Adventures of the three in 2015
June 13th-15th, 2015 - Stage 5, to La Spezia
June 13th
It was a relatively short hop from our last place of stay and we found our hotel without problem. We were ready to get out and explore without delay. Our hotel was near to the centre although far enough away not to be part of it. It was one of those old tenement type buildings with narrow balconies over-looking the street. Plenty of hustle and bustle especially as there was a Pizza parlour on the ground floor.
We headed towards the port area to get our bearings. I'd just received one of my photography challenges which was to take several photos and combine them into one image. Jayne and Lourdes wanted to help so I decided to take a photo of a statue and then incorporate the body of one of them into it. Jayne struck up a great pose so I used her head! I had some great comments from the others in my photography group!
We wandered around looking at some of the gin palaces when we heard a ship's siren sound. It was so funny as we started to run so we could watch a container ship being brought into port by tugs.....the simple things eh? Also docked in the container port was a huge cruise ship. I couldn't help think that it was ironic that the only place big enough for the passengers to be disembarked was the same place where containers were off-loaded!
We saw notices about boat trips to the cinque ports and so asked a guy in the ticket booth if it was possible to take dogs on board too. A wry smile came across his face and he made a comment along the lines of there being plenty of dogs on board so one more wouldn't make a difference! I guess that was a 'yes' then! Our plans for the next day were made! To celebrate we ordered a beer at the port. We had to pay upfront, thankfully, because I doubt we could've afforded another one! As we left the port area, Lourdes suddenly joined in the chat with a group of youngsters. They were Spanish and whats more, were from Andalucia! She recognised their accents and they were all from places not too far from Sayalonga.
We found a small restaurant to eat and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for the next day's trip.
It was a relatively short hop from our last place of stay and we found our hotel without problem. We were ready to get out and explore without delay. Our hotel was near to the centre although far enough away not to be part of it. It was one of those old tenement type buildings with narrow balconies over-looking the street. Plenty of hustle and bustle especially as there was a Pizza parlour on the ground floor.
We headed towards the port area to get our bearings. I'd just received one of my photography challenges which was to take several photos and combine them into one image. Jayne and Lourdes wanted to help so I decided to take a photo of a statue and then incorporate the body of one of them into it. Jayne struck up a great pose so I used her head! I had some great comments from the others in my photography group!
We wandered around looking at some of the gin palaces when we heard a ship's siren sound. It was so funny as we started to run so we could watch a container ship being brought into port by tugs.....the simple things eh? Also docked in the container port was a huge cruise ship. I couldn't help think that it was ironic that the only place big enough for the passengers to be disembarked was the same place where containers were off-loaded!
We saw notices about boat trips to the cinque ports and so asked a guy in the ticket booth if it was possible to take dogs on board too. A wry smile came across his face and he made a comment along the lines of there being plenty of dogs on board so one more wouldn't make a difference! I guess that was a 'yes' then! Our plans for the next day were made! To celebrate we ordered a beer at the port. We had to pay upfront, thankfully, because I doubt we could've afforded another one! As we left the port area, Lourdes suddenly joined in the chat with a group of youngsters. They were Spanish and whats more, were from Andalucia! She recognised their accents and they were all from places not too far from Sayalonga.
We found a small restaurant to eat and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for the next day's trip.
June 14th
We were are the port bright and early and were delighted to find a boat was to shortly leave. We bought our tickets and boarded, heading for the for'ard outside area. Jayne was prone to sea sickness and I thought Nell would be better there too, more out of the way. Although Nell was attentive to what was going on, she settled down and enjoyed the attention she was getting from people as the boat filled up. Then we were away! Inside the harbour it was very calm, however as we headed out of its protection and out to sea, so the motion changed and the demeanour on the boat as well. Plenty of shrieks as we rode big waves and splashed down, however it wasn't long before we were once again within the protection of a harbour at the first port of call, Portovenere. The landing was made with people exiting the boat from the side, so I worked out where to go with Nell then settled down with her for the next, longer leg of the trip. There was a big build up of cloud and Jayne was increasingly nervous. Then it started to rain and all but two of a group of Italian women, plus Lourdes went inside. I couldn't help laughing as the remaining two Italian women put up an umbrella (as you do) and carried on nattering away! The seas were getting bigger and I was happy when we turned and headed in towards the village of Riomaggiore. The plan was to get off here and walk to the next village, Manarola, a place I particularly wanted to visit. What I wasn't happy about however, was when I saw the very narrow landing jetty into which we were going bow first. It meant the ramp we'd been sitting beside came into use.
