Windwalker's Mountain Post: Cinque Terra

Several things stick in my mind about the trip from Padua to Vernazza:

When we left Auner Hof, Gizelle was kind enough to direct us to a wine store in Balzano where we picked up three more bottles of vino...somehow 4 wine bottles made our larger duffle A LOT heavier. Adding to the load were our hiking boots and poles now packed rather than in use.

We turned the Panda in at a Europe Car in La Spezia. From here we would take the train to Cinque Terra, and the town of Vernazza. The woman in the office was slow, crabby and unhelpful. When we left, Pam asked directions to the train station. The woman just waved her hand and said, "Down there. You just walk and see the sign..." So it turns out that the train station was farther than we thought and walking was not a great option.

We got a lot of help from people on the street. We were directed to the bus that would get us to the train station. We boarded the bus. When I staggered to the front to pay our fare, the driver either didn't understand me or didn't want to deal with me. "Finish!" which I took to mean that paying was finished for the day, he was finished, or we were going to the end of the line. In any case the bus ride was free. We had quite a time trying to see the name of the stop we were looking for frequently asking fellow passengers if this was the train stop. Finally, an old, disheveled man who had listened to our inquiries leaned over to Pam and said, "Two more stops and that is the train." In two stops we looked at him and he nodded. On the sidewalk, we asked a young black girl how to get to the train and in perfect, British accented English she told us..."Down there and the first right."

At the train we were in a crush of people. We had to navigate down several flights of stairs and then up two flights of stairs to get to the right platform. People pushed and shoved as I struggled to get the large, wine and boot heavy duffle to the platform. Then the train came and as people were getting off, the incoming passengers just pushed and jammed into the doorway. The duffle got caught. I couldn't straighten it or lift it and I heard a woman behind me say, "Just push her." When we got to the Vernazza station I was leary about getting off in the crush of passengers. I managed to muscle the duffle part way down the stairs when a lovely young girl looked up at me, flashed a smile that lit the platform, reached up and took the duffle placing it on solid ground just as I reached same.

Most everyone in the world it seems has some English. It is embarrassing because we both think of the many times foreign visitors to the US have not much help if their English is non existent or halting. At any rate, we have a coffee maker in our apartment but hadn't a clue about how to use it. So with coffee pot in hand, we went to the local coop grocery store and first asked, "What to put here?" The person behind the counter (the store was about an aisle wide), pointed to a shelf behind us. We reached and she said, "No. No..." and pointed to another type of coffee all the while toting up grocery bills for the local elderly in the store. We paid for our coffee and I said, "How? How to make coffee?" "Ahhh." The cashier took the pot apart (it's a tiny espresso pot) and said, "Put water to here. Coffee here. Put on fire and then..." she paused searching for words, "The coffee will blow up." And that's how we learned to make coffee. It is quite good.

The crush of tourists even at this time of year is suffocating during the day. The town is relatively calm from 7 a.m. until about 10, and then quiet again from about 6 pm (that would be 18:00 local time) on. We try to be on our way somewhere by 9:30...and back in our apartment by 3 or 4 for rest time, then assemble at about 6 for the sunset gathering. Here are a few scenes around our town of Vernazza...

From the harbor looking up toward the town. One of two local churches is on the left, the other just faintly seen at the top left of the town. Two churches. Two sets of bells chiming the hours.