Month: November 2012

Spent the rest of our 5 weeks away at the apartment in Nice. Weather generally really good with plenty of sunshine and still pretty warm during the day for time of year ( 17 – 19 degs )

Spent time completing some of the jobs that were needed to keep the place shipshape.

Decorated the bathroom, cleaned the sofa covers, new shower curtain and track and had the internet fibre optic connection installed by Orange which now includes more rubbish TV channels and the phone and internet all under one tariff.

Said goodbye to Ron and Ingrid & Chris and Martin who were going on their travels and welcomed back Richard and Joelle from theirs.

Good trip, good sun, good wine, good meals out and in, what more could one ask ?

We spent the last two days walking in the Portifino National Park which as it’s name suggests is an area of natural beauty within the hills and along the coastline immediately behind the little and very commercialised village Portifino.

Above Portifino looking towards Rapallo

Being out of season the village was dead with very little open except a couple of restaurants that were catering for a group of tourists on a tour.

One of the most expensive places to go in Italy, €7.50 for a coke and € 9 .50 for a small beer. Bonkers!!

Also walked from Camogli on the coast half way to San Fruttuoso and back via San Rocco. Quite a climb up to San Rocco but then levelled out a bit. A couple of nasty drops along the way where you had to hold onto a chain “just in case ”

Took about 3 1/2 hours in all

Nets collecting the olives as they fall.

Left Nice for a few days and travelled into Italy and staying in Rapallo which is a little east of Genoa.

Took the train this morning to Riomaggiore which is at the far end of the Cinque Terre National Park with the intention of walking to Monterosso al Mare, about a 5 hour walk and visiting all 5 villages along the coastal path.

Arrived only to be told that the coastal path was closed the whole way. ugh!!

Thought we may do a circular walk from Riomaggiore but then found out that the was the likelihood of a train strike after 2 pm. We couldn’t take the chance at not being able to get a train back to Rapallo so had a wander around the village and then came back.

The village and harbour of Riomaggiore

The coast that we would have walked along

Back in Rapallo after an uneventful day although we at least got a feel of the Cinque Terre so will go back sometime, maybe before we leave this time and do a circular walk from one of the other villages we did not get to.