PRACTICING OUR GOAT-LIKE SKILLS TODAY

Just down from a 2 hour cliff-climbing hike from Vernazza to Monte Rosa that took us WAY up into the mountains, clinging to small rocky pathways, high above the sea. It was a gut-busting, knee-trembling, eye-popping, heart-stopping, terrifying, thrilling and absolutely worthwhile walk, even though I often wondered about how many people fall off the edge and are never heard from again. Thank goodness we didn't. It was a landscape much like Big Sur, if you can imagine what it would be like if somebody had carved narrow rock walkways along all the high cliff edges, occasionally veering off through vineyards and down through rocky grottos. We walked hundreds of steps up and then down, many of them only fit for mountain goats - thank goodness for our Puma Mostro shoes, and for being reasonably in good shape! We made it, have some fantastic photos, and we are about to go out and re-carbo-load over a great pasta lunch. We figure we earned it. Later today we'll take the train back and visit some of the other little towns in this area. They sell a 3 day pass that allows us unlimited train travel, bus travel, and hiking trails in the Cinque Terra National Park area - we are definitely getting our money's worth!

Tomorrow we go to Siena to pick up a car and head into Tuscany, what a change of gears for us after all this mountain climbing!