HIKE HIKE HIKE

Thursday July 9
Today was hiking (serious hiking) from Corniglia to the next two towns of Vernazzo and Monterosso. This part makes up 7km of the total 9km of hiking trails and consist of intense mountainous up and down “oh sweet Jesus” stairs after stairs after stairs. All the hiking took around four hours with a lunch and gelato break in Vernazzo.

We sat along the water and enjoyed a tasty sandwich. I love that all the sandwiches here are pretty much just meat and cheese. SEE…I'm NOT A FREAK! An entire country enjoys their sandwiches the same as me. Plain and dry! Gelato in Vernazzo was amazing and must be included on the list of must haves upon visiting here.
Hike was for sure a workout (not so much a fan of workouts on vacation) but the views make it all worth it. It was really fun even though it was a bit grueling at times.

The last leg of the hike was not quite the terror I had remembered, though we did it from the opposite direction and I think it was just a bit easier (less stairs to go up). Still had us shaky legged and crazy huffing at times.

vernazzo

So…Monterosso is more accessible by car, therefore, a bit more active with a greater expanse of beach (more sandy then rocky). ALL WE CARE ABOUT IS A SWIM…and oh what a perfect swim it was. Water felt so amazing after all that hiking! Spent a few hours on the beach...again doing NOTHING! So nice!

The previously mentioned gelato of Vernazzo was so good that we trained back there for dinner and a revisit for gelato. Again we just sat by the water, ate, watched the sun set, and each did our own thing…reading, ipoding, journaling. Then back to Corniglia…so sad the trip is over. I just kept thinking… “why don’t I live here”….seems like if you know someplace so beautiful exist...you should just live there. So maybe that’s my new plan…marry for money and live here!