the train station below the hill of the camp sight and went on the train about 45 minutes

 

…I had heard about the Cinque Terre(the 5 lands) from my friend Karen and wanted to visit and today was the day…..Janet and Malc and I had decided we would take the train to the fifth village the furthest away…I was going to hike back and see all the villages and J& M would walk and then do a boat trip and train back…so we parted company at 11am and off I went.

The 5 villages are connected by train and also by walking paths and my first walk to the next village was only about 20 minutes!!!!

The views here were awesome but it was packed with tourists…

I like this sign which was in one of the tunnels…

 

This is the view of the second village!!!

The distance from the last village to the first is listed as 9km and a duration of 5 hours and at the second village the problem started…the path between the next village was closed for repair so I had an option of catching a train and missing a village or doing the detour and extra 11km!!!!!! Guess what I picked???

YES the detour and then the climb started..

Getting higher!!!!

This is looking back down the path I had just climbed step after step after step!!!

Yes I went into that village and climbed up again!!!

The path!!

Yes I was down there too!!!!

Another village ahead!!!

A water break and the church in this village!!!

Onto the next village!!!

This where I am heading for and at last……..

a swim never felt so good!!!!!

More steps and onto the next to last  one!!!

There were horrid floods here in October with much damage..

At last my final destination is in view!!!

 

It was 7pm by the time I got back to the train station to get the train home…I reckon I walked about 22 km and climbed thousands of steps…you who have been following the blog know I have done some amazing treks and this one was maybe one of the hardest but so spectacular!!!!!!!   thanks for reading along…

because I was exhausted I let Janet win at scrabble tonight…well done girl!!!

Sunday 17th June 2012……..a bit of a day!!!

Another great sunny morning and we were back on the road again by 9.30am….this is not easy driving for Malc pulling Stella, the roads are narrow and twisty and the signs not all that clear…..it was a long 4 hour drive to find the camp site he had picked out was full but we were lucky as one down the hill had one spot left so we took it.  Again great facilities on the hills of Tuscany.

Janet and Malc have a painting in their living room of a sea and house scene painted of the town of Portofino and they wanted to see the town and we were only a few miles away so after we got the camp organized we drove into the busy town!!!

Enjoy the photos of down town….

It was lovely to see the old town..b back at the camp site there is a restaurant on site and I treated Janet and Malc to supper and let them go on their own to celebrate Father’s Day!!!!

I would also like to say Happy father’;s Day to all those great Dads out there have a super day…fitting for the day Janet and I decided to let Malc win at scrabble and here is the champion again with his gift from his daughter Sam!!!!  Way to go Malc you are a great DAD!!!!

Yashi Kochi!!!

Saturday 16th June 2012……..youa wanna havea Pizza ina Italy!!!!!!!

Left beautiful Switzerland and after a 3 hour drive we crossed the border into…

Amazing g since leaving England we have been to 6 countries and with the open borders not one stop, not one check point and never showing our passports!!!

The camp ground that Malc had picked out was less than a mile into Italy..the camp ground not quite as palatial as the others but certainly in a great location and the site was clean and quiet and the facilities perfect!!!

After three busy days it was great to sit and relax and get some sun and for me a swim in this lovely lake right by the camp site..

X is where I swam to!

 

I then went for a walk on the river boardwalk..

into the little town!!

After another of Janet’s gourmet meals Malc and I walked along the boardwalk in search of the elusive

It is a very pretty town

Just by the campsite entrance there was a concert taking place and the boardwalk was packed!!

Soon enough it was time for tea and the big game……I must like Italian soil….

Yet another wonderful day I must say this is such a fabulous trip J & M are wonderful hosts and we are having a blast real easy travelling…..Yashi Kochi!!!!