It was quickly slid up and over the bow and onto the narrow shelf of rock waiting to receive visitors. The crew were shouting to everyone who wanted to get off to move quickly as the boat was heaving up and down considerably. The ramp was on wheels and as the boat rose, so its steepness increased or decreased. Nell took one look at it and sat down. I quickly lifted her up and we were down the ramp on to solid ground. She wasn't a bit bothered then and was wagging her tail at the greeting she was getting from people in the queue spreading right up the rock face and waiting to get aboard.
We stopped at the first cafe to gather ourselves and also have a discussion about the fact none of us had bothered to bring our wet weather gear! The place was teaming with tourists and it looked as if there was somewhere we might be able to buy some plastic coats. We went to investigate.
Suitably kitted out we followed the signs to the walk named Via dell'Amore (Lovers' Walk) to start the walk to Manarola. I anticipated some breathtaking views on offer, according to the tourist information, however when we reached the start of the walk, we found it locked. A question as to why, elicited the information that it had been stormy the night before and debris had fallen.
A quick change of plan led us to the railway station and the purchase of tickets to get us to Manarola and beyond if we wanted. Getting to the railway station entailed a walk through a tunnel which was brightly lit. I wanted to take some photos of Jayne and Lourdes walking through, however they disappeared quickly so I waited for the next group to go past. Nothing was happening and when I looked behind to find out why, there was a long queue of people waiting for me to take my photo! I waved them on, took my photo and then headed off to catch up with the other two. All of a sudden there was a mighty roar and it felt like a hurricane hurtling through. My plastic mac ballooned out and I couldn't see for a minute where I was going and was worried for Nell. She was as stunned as I was as to what had just happened, however was quite happy to hare out of the place with me! There's obviously a vacuum created when a high speed train goes through the station and even Jayne & Lourdes experienced it just as they were nearing the exit.
We were are the port bright and early and were delighted to find a boat was to shortly leave. We bought our tickets and boarded, heading for the for'ard outside area. Jayne was prone to sea sickness and I thought Nell would be better there too, more out of the way. Although Nell was attentive to what was going on, she settled down and enjoyed the attention she was getting from people as the boat filled up. Then we were away! Inside the harbour it was very calm, however as we headed out of its protection and out to sea, so the motion changed and the demeanour on the boat as well. Plenty of shrieks as we rode big waves and splashed down, however it wasn't long before we were once again within the protection of a harbour at the first port of call, Portovenere. The landing was made with people exiting the boat from the side, so I worked out where to go with Nell then settled down with her for the next, longer leg of the trip. There was a big build up of cloud and Jayne was increasingly nervous. Then it started to rain and all but two of a group of Italian women, plus Lourdes went inside. I couldn't help laughing as the remaining two Italian women put up an umbrella (as you do) and carried on nattering away! The seas were getting bigger and I was happy when we turned and headed in towards the village of Riomaggiore. The plan was to get off here and walk to the next village, Manarola, a place I particularly wanted to visit. What I wasn't happy about however, was when I saw the very narrow landing jetty into which we were going bow first. It meant the ramp we'd been sitting beside came into use.
It was quickly slid up and over the bow and onto the narrow shelf of rock waiting to receive visitors. The crew were shouting to everyone who wanted to get off to move quickly as the boat was heaving up and down considerably. The ramp was on wheels and as the boat rose, so its steepness increased or decreased. Nell took one look at it and sat down. I quickly lifted her up and we were down the ramp on to solid ground. She wasn't a bit bothered then and was wagging her tail at the greeting she was getting from people in the queue spreading right up the rock face and waiting to get aboard.
We stopped at the first cafe to gather ourselves and also have a discussion about the fact none of us had bothered to bring our wet weather gear! The place was teaming with tourists and it looked as if there was somewhere we might be able to buy some plastic coats. We went to investigate.
Suitably kitted out we followed the signs to the walk named Via dell'Amore (Lovers' Walk) to start the walk to Manarola. I anticipated some breathtaking views on offer, according to the tourist information, however when we reached the start of the walk, we found it locked. A question as to why, elicited the information that it had been stormy the night before and debris had fallen.
A quick change of plan led us to the railway station and the purchase of tickets to get us to Manarola and beyond if we wanted. Getting to the railway station entailed a walk through a tunnel which was brightly lit. I wanted to take some photos of Jayne and Lourdes walking through, however they disappeared quickly so I waited for the next group to go past. Nothing was happening and when I looked behind to find out why, there was a long queue of people waiting for me to take my photo! I waved them on, took my photo and then headed off to catch up with the other two. All of a sudden there was a mighty roar and it felt like a hurricane hurtling through. My plastic mac ballooned out and I couldn't see for a minute where I was going and was worried for Nell. She was as stunned as I was as to what had just happened, however was quite happy to hare out of the place with me! There's obviously a vacuum created when a high speed train goes through the station and even Jayne & Lourdes experienced it just as they were nearing the exit.
