Back to Manarola

It was a quick train ride back to Manarola from Riomaggiore. We had take-out pasta on our balcony and then walked down to the waterfront to enjoy the sunset.

Riomaggiore

A quick train ride from Monterosso at the north end of Cinque Terre to Riomaggiore at the south end made it possible for us to visit our fifth of the five towns. Riomaggiore is probably the least influenced by tourism, and we enjoyed the time we spent there.

Cemeteries

Each town here has a cemetery with mausoleum markers like the one in the first photo. It's fun to look at the faces and wonder what experiences the people being commemorated had. We can't resist including one more look all the way down the Cinque Terre from the top of the cemetery.

Monterosso

This morning we took the train to Monterosso T the north end of the Cinque Terre. It is know for its classy beach and for the wonderful views (i) south down the Cinque Terre with the help of St. Francis and his dog and (ii) north to the headland that is the northern boundary of the region. Jane is standing beneath two plaques that show the high water marks for two recent floods.

End of a Good Day

After a relaxed, tasty seafood dinner with Larry and Ann, we walked down to the lower part of town to watch the sun set into the Ligurian Sea.

Manarola

These are photos we took at the end of our hike down to Manarola. We think it's the prettiest town on the Cinque Terre. You can see part of our balcony in the last picture. It's below and to the left of the balcony with a blue town hanging from it in the lower left of the photo. Can you find it?

Volastra to Manarola

From the vineyards outside of Volastra, a small town almost directly above Manarola, we could see south to Manarola (first photo) and north back to Corniglia (second photo). After a short stop in Volastra we started a quick descent. Manarola got closer by the step.

The Way to Travel!

The farmers use small cog monorails to move tools harvested grapes up and down the steep slopes. We were hoping to see one in action ... and we finally did.

Corniglia to Volastra

We quickly (and seemingly endlessly) climbed out to Coniglia on our way to Volastra, the second stop on our hike. After an hour or so we began to see terraced vineyards. That's Manarola that you see in the distance in the last picture. This was wild country and difficult hiking.

Corniglia

Corniglia is a sleepy little town. We stopped for an aperitif o of local white wine, cheese dipped in honey, and toast with pesto and olivada on a terrace with a fantastic view. That's Manarola that you see in the distance in the second picture.

Into Corniglia

On the long climb out of Vernazza we began to get tantalizing glimpses of Corniglia. As we got closer be started a slow descent into Corniglia, the smallest of the five towns on Cinque Terre and the only one that is not right on the sea.

Hiking from Vernazza

We caught an early train to Vernazza this morning. After a quick breakfast near the station, we started the hike to Corniglia. It was fun to watch Vernazza light up as the sun rose above the mountains to the east. You can see from this sequence that we gained elevation pretty quickly.

Old Salmon River

On Jane's birthday morning we hiked through old growth forest along the Old Salmon River near Zig Zag. We especially enjoyed seeing trees growing up from nurse logs, as they are in the third photo.

Classic Cars

The classic cars arrived about the same time we did at Timberline Lodge. They were from Pebble Beach, touring the Pacific Northwest.

Willamette Valley Sunset

We took this on a recent evening walk along the river. We are lucky to live in two places with beautiful sunsets.

Fun at the Pool

Abby and Nate had fun at the pool this afternoon doing synchronized jumps.

Paddle to the Sea

This morning we floated aluminum foil boats down to the ocean on Fogarty Beach!