Day 4 of our Cinque Terre adventure - Was really hot today so decided not to do much but swim....had to climb a few stairs first but yeah!?!
After our obligatory coffee, we thought it would be a great idea to climb up to the top of highest peak above Manarola, great views were promised. Got 2/3 of the way up, not too many people must venture up there because it was quite grown over and the path badly eroded in spots, Sharon was doing so well until Paul said those fateful 3 words.....DON"T LOOK DOWN!!
At this particular spot the path had eroded and only half there, the rest was air and a great view of at least a 100m drop. At the top the views were spectacular and very much worth the effort of the climb and the scratches.
Next ....our swim. Someone thought it would be a fantastic idea to swim around Manarola headland to a little ramp on the other side about 2kms. All was well and beautiful, the water clear and blue and very salty. We swam into a little grotto, the water navy blue it was so deep, expecting something to come up and get us at any minute from it's depths. To say eerie is a bit of an understatement. It was on our swim back that the fun and games began, and we all competed to see who could swim the fastest. The entire row of people above us on the trail were pointing and waving and shouting at us that there was something in the water. Swim fast....much!!! Jo first, then Paul, poor Sharon left out on the buoy to fend for herself!!!
After we were safely ashore we had discussed that we had never actually seen anyone else swim out too far, especially not around the headland. We don't actually know what was in the water, only that something was.
On to Corniglia for lunch, after the 382 stair climb we went in search for a restaurant recommended to us by a friend, we had forgotten to look up the name before we left quite confident we would know it when we saw it....yeah maybe not!! After walking around for what felt like ages, getting hungrier and hungrier, and more exhausted going up and down stairs, we surrendered to a little focacceria and then of course gelati. We took some photos, Corniglia is quite quaint, and ate our gelati in the door way of a closed cantina.
When we returned home we looked up the name of the place turns out it's called A Cantina de Mananan, or something like that......please check out our photos and have a laugh....with us not at us!!!!!!
We swear it was closed anyway....sorry Tiffy but we tried.