Nell was quite happy on the train for the short haul to the next village, even though there were quite a few people who boarded and stood where we were. We left the station and started to walk towards the harbour, along with hoards of other people. There was a fairly relaxed atmosphere, despite the numbers of tourists.
Once at the beautiful little harbour we took a path taking us along a cliff face so we could look back. It was here that I found the location of one of the photos I'd seen which had attracted me to the place. We continued walking along the path and could eventually see the next village along. The cloud formations were dramatic and provided some wonderful additions to the beautiful views. We returned to the village and decided to explore uphill. At the top of the village there were steep steps cut into the cliff face and Jayne and I decided to investigate. We eventually found ourselves way above the village and harbour. There were various religious monuments on the tops of surrounding hills and we even spotted one perched above the village houses.
It was time to head down and find somewhere to eat before deciding whether to carry on or return to La Spezia. What eventually decided us was the number of tourists the places attracted; it was sometimes impossible to take in the beauty because views were blocked by heads and bodies!
We decided to head back by train rather than boat as the sea was still rough. Waiting on the platform, the number of people grew until there didn't seem to be a spare place to stand. A train arrived and I picked up Nell to get on board. More and more people wanted to push into the space I was desperately guarding so Nell wouldn't be crushed. I stood my ground and although a few people tried, no-one was able to budge me from where I stood! Nell wasn't happy with the crush; I guess it can't be comfortable when all you can see are people's ankles! Thankfully the first stop was only 5 mins down the line and quite a few people left. I moved to the luggage area where Lourdes was standing when the train moved off and into a tunnel. That finished Nell! The noise, the blackness and the motion was enough. She shook like mad and no way was I able to divert her attention. Thankfully, the journey lasted 20 mins and as soon as the doors opened Nell was out and seemingly none the worse for all the trauma. As we walked out of the station entrance, we looked up and there was a reflective ceiling angled so that people coming through looked like match stick men and women!
Once at the beautiful little harbour we took a path taking us along a cliff face so we could look back. It was here that I found the location of one of the photos I'd seen which had attracted me to the place. We continued walking along the path and could eventually see the next village along. The cloud formations were dramatic and provided some wonderful additions to the beautiful views. We returned to the village and decided to explore uphill. At the top of the village there were steep steps cut into the cliff face and Jayne and I decided to investigate. We eventually found ourselves way above the village and harbour. There were various religious monuments on the tops of surrounding hills and we even spotted one perched above the village houses.
It was time to head down and find somewhere to eat before deciding whether to carry on or return to La Spezia. What eventually decided us was the number of tourists the places attracted; it was sometimes impossible to take in the beauty because views were blocked by heads and bodies!
We decided to head back by train rather than boat as the sea was still rough. Waiting on the platform, the number of people grew until there didn't seem to be a spare place to stand. A train arrived and I picked up Nell to get on board. More and more people wanted to push into the space I was desperately guarding so Nell wouldn't be crushed. I stood my ground and although a few people tried, no-one was able to budge me from where I stood! Nell wasn't happy with the crush; I guess it can't be comfortable when all you can see are people's ankles! Thankfully the first stop was only 5 mins down the line and quite a few people left. I moved to the luggage area where Lourdes was standing when the train moved off and into a tunnel. That finished Nell! The noise, the blackness and the motion was enough. She shook like mad and no way was I able to divert her attention. Thankfully, the journey lasted 20 mins and as soon as the doors opened Nell was out and seemingly none the worse for all the trauma. As we walked out of the station entrance, we looked up and there was a reflective ceiling angled so that people coming through looked like match stick men and women!
Our hotel wasn't far from the station so we headed back to freshen up before a night on the town! Finding a place to eat in one of the main Plazas we couldn't help but be struck by the number of chinese people around. In fact, throughout the day, they comprised by far the majority of tourists. They may be about in numbers, however they generally tend not to be 'in your face' or noisily intrusive as with some other nationalities.
A final walk around the port area which was now lit up brought to an end our wonderful time in La Spezia. Tomorrow we would be heading inland and into another country!
A final walk around the port area which was now lit up brought to an end our wonderful time in La Spezia. Tomorrow we would be heading inland and into another country!