Cinque Terre

Most of today I spent hiking on the trails that connect the five small villages of Cinque Terre. The length of the trail is supposed to take four hours to commplete, but I somehow found a way to make it last all day. It was stunning to walk along these stone paths carved into the terraced sides of the hills. The sparkling water was on one side of me and the hills and villages on the other. Most of the path was steps, up and down, around the jagged edge of the mountains poking into the water. Once I ascended a group of stairs, I could usually see the next town in the distance, and slowly I would make my way up and back down again, along the water the whole way, through vinyards and olive groves, sometimes shaded, other times not, until I arrived at a the next town. The weather was perfect, but if I got too hot, there were paths winding down the edge of the cliffs to the water. I must have stopped at a beach every couple of hours, jumped in the water to cool off, lay in the sun to dry off, and when I was rested and a little cooler, I would continue on my way. I was surrounded by beauty the whole day, and now I am happy, tired, and ready for a good night's sleep.