Off to Corniglia

Charmelle & I went down to the station and planned to go to La Spezia and then stop at Riomaggiore and then home. However, our train was delayed 40 minutes, so we went to Corniglia, which is the next town up.
I guess I should explain Cinque Terre a little. There are 5 villages along the shore of the Ligurian Sea. The villages are connected via trains and trails. With Charmelle on crutches trains are the best option. Going from north to south the towns go in this order:

Monterosso: A big beach town and very tourist focused.
Vernazza: Slightly smaller town and has lots of shops. Just suffered huge mud slides this spring.
Corniglia: Sits high atop the hill above the train and the water. Great little restaurants and views.
Manarola: The city is build into the hill side and seems to rise up from the sea.
Riomaggiore: The least tourist focused town with murals and a little more of an outdoor focus, kayak and bike rentals, etc.

We were really happy to see there is a shuttle that will take you up the very steep hill to town from the train station. €1 each was worth every penny. I wish they had this in Manarola. It would make Charmelle's life a lot easier.
We had more great views of the sea and the vineyards. Then we wandered up into the narrow alley filled with restaurants and a few shops. What a wonderful day. We made it out to a lookout for a photo op, and then headed back in for lunch. Manarola is between our heads.




We stopped into a little place thinking we would have a starter (appetizer) there, then continue down to another for another course, but we were happy and full after our starter. We had an anchovy medley. They are caught fresh each day and prepared in ways that would make all of us that are used to really salty canned fish rethink them. These were unbelievable. We enjoyed them with fresh bread and Charmelle had an Italian beer.




The doors of Corniglia caught my eye. So for some reason, I started taking pictures of some of them. Here are a few that I just found interesting.

Max and the Angry Birds

I had one of the most enjoyable times last night. First, Max, the son of the Germany family staying at Walter's, has been very shy of the 4 days we've been here. His dad speaks pretty good English, and we've all been chatting with them. Max, however, has just been a typical shy 6-year-old. He really likes Angy Birds and did bring down his stuffed Angry Bird toy to show us.

Charmelle had tried to play Angry Birds with him on her iPad, but something wasn't working. So I went up and grabbed my iPad and off he went. He cranked though levels like a master. He even provided color-commentary for us. It was a really cute thing to watch and hear.

I decided to introduce him to Train Yard. For those that have not played it, don't start! Basically, you have to draw train tracks to carry the train or trains to the destination(s). Some times the trains need to join, other times they need to collide so their colors can mix, etc. it's a lot of fun and takes a fair amount of problem solving skills, at least for must of us adults. Then the is Max. I showed him how to draw the tracks and somehow he and I went through the basic "rules" of the game. The amazing part is, I speak maybe 20 words of German and he speaks no English. In any event we did it. He successfully completed tons of levels. It was a lot of fun. He also is a very talented artist for a little guy. He drew us 3 pictures: an iPad with Angry Birds and 2 about Train Yard. Then he asked for our address and email. I can't wait to get a message from him. It was great!

We also had 2 new couples join us at Walter's. One was from Iowa and had completed their first RAGBRAI last year. Believe it or not, they didn't know Bruce Spitzer or any of his family I could name. I told them I was suspect of their actual Iowa roots. She is a 6th grade teacher and he is an IT person. We spend a lot of time talking about Ed Tech things and RAGBRAI. The other couple was from Huston, but originally from Lafayette LA. They were getting ready to move to Washington DC where he will be starting a new position as a graphic artist. It was a lot of fun just drinking wine and chatting.

A wet walk around Gimmelwald

After a nice long night and a couple more big thunderstorms, we got up and decided to check things out. We grabbed a nice European breakfast down stairs: fresh bread, butter & jam, OJ, Swiss cheese, and hot cocoa.
One thing is certain, the beds are not made for anyone over 5'8". My head touches one end and my feet hit the other with my knees bent. So I to tossed and turned a little, but still slept well.


Jo & JJ were not up, so we decided to wander down the hill to Gimmelwald. Walter's is a 15 minute walk up from town, so with Charm crutches, it's a little more of an adventure. When we arrived yesterday, we took the trail (shortest distance). This morning she and I took the road. It was raining and we figured the road would be easier. We were right. Plus, there were some great views. Here are a few of the local critters trying to stay out of the rain. And then there are the crazy humans that think Gore-tex is all you need.






Once we arrived in town, we enjoyed the Honesty Shop (Europe's first unattended village shop). Then we hit the Pension for lunch, make that a yummy lunch! We chatted with the Australian bartender and enjoyed mountain veggie soup and an assortment of cheeses, meats, and pickles. It was outstanding. Charmelle went on another successful fly hunting expedition and we enjoyed chatting and taking in the scenery.




The walk back up the road wasn't too bad. The rain had stopped and the views were even more amazing.












On the way back up, we saw Charmelle's next investment coming down t road from above. She thinks this would be a good idea, I don't know about that.




We got back to Walter's as Jo & JJ were heading out. The weather tomorrow is supposed to be clear and nice. We plan to head up to Murren and take in some more sights.