The Five Lands: Days 26-28

Day 26 –
Another wasted day, I slept in, way in. I wasn’t feeling very well, so I decided to postpone my trip to Cinque Terre by a day and stay one more night in La Spezia (three total). I strolled around the town, which wasn’t that spectacular, but kind of cute and ultimately had a nice dinner. Pizza from the same place I had take-away the night before. The people there were really funny and totally Italian. It was fun trying to talk with them. I then went back to the hotel and crashed again.
Day 27 –
So I decided that I was spending too much and for my third night I checked into a different hotel. There was no hostel (that I knew about), so I just went to a cheaper hotel. It was really cute, a mother and son ran it and they seemed so typical.
I then headed to Monterosso for a bit of a late start on the 11K hike through the 5 villages. I wanted to start at the hardest part, so I went to the last town and did it “backwards.” It was amazing, kind of tough at times, but the views throughout the entire hike were great. The first leg had the greatest views and the most interesting trails. It was great to do it alone, but I kept thinking about how much I wanted everyone I knew to see it.
I got to the second town, Vernazza, and had some really delicious lunch, stuffed mussels and Caprice salad. It was really yummy, but I don’t think I left enough time before starting back on the trail, haha. It was beautiful as well, but not as well shaded and it was warm. This trail led up to Corniglia, which was the highest village of the five. It was really cool, but at this point I just wanted to make sure I finished before it got too dark. I didn’t explore Corniglia too much, but it had some pretty awesome views. From Corniglia, the trail continued along the water. It was really beautiful and the swimming was awesome. The fourth town was Manarola, which was really cute and was pretty much hanging off the cliffs. The final leg was really easy (it was even handicap accessible) and not all that pretty. The views were nice, but it was the only part that had a theme, “Via dell’amore,” a lovers’ lane of sorts. I am pretty sure that I saw a couple get engaged.
In the final city, Riomaggiore, I strolled for a bit, but was pretty exhausted. I waited for the train back to La Spezia, where I got some dinner and took it back to my hotel. I watched GREASE in Italian and fell asleep. I never really had too much of a night life, but really enjoyed myself.
Day 28 –
I spent the next day on trains again. I had to be in Nice by 9 pm for my night train, so I was a little nervous about time, but I made it. Another ride on the beautiful coast, the Ligurian coast to be exact. It was really pretty.
Ultimately I made it to Nice, with time to spare. I waited at the station for my train and when I finally got on, my train car had no electricity. We got moved and it was actually really nice. I had one of the best night’s sleep of my trip.
As for my last days in Paris, I will write about them in the next blog. Don’t worry though, there are only a few more days left! I hope everyone is well. Let me know if you have any questions or comments, I have about all the time in the world right now.