Roam if you want to...

Roam around the world.... 

Lyrics to a B-52's song and a not such a bad philosophy to live by. If I sit and think about it, the idea that the best things in life are ones that happen, with out a plan, without expectations. Like when you wake up in the morning without any idea what to do and as you move through the day, something truly wonderful just happens. Is this it because of the low expectations or just karma?  I don't know the answer to that question, but I do know that I have spent most of my life living by these rules. Some of you that know me well might be shaking your heads, but it is true, I might seem to "plan" other people's lives, but my own... I just wing it. Every single day! How else would I ever cope living in this chaotic country - or growing teenagers?

Sunday Sam and I dropped off Anna with her friends and teachers, they were going on bus for some school trip to god knows where, and we found ourselves suddenly alone - no kids! We crossed the street from where we dropped off Anna to the train station and hopped on the first passing train. Luckily for us, it was going in the direction of  le Cinque Terre and not Genoa! Upon arriving in Riomaggiore, it seemed that 1,000 people getting were getting off the train with the same intention to hike, so we thought it best to go in the opposite direction to wherever the crowd was heading. After a quick inquiry at the information office and a look at a trail map, we decided to head off to Telegrafo - 514 + meters above sea level. Why not? Neither of us had ever hiked up. We where warned by the ladies at the info office that the trail was "ripida", in other words, quite steep. Perfect. No one would be on it.

Full of beans we headed to the coffee bar near the train station, it was mobbed, so we wandered into Riomaggiore to find a less crowded one. Would you believe in a country where you trip over coffee bars, there wasn't one in sight! Sam and I stumbled upon the trail head and started our ascent. As we were climbing we were bombarded with runners coming down the narrow trail.... ah.... that was what all the marks in the pavement were for, there was a foot race going on. The "Marcia di 5 Terre".  So much for an isolated trail. As we neared the first summit, 300 or so meters above sea,  I mentioned to Sam that Sarah's former violin teacher participates in these mini marathons, and, just as I said that, I heard a familiar voice! There was Gabriela - the violin teacher - and her husband jogging towards us! How is that for a small world? We reached the first summit at the Santuario di Montenero, we stopped at the bar - complete with a singing barrista, as you do (doesn't every hiking trail have a coffee bar with a tenor) and finally had our long anticipated, albeit late, morning cappuccino. We soaked in the sun, lingered over the view and marvelled at the runners barrelling on by. Sam and I started to feel a bit hungry and with the faith that the sign on the trail map indicated a restaurant at the summit in Telegrafo, we marched on. 

As we climbed up the trail it divided and as anyone would do, we took the more scenic sea route completely ignorant of the fact that it was the more difficult of the two, but hey, at least we no longer had to move out of the way of the runners - they were on the other trail. As we continued to climb the views were even more incredible and that magical feeling that happens when you hike though the Liguria took over.  Around here the mountains seem to fall of into the sea, and the micro-climates you encounter as you climb up are not to be found anywhere else in Europe. In the 5 Terre, you find alpine wild flowers growing and terraced vineyards that fall off into the sea - and as we rose above 300 meters above sea level, we were now in a thick pine forest and the air was cool and fresh. If you looked to your left or east across the valley there were the snow capped Apennines, turn right or west and there was the endless sea. 

At this point we were almost completely free from other hikers - amazing - the 5 terre are normally on a sunny Sunday - overrun. Sam and I slogged on up the steep mountain and at about 12:30 we finally made it to the top! And yes, the restaurant was open and of course - FULLY BOOKED - yes you can drive there too proven by all the cars parked along the road! I gave the owner my best puppy dog eyes and he said to come back in an hour or so! Score! The aroma from kitchen was divine and the menu alluring so we set of to explore Telegrafo. Guess what... there was not much to see. Seems Telegrafo is just the halfway point between Portovenere and Riomaggiore, no village per say, but boasts a full on bar/cafe with picnic tables in one spot and the restaurant in an other. We walked on in the direction of Portovenere as far as time would allow and then headed back. We took our seats at our table, the worst one in the room, but who was going to complain? In the end, we had a fabulous meal of
tagliatelle with vongole alla zafferana followed up with fitto misto di mare all washed down with the famous white wine from the Cinque Terre.

      

For entertainment we had a large tour group of Australians who sat next to us. Watching them reaffirmed my reasoning to why I always avoid organized tours. For one, I really rather be by myself, quite difficult when you are with a large group, and, I want to choose what I eat. This group's meal was prearranged and everyone had the same to eat -  Spaghetti con pesto and fish alle ligure. Sounds good for sure, but compared to what we had and the other plates served to nearby tables, not anywhere near the best the place had to offer. And to serve 14 plates of the same food at the same time from a small kitchen... well it didn't happen. Anyway, I digress. Food is a religion for me, so I would have hated to sit there, looking at all the good things go by only to then be presented with the exact same thing as the person sitting next to me. Torture.

With full bellies and tired eyes Sam and I reluctantly pushed away from the table. For the walk down we chose the easier route, and along the way, we found a quiet spot to sit and rest - we even took a nap - a bottle of wine with lunch does make you weary. It was a struggle to pull ourselves up and hike back to the sactuario with the bar and the singing barrista - Sam had an expresso and I hit the toilet - and we were ready to march on.  

We made it back down to Riomaggiore just as the train that would take us back to Chiavari was pulling in. How was that for an end to a perfect day made without a plan and no reading of train schedules? An excellent example of how to just roll out your door and roam round the world!