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Exit Florence and Tuscany for now, and on to Cinque Terre and Liguria.

Cinque Terre is 5 small villages, lying out to the Mediteranean Sea. The villages are built on rocks, almost out into the sea. It takes 3 hours by train from Florence to get her, with a change of train in Pisa and La Spezia, before reaching one of the villages called Vernazza.

In Vernazza I have booked a small apartment for 3 nights. I pick up the key at Patrizia in her little shop, before I head for my apartment.

It's freezing cold, but not a cloud on the sky - and it's a very pretty little village. Slightly windy, and down by the harbour, the red flag is up. You can not go out onto the jetty - if you try you risk being washed away - and that's stupid. For the same reaon, the locals has taken their boats up onto the little square in front of the harbour.

So I head for the hills aroud town, to take a look from the top. There's a nice little ruin from a 11'th century castle with a nice view of the city and the sea. And a great sunset from another place up in the hills as well.

Dinner at one of the few restaurants that are open tonight. It's still off-season, so most of them are closed.

Friday, march 3'rd

Weather has changed since yesterday. Yesterday there were no clouds, and it was freezing. Today it's cloudy, windy, but not that cold. Most of the walkways between the 5 cities are closed due to the windy condition. But fortunately there's a train connecting the towns as well.

So I start of with the train to Riomaggiore, the southernmost of the 5 cities. It's awsome. Build so it almost climbs up from the sea and up the cliffs. It's hard to imagine how this is done - and why.

From Riomaggiore I walk to Manarolo. This is the most touristfriendly part of the paths connecting the city, so it's still open. It's not a long walk, and it's very easy. But nevertheless very impressive when you walk along the cliffs, just above the sea.

Manarola is sligthly smaller than Riomaggiore. As is the case in the other towns, cars are not allowed, som the few tourists and locals has got a very peaceful little town to walk around.

From Manarola I take the train to the northernmost of the 5 cities. Monterosso al Mare is different from the others. It's more like a small seaside-village, with a nice little beach. You are not allowed on the beach today. Red flag - to windy - and the waves are to hight. On the path from the railway-station to the city of Monterosso, the smart guys walk on the left, the side turning away from the sea. The waves are so high. that if you walk on the right side, you will be terrible wet.

Enough sightseeing for this day, so the final trip on the train is back to Vernazza. Sunset is very nice down at the harbour, with huge waves banging across the jetty.

Pizza from a local shop is brought back home to my apartment. There's no tv in the room, so I have to settle with my John Irving book and Radio Monte Carlo for some music.

It's even more windy today - like a true storm. And I thought I was going south for the sun on this trip.

Still one of the 5 villages to visit. That's the closest one Corniglia. I take the train there - the footpaths are still closed. It's different from the others because it's not down at the sea, but up in the hill. So there's a good uphill-walk from the train-station. That's probably why it seems less tourist-attracted than the other 4. Not nice if you have to carry all your luggage up here.

So there's very few souvenir-shops, but that's fine for me. Great view across the ocean toward the other villages. But it's a pretty small place, so it doesn't take much more than an hour, before I have seen it all.

So I head back for Vernazza again. The rest of the day is spent at my local cafe Marlin Bar, drinking cappucino and eating chocolate-cake - and of course, a walk up the hills around Vernazza. Ther are severel examples of the local "monorail". That's a homemade thing used for climbing up and down the hills, with fields of wine, lemons and olives.

There's also a very fine churchyard, vith a great view of the ocean. Not that the inhabitants care.

Pizza from my local place. It's getting a little to local - I don't have to say my number, before the start making my peperoni-pizza.

Last duty of the day is taking my garbage from my apartment to a small place down beside the railway-station. When you have your own apartment, you've got to do this by yourself.