Ghironi Hotel La Spezia

... best friends by the time we left... 7 Euro well spent!!<br><br>Fri 13 Nov<br>Drizzle greeted us this morning so we got on our wet weather gear and headed off for a walk along the coast to Portofino which was 5km away. The wind blew away any cobwebs we may have had but it blew the rain away so we were happy. The walk followed the coast where we looked into the deep blues ...

... some shops and then all of a sudden there it was... the sun! We walked down to the beach and searched for pebbles before making our way to Vernazza. <br><br>The next town along with Manarola (where we are staying) is a bit smaller than Riomaggiore and Monterosso but just as, if not more beautiful. Vernazza is probably known mainly for its large scale (compared to the city) boating docks that wrap around the entire marina. The girls and I stopped for gelato before making our way ...

... so forth. Upon our maiden voyage out of Munchen to Luzern (Lucerne) we quickly noticed that the city streets are shared between many forms of transportation. There are trucks, cars, scooters, bicycles, and pedestrians, along with golf carts and 4-wheelers. Anything goes. You can license anything that moves. All of this movement is sharing the road with large fast electric trains running down the center of the street. Much like our light rail ...

... again realize how incredibley lucky I am to be here right here and now and experiencing this amazing view.<br><br>Anyways...enough of my fodder.<br>I arrived, sat down in my hostel appartment and thought about my plan. Cinque Terra means The 5 Lands, as there are 5 small villages built into the cliff face and it is beautiful, with 14 walking trails linking them as there are no cars allowed into 4 of these towns. I ...

<br> Tuscan Riviera Portovenere<br> Had seen it on Getaway and looked very pretty.. Found a hotel with sea views and have spent 2 nights here resting , climbing around local castles&#8230; eating sleeping and watching the boats go in and out&#8230; not much English here but we are not hungry or thirsty so all going well&#8230;.<br> Tomorrow we are off to the South of France.. 3 nights planned in Nice.. Really looking forward to it but have loved Italy&#8230;

... and she told me it went all night. I was surprised at this and of course it turned out to be incorrect. It had stopped each night by the time we went to bed and it started again at about 5am.<br> We had a Top Deck provided meal at a local restaurant which was again, absolute rubbish. We sat with Andrew and Kathy and they talked us into going into Cinque Terra that night to have a look around. We left the restaurant after the second course to the surprise of Dee who asked why we ...

... don't speak Italian. That doesn't put him off and I do understand what he is saying - he is saying I should go with him to get something to eat and a coffee. To this I reply that I don't understand and I only speak English. Then he asks a series of questions, to which I keep answering "No" but he just wont let up and then gives signs for the questions - e.g. pointing to ring finger for are you married, asking how old I am over and over again, asking if I am staying in ...

... added effect you can imagine me lifting my right hand with all five fingertips together pointing toward my face). After breakfast, we went curiously through all the narrow passageways and stairways we could until we found the entrance to the castle wall area. Small Italian cities are great for examining unknown, mysterious corridors. The castle was apparently built in the 1100s and is a great way to get panoramic views of the city. Later on, we took a break ...

... best pizza slices and foccacias l could find- the local specialty is pesto on margarita style pizza- it was so yummy!!! After indulging in the local specialties l went to bed early so that l would be ready for the five hour hike the following day! I awoke and caught the train to Monterossa so that l could hike the hardest and steepest part of the track as early in the day as possible. Reaching Monterossa (on my 24 hour Cinque Terre pass which costs 8 Euro ...