Cinque Terre, Italy

Monterosso viewed from the 508

gathering grapes

This is a hike I did while staying in Vernazza in the Cinque Terre in Italy. These five villages nestled on hills by the coast and connected by a rail line, have narrow cobbled streets and old world charm. The people were warm and pleasant.

This was an interesting way of remembering the dead.

We found a trail and followed it uphill, past elderly Italians gathering grapes and a memorial honoring the dead.  It turned out to be the 508. Eventually, the trail led to a sanctuary with a chapel and a bench overlooking the ocean. Under the hot sun, we hiked midway across the mountain with stunning views of the coast. Butterflies flitted on tiny flowers in yellow, purple and pink. Finally we reached Sanctuary Savoie, which had a soft pink hue. We took the 509 down.  It was one long, straight descent, a huge drop in elevation in a short amount of time.

What an anniversary celebration!

Narrow streets in the villages

When we arrived in Monterosso, we were hot, tired and starving, so we found a place to eat. In an absolutely amazing bit of timing, our friends from Connecticut pulled into town minutes earlier and they too were hungry. The folks at their hotel suggested the very same outdoor restaurant where we were seated. It was a glorious and memorable day running into them in a foreign country when neither of us knew each other's itinerary.

On the writing scene, it looks like I may have FINALLY finished edits to "Light in the Cellar of the Sea," an article that is slated for the October/November issue of ChemMatters. Yesterday, I submitted a blog post that will hopefully be published this summer. I'm also working on numerous other projects, including a highly creative collaborative project. 

I believe I took this on the popular blue trail from Vernazza to Corniglia.

Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet...

I saw this little guy on the blue trail.

olives